# What if you need an MOT overseas?



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

Hi

I am away at present and originally planned to return to the UK on a given date. It could be now that I am late - after all I was six weeks late getting this far! 

1) Van is three years old on 1st Sept - can it have an MOT in Italy?

2) If not, can I drive it to the UK without an MOT? Could I have an Italian MOT (even if not legally valid in UK) so I know the van is safe? 

Everything is 50-50 at present, but looking at options. 

I suppose worse case scenario is drive to Calais, MOT in the UK and then back. 

Who in the UK would know the correct legal position? Police? DVLA? 

Any thoughts appreciated

Cheers

Russell


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

I believe 2 points dictate the situation.

You can only have an MoT done in the UK.

To drive anywhere, you need insurance cover and that insurance is only valid if you have a current MoT cert.

So, it looks like you need to get back to the UK around Sept 1.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

tonyt said:


> I believe 2 points dictate the situation.
> 
> You can only have an MoT done in the UK.
> 
> ...


To be legal abroad you need to be legal here - so either MOT here before 3 years old or risk the consequences if it all goes wrong.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Russell as far as I can find out Tony is largely correct. The only vehicle test which is recognised as valid for a UK registered vehicle in the UK is a UK test. 

However not all Insurance policies state that you must have MOT, some like mine say the vehicle must be roadworthy. If yours says MOT is a must then you won't be insured without it, if not you will be insured as long as your vehicle is roadworthy. Read your policy document and see what it says, Alan.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

erneboy said:


> ....................
> However not all Insurance policies state that you must have MOT, some like mine say the vehicle must be roadworthy.................. Alan.


That's very interested Alan. I've always understood that without an MoT the insurance is invalid.

Just checked my policy and sure enough it says that the vehicle must be kept in a roadworthy condition but also says it must have a valid MoT.

That raises another interesting point - so, if you have a valid Mot but a bald tyre (or any other infringement of the MoT checklist) - you are not insured?

A nice debate fo a Sunday afternoon.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

tonyt said:


> so, if you have a valid Mot but a bald tyre (or any other infringement of the MoT checklist) - you are not insured?


Almost certainly so, if your insurer could prove it caused/contributed to an accident.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Your interpretation is correct Tony. The vehicle must always be in a roadworthy condition for the insurance to be valid and some policies require a valid MOT as well while others do not. 

A valid MOT certificate does not guarantee that a vehicle is currently road worthy, it does mean that the vehicle appeared to be road worthy at the time of the test, Alan.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Bloody rules and regs at every turn and for every eventuality.
I am getting so mad trying to comply with every daft and bloody stupid regulation that life is throwing at us now.

You have an MOT on day 1 but the disclaimer says this is not an admission the vehicle is roadworthy on day 2. So whats the point but control and regulations?

There are insurance companies that will insure UK reg cars in France and I think Spain. They would need a local MOT (Controle Technique).
So while we are all so afraid of contravening some small print and invalidating our insurance, life must go on and people should be allowed to pursue the retired lifestyle without worrying about some get out clause.

Are we square pegs trying to fit round holes?

Ray.


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

You're in the wrong country Ray.
Our legislators forgot or didn't know about 'motor caravans' when drafting our laws on roadworthiness testing and >3.5t speed limits.
So, as of now 'motor caravans' are not legally obliged to have our equivalent of your MoT and can drive at 'car' speeds irrespective of GVW.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

The practical position is as follows

*UK Law*
1.You cannot have an MOT test except in UK

2. The law in UK states that you can drive a vehicle without its MOT to an MOT testing station for a pre booked test. So if you pre booked you could go direct from your port of entry to the test centre at which you had pre booked, but don't try to be clever and book one in John o'Groats if you are arriving at Plymouth!

*Law abroad*

1. It is not strictly correct to say the vehicle has to be legal here to be legal abroad, that does not apply to things like vehicle excise duty and MOT, or even UK level insurance cover. Foreign authorities have no means of knowing and no interest. This provision refers to what is allowed on our roads in terms of type and construction.

2. So you have to comply with local rules about tyre tread depth, and the way your headlight beams point and their minimum insurance cover levels.

