Importing from UK, driving with no tax

joeirish

I plan to buy a motorhome in England in the next few weeks from a dealer. It will not be taxed. Anybody recently bought a vehicle in England and driven it back to the ferry port without car tax? Will I be stopped by police and have the vehicle impounded (as they can legally do). I see that they have lots of CCTV cameras that identify number plates and notify local traffic police. So is it a worry? Thanks

Henry Ford III

It carries an element of risk. Impossible to quantify it however.

joeirish

Henry Ford III wrote: »

It carries an element of risk. Impossible to quantify it however.

Yes I realise that it carries some risk. Just wanted to hear from folks who may have recently done what I was thinking of doing. Thanks.

Henry Ford III

I know someone who did exactly what you are suggesting quite recently. They didn't get stopped.

That doesn't mean the same will happen you though.

Is it possible for the seller to tax the van for 3 months?

joeirish

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I know someone who did exactly what you are suggesting quite recently. They didn't get stopped.

That doesn't mean the same will happen you though.

Is it possible for the seller to tax the van for 3 months?

Thanks for the reply.

The way I understand it is that UK road tax is now associated with the vehicle AND owner. It used to be just associated with the vehicle. Now once the owner changes the new owner needs to get it taxed. So once the dealer sells it I will be the legal owner. And because I don't live in the UK I cannot tax the van. So it is not possible any longer to just tax a vehicle, even for 3 months. You need to also be the registered owner.

KT10

I've done it with SORN'ed motorbikes a few times, never been stopped but I could have just been lucky.

You are taking a chance and unfortunately, if you get a copper in a bad mood, they're within their rights to impound the vehicle, even if you have all the paperwork to show you've legally purchased the vehicle (signed V5 with export bit removed) and are leaving the country (ferry ticket for that day).

I've only heard it happening to one guy, but he was doing over 100mph on the A55 back to Holyhead and the police were not impressed so decided to make his life difficult and lifted the motorbike.

As mentioned, taxing it for 3 months would probably be the easiest option, depending on the cost you could offer to pay for it so the buyer isn't out any additional money.

bazz26

Ask the dealer to tax the car on your behalf. If you tax it for 6 months they will be able to use your credit card. You can then apply for a partial refund from the DVLA once you get home and the car is marked as permanently exported. If the dealer tries to tax it for you for only 1 month then you can only do that by direct debit and it requires a UK bank account.

You could chance it but I'd doubt the risk is worth a small amount of tax, they do have ANPR on many roads and a police officer in a bad mood could make your life difficult and delayed if pulled over.

blade1

Legally you need to tax it which can be done at a post office over there.
You can claim tax back when u get home.

Anything else you do is you take a gamble so that would be up to yourself.

joeirish

Thanks for the replies so far. Here's a thought. Can I export via France? The dealer is not too far from Dover. I'm sure he has 'delivery plates' and might drive the MH to the ferry port. I take it onto the ferry. Drive across France to Cherbourg (picking up cheap wine while there, obvs!). Then come back to Rosslare and drive home. My thinking is that you don't need UK road tax when in France. And is there anything tht says you have to export directly to Ireland and not via France?

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

Legally you need to tax it which can be done at a post office over there.
You can claim tax back when u get home.

Anything else you do is you take a gamble so that would be up to yourself.

Apparently since 2014 you have to be the registered owner of the vehicle to get it taxed. And you need a UK address to register as the new owner. So it is not possible to get it taxed otherwise. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

bazz26

How much motor tax are you trying to avoid paying here?

JimFin

I had this problem some years ago and the dealer I was purchasing from had a contact in the traffic police so he contacted him. He told him that if you had the receipt to prove you purchased it that day/previous day and had documents to prove you were on your way to the ferry and the vehicle would be exported that day then it would take a cop in a very bad mood to do you, but technically you could be done. I took my chance and wasn't stopped.

As has been said don't attract attention by speeding/ double parking etc. If you are stopped, remember the saying "when your arm is in the lions mouth, be very nice to the lion".

If I were doing it again I would do the same again and take my chances.

joeirish

bazz26 wrote: »

How much motor tax are you trying to avoid paying here?

Bazz, as I said in my other replies. It is not possible for me to buy motor tax unless I am the registered owner. I cannot be the registered owner unless I have a UK address. So I am not avoiding tax, I cannot get the van taxed.

blade1

joeirish wrote: »

Apparently since 2014 you have to be the registered owner of the vehicle to get it taxed. And you need a UK address to register as the new owner. So it is not possible to get it taxed otherwise. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

I done in December 2016

bazz26

joeirish wrote: »

Apparently since 2014 you have to be the registered owner of the vehicle to get it taxed. And you need a UK address to register as the new owner. So it is not possible to get it taxed otherwise. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

The dealer can use their address and your credit card to tax it for you. They will receive the refund when the DVLA are notified that it's permanently exported and a decent dealer will post the refund tax to you. Myself and a friend did it this way only last year.