3. Under the Vienna Convention on International Circulation and the EU rules you can drive a vehicle complying with its home rules in another country where it would not comply with their home rules for a temporary period as long as you are not resident

*Insurance*

1. It will depend on the policy, but as the foreign authorities will not be bothered about MOT, if you had an accident abroad without one I'm not sure anyone would check, but its AYOR

2. Clearly the law allows you one non MOT trip as above, I cannot see the insurers getting away with not covering if an accident happened between the port and a pre booked MOT at a nearby MOT station. It would be perverse and i unreasonable. As long as the vehicle is in UK roadworthy condition, but again it is AYOR

*Tax Disc*

1. This will presumably need renewing before your return, probably at same time as you need MOT, as I say the authorities where you are visiting will not be concerned as long as you are within the other rules, not their job to collect or enforce UK tax, but you cannot renew without MOT and you cannot legally drive from port to MOT station without tax disc


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

thieawin said:


> *Tax Disc*
> 
> 1. This will presumably need renewing before your return, probably at same time as you need MOT, as I say the authorities where you are visiting will not be concerned as long as you are within the other rules, not their job to collect or enforce UK tax, but you cannot renew without MOT and you cannot legally drive from port to MOT station without tax disc


Pardon????
So just how do you renew the VED to have the test without getting the MOT first?

You can travel _directly_ to and from an MOT station for the purpose of having a test undertaken without a valid VED disc.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi

Just to add, as pointed out to me by Dougie ASPRN, you are allowed to drive to a prearranged MOT test but only on that day.

I also wonder what happens if you did that and left the UK immediately afterwards? Will the DVLA be notified by roadside cameras you have no tax, they send you a fine in the post to which you need to respond with proof of MOT prebooking? Or will they know and no fine will be issued, since the DVLA is such a well oiled and efficient machine?

I had plans to head south of Morocco a while ago, and the MOT and tax would definitely run out while away. I would also have liked the experts for my vehicle near Lancaster to do any work required for the test on return, but that may be hard work to get to a prearranged MOT having disembarked at Dover that day. How insurance etc would stand entering Europe at for example Algeciras and driving to Dover en route to a test is also perhaps AYOR, but unavoidable after a long trip. 

So despite now only visiting Morocco I did return to the UK for an MOT before heading south. A pain in the rear but saves future potential headaches perhaps?

And I see no reason why any garage couldn't give any vehicle the once over for your peace of mind at any time?

Jason


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Test*

Hi

I think, given all the grey areas, if my stay does become extended, it will be via Dover for a couple of days. It would also allow a top up of Tesco groceries, bread, smokey bacon, mint jelly....

Russell


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I have recently shuffled our vans road tax, insurance and mot as they would all have needed renewal while we would be away touring.
The old insurance policy was canceled and renewed early with the same company.
A new MOT was carried out a couple of months early.
The vehicle was taxed two months early.
All of our future renewals should now drop when we will be home.
It was a bit of a pain, but now done and dusted.
We now just hjave to decide whereb to go??? We go within the week!
Either Spain & Portugal or Germany, Switzerland and possibly Italy.
The only complication now is the HGV tax for Switzerland and the enviroment disc for Germany!


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I have heard it said that you can get the MOT in a European country and it will cover you in that particular country but you would need to drive direct to a UK MOT station on your return to Blighty.
Not 100% sure so check it out first.
Hope you are enjoying your travels.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

If the tax disk runs out when abroad and you haven't got a current MOT enabling you to re-tax it, then you will have to make a SORN or be fined. Presumably when you return to the UK, you will immediately be committing an offence as you will have declared that the vehicle is not being kept or used on the public highway. The fact that you can legally drive to an MOT testing station will not help with no valid tax disk.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

Grath said:


> I have heard it said that you can get the MOT in a European country and it will cover you in that particular country but you would need to drive direct to a UK MOT station on your return to Blighty.
> Not 100% sure so check it out first.
> Hope you are enjoying your travels.


definitely not


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## Phil42 (Apr 4, 2006)

It wouldn't help with Morocco but it would be so much easier if the EU, instead of trying to regulate the shape of bananas etc, harmonised all the regulations relating to motoring across Europe. I can't think of any drawbacks but I'm sure some will quickly be pointed out.

Phil

P.S. While they're about it they could also harmonise gas regular and cylinder fittings.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Got that lot Russell?


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## fdhadi (May 9, 2005)

Hi Russell,

Not sure where you are or where you are going but could you not go to Gibraltar.

Not sure what the rules are for MOT or Road Tax in Gibraltar but it is classed as or is part of GB???


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*MOT*



tonyt said:


> Got that lot Russell?


Clear as mud.

Italy at present, so too far form Morrisons in Gibraltar!

I would do a dash to Dover I think if push comes to shove.

Russell


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Phil42 said:


> It wouldn't help with Morocco but it would be so much easier if the EU, instead of trying to regulate the shape of bananas etc, harmonised all the regulations relating to motoring across Europe. I can't think of any drawbacks but I'm sure some will quickly be pointed out.
> 
> Phil
> 
> ...


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

I looked at MOT in Gibraltar and am certain that it can't be done.

This paragraph:

7.4 Can a UK mainland registered car be MOT'd at the Gibraltar 
MOT test station?

a. No, Only cars that are registered in Gibraltar can be tested 
in the Gibraltar test station. UK registered cars can only 
be tested in the UK, even if they are insured in Gibraltar.

Is taken from FAQs here: http://www.gibnet.com/faq.htm

Alan.


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

You can drive without Road tax to an MOT station NEAR YOU for a booked Mot, you can also drive it without tax after a fail to a designated place of repair and back again, if you need taxing after mot in Dover you can do it online, then you will only be guilty of not displaying. A non endorsable technical offence,

People keep saying your insurance will be invalid, its not just as simple as that Insurance companies cannot just say to you your not covered, in most eventualitys they have to pay for damage to a third partys vehicle in every case. If you have deliberately lied to them they will refuse your part of a claim but not whoever else was involved. 
They will, if for instance, you have had points added to your licence since renewal and omitted to tell them deduct what would have been the increase in premium from your claim.
It is true that things like a bald tyre which could have been avoided or wipers that are so worn that you cant see are contributory negligence but they cant just ditch you completely(they will try though).
Sorry to hi jack your thread Russell but the first bit may be helpful to you ,


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## savannah (May 1, 2005)

Being in this situation for the last few years living between Malaga and Somerset, I can confirm that you CAN legally drive back to the UK for your MOT without a current one as long as it is pre booked.
You CANNOT get a legal MOT in gibraltar or indeed any other european country to cover a uk reg vehicle.
And no one enroute is even slightly interested in whether you have one or not !

The main answer to your question is that you MUST return to the UK for your MOT......as I need to do....pain, but necessary......as you say, enjoy the stocking up !!
And maybe think about re arranging your dates for the future if the situation is going to continue.

Lynda


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*MOT's abroad*

 Ciao Rusell
am reading a lot of confusing and sometimes missleading views here.
I have been in a similar postion to you many times over the years; either with motorhomes , or other vehicles.

You cannot get an Italian 'revisione' (MOT) for a non-Italian vehicle unless you are in the process of re-plating it in Italy.

A UK registered vehicle, without a valid MOT, is not road legal anywhere else in the EU.

If you do not have a valid MOT you cannot have a valid tax disc, or valid insurance.

If your MOT has run out before you g to the UK, you are allowed to travel to a pre-booked MOT garage as near as possible to your point of entry into UK.

Looking for short cuts/loopholes around this situation is a waste of time/illegal/dangerous. 
The only 'clever' thing to do is that if you are away in Europe a lot is try to work things out so that tax disc/insurance/MOT all have same/similar expiry dates.

saluti,
eddied


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Eddie said, "am reading a lot of confusing and sometimes missleading views here."

Yes Eddie. Most of what you say is correct however you are not reflecting the whole story with regard to insurance. Some policies require a valid MOT and anyone whose policy contains that condition will clearly be uninsured if they drive without MOT. Other policies require that the vehicle be road worthy but do not have a condition requiring MOT, in this case the Insurance will not be invalid without MOT as there is no condition requiring it, always providing that the vehicle is road worthy.

Many Insurers do not insert the MOT requirement as a condition because an MOT does not guarantee that a vehicle is road worthy. The Insurers main concern is that a vehicle be maintained in a road worthy condition, Alan.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

*Re: MOT's abroad*



eddied said:


> If you do not have a valid MOT you cannot have a valid tax disc
> eddied


Yes you can. A Tax disc does not become invalid because the MOT runs out. The tax disc is valid until its expirery date.