Hitman3000

joeirish wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far. Here's a thought. Can I export via France? The dealer is not too far from Dover. I'm sure he has 'delivery plates' and might drive the MH to the ferry port. I take it onto the ferry. Drive across France to Cherbourg (picking up cheap wine while there, obvs!). Then come back to Rosslare and drive home. My thinking is that you don't need UK road tax when in France. And is there anything tht says you have to export directly to Ireland and not via France?

Would paying the dealer 3 months tax not be cheaper and alot less aggro? Can't see the cheap wine off setting a ferry to Roslare via France.

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

I done in December 2016

what did you do? You taxed a vehicle in the UK even though you were not the legal owner? How did you manage that?

JJJJNR

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q911.htm

bazz26

joeirish wrote: »

Bazz, as I said in my other replies. It is not possible for me to buy motor tax unless I am the registered owner. I cannot be the registered owner unless I have a UK address. So I am not avoiding tax, I cannot get the van taxed.

Yes you can, read my further reply.

blade1

joeirish wrote: »

what did you do? You taxed a vehicle in the UK even though you were not the legal owner? How did you manage that?

I was the legal owner as I had just bought the car from Lexus Ipswich.
I just had to show at p.o. that I was exporting the car.
Still had to tax it though.

blade1

And look,I still have the receipt!

joeirish

JJJJNR wrote: »

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q911.htm

Thanks but that AFAIK only applies if you live in the UK with a UK address. What the DVLA website says is that you first have to have the vehicle registered to the new owner before it can be taxed.

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

And look,I still have the receipt!

I'm not doubting that you did this, I was just asking. So if I take the V5 with the export part filled in into a PO I can just buy one month's road tax and continue on my way? That would be a great solution. Thanks.

joeirish

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Would paying the dealer 3 months tax not be cheaper and alot less aggro? Can't see the cheap wine off setting a ferry to Roslare via France.

You don't know how much wine I drink :):)

blade1

joeirish wrote: »

I'm not doubting that you did this, I was just asking. So if I take the V5 with the export part filled in into a PO I can just buy one month's road tax and continue on my way? That would be a great solution. Thanks.

I have no Idea if you can buy just one month's tax.
I paid a year's tax.
It was only a tenner so I didn't care.
One advantage of buying a hybrid in the UK.

blade1

Oh, forgot to mention, the export part on the V5 is for UK residents that are moving abroad with the car.
Keep the whole V5 anyway.
I just explained that i was bringing the car to Ireland.
The lady at the p.o. scratched her head at first but did it.

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

Oh, forgot to mention, the export part on the V5 is for UK residents that are moving abroad with the car.
Keep the whole V5 anyway.
I just explained that i was bringing the car to Ireland.
The lady at the p.o. scratched her head at first but did it.

Thanks. I knew about the V5 and the export part being for UK residents. Hopefully the lady at the PO was OK to tax the car. On e the one month tax point, somebody else said that if you have a UK bank account then you can tax for just one month. I'll need to check that also.

blade1

Ring the p.o. beforehand to make sure.

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

Ring the p.o. beforehand to make sure.

Will do. Also contacted the dealer and sent an inquiry to DVLA. Will let the board know what happens. thanks.

kerten

bazz26 wrote: »

The dealer can use their address and your credit card to tax it for you. They will receive the refund when the DVLA are notified that it's permanently exported and a decent dealer will post the refund tax to you. Myself and a friend did it this way only last year.

I did this in February 2018 when I was bringing a car. It was online for dealer and he used my debit card to pay it in minutes.

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

I was the legal owner as I had just bought the car from Lexus Ipswich.
I just had to show at p.o. that I was exporting the car.
Still had to tax it though.

How did you show that you were exporting the car? My understanding is that you can only do this if you are a UK resident with a UK address. Maybe I've got that wrong. Thanks.

blade1

joeirish wrote: »

How did you show that you were exporting the car? My understanding is that you can only do this if you are a UK resident with a UK address. Maybe I've got that wrong. Thanks.

I showed her the receipt for the car, and I.D.
I might have showed her my ferry booking with the car reg. on it.
I'm not certain how much I showed as I just brought all the paperwork I had with me just incase and she looked at some of it.

joeirish

blade1 wrote: »

I showed her the receipt for the car, and I.D.
I might have showed her my ferry booking with the car reg. on it.
I'm not certain how much I showed as I just brought all the paperwork I had with me just incase and she looked at some of it.

Thanks again. Did you need to show insurance cert as well. I'll be getting cover from Dolmen for the UK reg for 28 days.

blade1

joeirish wrote: »

Thanks again. Did you need to show insurance cert as well. I'll be getting cover from Dolmen for the UK reg for 28 days.

I needed to show insurance to Lexus or else they wouldn't leave the car on the road.
Luckily I was with AXA at the time and they gave me a cert when I called into their office near enough to me.
May have showed it at p.o. but not certain.