As for insurance it also does not become invalid if the MOT expires unless the policy says so in unambiguous terms. If the vehicle was subject to total loss then the pay out would be reduced due to it having a lower value not being MOT's but there is no doubt that 3rd party claims would be paid i.e. it meets statutory legal requirements.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Surely the practical solution regardless of whether it is legal to drive on the continent or in the UK withiut a valid tex disc/MOT etc is this: since it is clear from the above that it is necessary to return to UK, do it just before they all run out - simples!

I have just come to live in Poland, with a recently renewed tax/MOT. At the end of the year I do not fancy a round-trip of 2,000 miles if only for purpose of MOT, so will be considering re-reg here (if that does not give me other tax/residents problems.

Geoff


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

I have been following this topic on Horizon Unlimited for several years, here is a very good synopsis of the conclusions reached by a number of very experienced travellers who have made every effort to find a definitive answer. These people were mostly considering travelling for several years in varuous countries using their UK vehicles. They wanted to make every effort to be sure that they did so legally.

http://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=94544

Alan.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Thanks Alan.
I have always been of the same thought as Horizon Unlimited.

I did have an argument with DVLC years ago just when the SORN regs came in.
As we were going back and forth with our UK registered Citroen, I always cashed in the remaining tax for a refund.
After a while DVLC wrote to our UK address trying to tell me I had to tax the car while in France.
When I sucessfully argued it was not necessary they suggested it was being exported. I said as we regularly returned to the Uk at least once a year, export was not the intention.

I did eventually gat an apology from someone at DVLC (which I kept) and carried on as usual. Taxing the car as soon as we hit UK shores and posting the refund application the day we left.

The car is now French registered so problem solved.

Ray.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Ray, I have always maintained my tax while I am away. What did you about driving from the ferry when entering the UK without tax or do you tax it before coming back?

I am worried about being caught on a camera or a vigilant cop at the docks seeing that I don't have tax, Alan.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

thieawin said:


> ...if you pre booked you could go direct from your port of entry to the test centre at which you had pre booked, but don't try to be clever and book one in John o'Groats if you are arriving at Plymouth!


I disagree entirely. The law provides no restriction on where you take your vehicle to its pre-booked MoT provided that it's taken on the day of the pre-booked test. So it's perfectly legal to drive from Dover to Lincoln as I did a couple of months ago with neither vehicle excise licence nor MoT, to a pre-booked test. Obviously the journey home from the test was considerably shorter. There is not a specific provision in the Act that you are restricted to a certain distance or must use the nearest MoT testing station to your home, and whilst I agree it's common sense to do so, that as you will know, has no bearing on whether you commit an offence or not. I had to research this point before I retired as I believed a motorist was committing an offence by not taking it to the nearest testing station, but I was surprised to find I was wrong. 

You're incorrect in saying that you cannot drive to & from a pre-booked MoT test without a valid vehicle excise licence.



Stanner said:


> Almost certainly so [you would not be insured], if your insurer could prove it caused/contributed to an accident


Not so. Clearly, every vehicle driver and owner has the obligation to ensure his or her vehicle is roadworthy. If a claim is made, investigated and then found to be caused by a vehicle defect, it *may* mean the insurer declines to provide comprehensive cover, if there was such cover. They will however always provide 3rd-party cover. This obviously means that damage to your car *may* not be paid for, but damage or injury to 3rd parties always will.



tonyt said:


> That raises another interesting point - so, if you have a valid Mot but a bald tyre (or any other infringement of the MoT checklist) - you are not insured?


Not so. See above.

grizzlyj raised an interesting point on his post earlier, which I can respond to from experience. I took my RV to Spain last November, stored it, flew back with the VEL back and refunded/SORNd when I got home. Legislation maintains that you are not permitted to SORN a vehicle which is out the UK, but I'll leave you to make your own minds up about my view on that. :roll: We flew back down in January, lived in the RV for a month on the site, then drove it 80 miles into Morocco for a month. Then drove it back through Spain & France to the UK, where it was pre-booked for an MoT on the day of our return, as I've mentioned above. I perhaps diverge a little off-topic here, because the RV was MoTd throughout. It was however not taxed because I SORNd it once it was parked up in Spain. AS thieawin correctly says, whilst UK legislation states that your vehicle must comply in every way abroad as if it were in the UK (so, tax, MoT & insurance), EU authorities are rarely interested except (rightly) for insurance. So, I infringed UK legislation by SORNing whilst the RV was in Spain, then by driving it with no VEL in Spain (and later France), but did not infringe UK legislation by driving it in Morocco with no VEL (although it was still SORNd).

I was able to get an email from my insurers before I went, confirming that they were not in the least interested whether my RV was road-taxed or not whilst abroad (anywhere) so long as it was MoTd (it's a condition of my policy that it must be, 365 days a year). I then had complete peace of mind that my insurers knew what I was doing and were happy, and also that no foreign enforcement agency would be interested in my not having VEL on the vehicle. Incidentally, I did come across another motorhomer during the trip who had done exactly the same as me, but went one step further and colour-copied his VEL before sending it back for refund, and displayed the copy whilst on foreign soil. He obviously intended to remove it on the ferry on the way back. 

Dougie.


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*Road legality bits*

 sorry folks, but am sticking to my guns here.

If your tax disc runs out before your MOT, and you circulate before renewing your tax disc; you are not road legal.

If you don't have a valid MOT you can't renew your tax disc.

If you don't have a valid MOT you can't renew your insurance; and if you don't have valid insurance you are not road legal.

I agree that UK insurance; even if it carries restrictions on time abroad as a 'fully comprehensive'; is still valid throughout the EU as 'third party only'.

So; either you return to UK every year for MOT etc. or you re-plate in another EU country.

saluti,
eddied


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

*Re: Road legality bits*



eddied said:


> If your tax disc runs out before your MOT, and you circulate before renewing your tax disc; you are not road legal.
> 
> If you don't have a valid MOT you can't renew your tax disc.
> 
> ...


Everything you've said is correct Eddie, and none of it disagrees with what I've said.  The only permutation you've not reiterated is that it *is* legal to drive to and from your pre-booked UK MoT without a vehicle excise licence.

Dougie.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

where does it say that you have to have a valid MOT to insure?


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

erneboy said:


> Ray, I have always maintained my tax while I am away. What did you about driving from the ferry when entering the UK without tax or do you tax it before coming back?
> 
> I am worried about being caught on a camera or a vigilant cop at the docks seeing that I don't have tax, Alan.


Hi Alan.
I always had all the necessary docs in an envelope with the cheque made out that day. Insurance, MOT, application form and V5. Then I always visited the first PO I came across.

Maybe I was lucky or as this was prior 2006 the ANPR were not so common.

Ray.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

thieawin said:


> where does it say that you have to have a valid MOT to insure?


Oops - my bad - I didn't read Eddie's post thoroughly.  You of course do not have to have a valid MoT to insure, unless the insurer says you do.

Dougie.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Thanks to Dougie, thieawin, Ray and one or two others who know what they are talking about. There are too many giving incorrect information and muddying the waters.

Here is what I think I will do.

I will MOT straight away when I get home. My tax is not due till August so I am still taxed. In the Autumn I will MOT again just before we come away again (I believe that is possible but need to check). That would cost me a few extra quid but will give me a longer MOT. 

I will then tax online for another year and have it posted on to where we are. 

I will time my arrival in the UK again so that I am taxed and drive straight to MOT again.

I may do trips home without MOT but my insurance does not require it, I will maintain my vehicle in roadworthy condition and I keep it taxed just for the convenience of not being stopped on the way back from Dover.

If I was away for longer and unable to tax it I would arrange MOT in or near Dover and then tax it, Alan.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

erneboy said:


> I will MOT straight away when I get home. My tax is not due till August so I am still taxed. In the Autumn I will MOT again just before we come away again (I believe that is possible but need to check)


Fill your boots.  You can MoT to your heart's content, as many times as you want.

(Imagine being stopped & given a ticket for MoTing your motorhome more than 3 times in a year... hmm... might suggest it.... :lol: )

Dougie.


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

Thanks Dougie for your informative posts on this subject maybe people will listen to a retired policemen, it gets my goat when the first thing the doom merchants come out with is "your insurance will be invalid"
I was under the impression you had to use the nearest Mot station and that after most of my life in the trade, still your never too old to learn.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

sideways said:


> Thanks Dougie for your informative posts on this subject maybe people will listen to a retired policemen


That'll be a first. :lol:



sideways said:


> I was under the impression you had to use the nearest Mot station


Indeed, as was I. Quite liberating to find it's not the case. 

Dougie.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

sideways said:


> I was under the impression you had to use the nearest Mot station and that after most of my life in the trade, still your never too old to learn.


That's what happens with lots of these things. The law is embelished on forums and become folklore. 
Things like " No Tax or MOT means insurance is invalid" etc are spouted endlessly when there is no fact in it.
If talking about motoring law it is best to quote the source, hopefully a trustworthy one, of the information being given.

There are a lot of interpretations that have been tested in court of what the lawmakers actually meant. A example being what did they mean by 'using' as applied to a mobile phone whilst driving or 'driving' when applied to seat belt law?


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## mikeT (May 1, 2005)

Hi All
See enclosed link covering Road tax and vehicle inspection regarding Spanish motoring law's it may help!
I learned a thing or two.

http://www.idealspain.com/pages/information/DrivingSpain.htm

Mike


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

That article has contributions from various people, it's much the same as this thread and it repeats the complete fallacy that no having tax invalidates insurance therefore I take the rest with a pinch of salt. 

I am not saying it's all wrong but I would not rely on it, Alan.


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## ianhibs (May 1, 2005)

My head is slightly spinning after reading this but Dougie, coming back to your experience, I still can't find the answer to this:-

You're in Spain on a campsite i.e. off the road. your MOT expires and 2 weeks later you leave the site and drive home to a prearranged MOT in the UK taking, let's say 4 days. 

Are you insured and legal?

Ian


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## 100127 (Jul 20, 2006)

It is a grey area. You are insured if you have a pre arranged appointment to have your vehicle MOT'd,,, BUT it does not specify the time span.


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*MOTs etc*

 If I'm wrong I stand to be corrected; but try to get a tax disc without a valid MOT.
Then convince your insurance company that your vehicle is 'roadworthy' if it hasn't got a valid MOT.
The go and have a bump without either tax disc or MOT and see if they pay out. On the road in the EU I mean.
saluti,
eddied


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

If there is a condition in your Insurance policy requiring to to have a current MOT then you must have one, if there is not then you don't have to have one for your insurance to be valid. Either way you will be required to keep your vehicle in road worthy condition.

If you have current road tax then it is valid regardless of any other factor.

Your insurance is valid regardless of whether or not you have road tax.

You need both Insurance and MOT to renew road tax if your vehicle is old enough to require MOT.

Leaving aside the Insurance implications discussed above, whether or not you transit other countries without a valid UK (stress UK) MOT is up to you. I have never seen any official comment on this despite exhaustive searches over the last few years. I think this is because there is no definitive answer, Alan.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

eddied

that is really interesting

however as long as your vehicle is roadworthy and you could have passed your MOT on what valid grounds could the insurers avoid the policy for yo not complying with requirements with which you were not legally obliged to comply in the first place

By that I mean there is no requirement whilst your UK registered vehicle is on the road in Europe that it has a valid MOT or tax disc or that it is driving to an MOT station for a test.

However that changes on disembarkation.

I never said that you had to go to the nearest MOT station, just that arriving in Dover and having one booked in John o' Groats might not be a good idea, it does give the police opportunity if you get stopped or caught on camera to try to prosecute especially as it would take a couple days hard driving

and the chance of accident is increased as presumably at that stage you have had a day or two's drive in Eu first

All register your vehicles in IOM, no MOT here, so you don't have to bring it back, and they send licenses out in the post. Not linked in to APNR so no idea you have left the adjacent island for "abroad"

Could be a nice little earner JW driving licences accommodation address!


NB MOT only says the vehicle is roadworthy on the day, not any of the other 364, not even MOT day + 1. Insurers practically do not avoid for minor unroadworthiness, they just refuse to renew and put your name on a central register. Try geting a quote then.
John


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## mikeT (May 1, 2005)

Hi Again
Why not ring DVLA up and ask them if you are legal running around Europe with out a valid UK MOT !! They should Know Or ring up your local Police Traffic dept .

I don't think it legal and would not do it.
I would have sorted it out before I left the UK , Same with Road Tax .

Regarding booking an MOT when current one has run out I was always told you must drive direct to the MOT Station not sure if there is a milage limit on this again DVLA or Police could advise I would trust there advice than some of the repley's on this forum !

Mike T


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## camper69 (Aug 30, 2007)

mikeT said:


> Hi Again
> Why not ring DVLA up and ask them if you are legal running around Europe with out a valid UK MOT !! They should Know Or ring up your local Police Traffic dept .


Unfortunately you get their opinion not necessarily a courts interpretation of the law



mikeT said:


> I don't think it legal and would not do it.


That's OK



mikeT said:


> I would have sorted it out before I left the UK , Same with Road Tax .


Things sometime change .



mikeT said:


> Regarding booking an MOT when current one has run out I was always told you must drive direct to the MOT Station not sure if there is a milage limit on this again DVLA or Police could advise I would trust there advice than some of the repley's on this forum !


Some replys are from the very people you are suggesting to contact 

Derek


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Ringing anyone is not a very good idea for several reasons. Firstly you will not be assured the answer you get is correct, secondly you will have no record and therefore no way of proving what you were told. If the answers is that you do not require a UK MOT while travelling in other countries a record of that would be vital.

Far better to do what ever you want to do in writing. You don't really need to do that though as several people on Horizon Unlimited have been in correspondence with many branches of the UK Government on exactly this topic for several years. Their correspondence is published there in full and I can tell you that up till now no one has been given a definitive answer, by that I mean neither a yes nor a no, Alan.


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*MOT and legality in EU*

 I think Russell is more worried about the implications of driving in the EU wihout a valid MOT, than once back in the UK.

It is a given fact in EU legislation, that for a vehicle to be road legal in the EU, it must be road legal in its country of registration.

E.G. My current car does not now need a 'revisione' until December 2012.
If I come to the UK in July 2012, I will be road legal there, even though my car was last tested in December 2010.

My last UK reg. motorhome had an MOT that expired July 2009; MOT'd
July 11th. 2008 at Dover.

Travelling to the UK July 9th. 2008; to MOT at Dover, and then proceed to rally at Lincoln. Pulled over by motorcycle gendarmerie near St. Avold on the autoroute. Motorhome thoroughly inspected, and all documents also carefully inspected. Made quite clear to me that if I had been three days later; or did not get out of French territory before July 11th. motorhome would be impounded as 'non road legal'.

All quite academic to me now anyway, as I no longer possess any UK reg. vehicles or motorhomes.
Just trying to help with personal experiences accumulated over many many years.
saluti,
eddied

saluti,
eddied


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## moch (May 21, 2005)

*MOTs*

While in Spain this winter I picked up one of the free papers and there was a couple who had been convicted of making thousands and I do mean thousands of pounds (euros) somewhere near Benidorm by claiming they could carry out MOTs in Spain. The article also said there were a lot of people in Spain who thought they had MOTs but they weren't worth the paper they were written on.

Mrs M


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Please tell me under what law a foreign Police Officer could seek to enforce UK laws? 

If your vehicle was found to be defective and therefore contravening the law in the country you were in at the time he would act.




This is what thieawin had to say earlier in this thread,


"Law abroad

1. It is not strictly correct to say the vehicle has to be legal here to be legal abroad, that does not apply to things like vehicle excise duty and MOT, or even UK level insurance cover. Foreign authorities have no means of knowing and no interest. This provision refers to what is allowed on our roads in terms of type and construction. "

Alan.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

mikeT said:


> Hi Again
> Why not ring DVLA up and ask them if you are legal running around Europe with out a valid UK MOT !! They should Know Or ring up your local Police Traffic dept .
> Mike T


Ringing the DVLA on any subject often gets you a different answer each time.

This discussion is reasonably focusing on travel in the EU. But what happens if you, as many do, wish to travel in your camper perhaps to Aus, USA, Africa even. What happens to the DVLAs requirements then?

Their answer is you need to export the vehicle to the country you are visiting! So to take perhaps two years around Africa which of the 20 something countries such a route will dictate should you export it too? How? Why should you!? The inconvenience of returning to the UK is fine if you are "only" 2000 miles away!

Or do you restrict your travel to 364 days due to the DVLAs blinkered and unhelpful rules?

Many such countries won't know what an MOT looks like, but you still have the difficulty of perhaps driving across the EU on return.


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