# Mot



## campervanjan (Sep 29, 2010)

can anyone help ? i live in portugal i have my motorhome in portugal and is due for MOT in september do i need to retutn to uk for mot or can i have it mot in europe the motorhome is registred in uk and taxed uk cheers campervan


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Jan, it seems going by many, many previous threads on just this subject, you do have to get the van MOT'd in UK. Even Gib won't qualify.

But trawl through any previous topics on this and you will find the official requirements.

Ray.


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## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

It needs to be legal in the country of registration.


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

No - has to be done in Britain


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*Mot In Portugal?*

I would think it depends whether your insurance is valid - do you insure with a portuguese insurer?

If so, you need surely only put it through the Portuguese version of the MOT, for your own peace of mind.

Helen


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

It has been established on other threads that some UK Insurance policies require that you have a valid MOT, others require that the vehicle be constantly taxed. Some simply say that the vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition. Check what yours says.

To be sure you are driving legally I believe you need insurance and possibly mot and tax. 

Opinions vary and despite much in depth investigation no consensus has been reached. 

It is possible to state with certainty that you cannot get an MOT which would be regarded as valid by the UK authorities without returning to the UK, Alan.


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## leseduts (Jun 3, 2008)

I have already stated that this is supposed to change in 2014 at the latest. I had a reply that it would never happen.. ..

It may not happen but our motor technician has already been on a course to be told how to MoT vehicles registered in other european countries, and at the same time has been told that UK vehicles will be able to have an MoT test in Europe. Provision has been made to take into account whether they will need a 2 yearly or 1 yearly test.
Of course the UK government could still opt out, but things are in progress.


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

campervanjan quote:motorhome is registred in uk and taxed uk cheers campervan 

Currently needs uk mot to make insurance and registration legal.
No mot and vehicle should be on SORN.

Dave p


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

DaveP said, "Currently needs uk mot to make insurance and registration legal. 
No mot and vehicle should be on SORN. "

That is not strictly correct Dave. Only some Insurance policies require the vehicle to be taxed or to have an MOT.

A vehicle without MOT does not need to be SORNed if it is taxed, Alan.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

and you can't tax without an MOT

so yes, unleess you live somewhre without MOT's, ITV's etc, or equivalent, you have to return your vehicle to its country of registration to get the MOT, etc, to tax it.


That may, or may not change in 2014

There is no provision in any EU countrty at present to prosecute for no UK MOT or UK tax so you may probably drive around with impunity without, as long as you are insured.

BUT that is only for temporary imports, ie 6 months or less. To be a temporary import you musty have tax and MOT, ie be legal in UK

That leaves the authorities of the visited country the option to say that as your vehice is non compliant with the temporary import rules that they will prosecute for not complying with their local laws, ie not registered, taxed or MOT equivalent

NB if you are intending taking your vehicle out of UK for more than 12 months you should export it and cancel registration as well according to UK law and re register where it is taken to. The UK auithorities are not currently checking; and who knows, when they leave, when they are going to arrive back.

NB you can drive to a prearranged MOT whilst not having a valid MOT and whilst on SORN, so off boat to a nearby MOT station (not 100's of miles), so the no insurance with nio MOT or tax is probably not actually enforceable grounds to avoid a policy by the insurer


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Thanks Alan I did mean to scribe, No VED and the vehicle must be SORN.

Got my MOT and VED mixed up.

Dave p


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

thieawin said:


> NB you can drive to a prearranged MOT whilst not having a valid MOT and whilst on SORN, so off boat to a nearby MOT station (not 100's of miles)


Actually incorrect. There is - strangely - no restriction whatsoever on where in the UK you pre-book your MoT, so long as you only drive the vehicle to and from that location on the day of the test. I discovered this only a couple of years ago when I was challenged on the point, having believed it all my working life. 8O

It's a legitimate method of driving off the ferry/Chunnel with no MoT or tax to your home town. It must be pre-booked though, and this will be checked if you're stopped. (So might the MoT result, if the Bobby suspects you just have a convenient booking with your MoT-tester mate.)

Dougie.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

You only need an MOT and Insurance to Tax a vehicle, they do not need to last the life of the Tax disc, it only requires SORN once the Tax disc ends.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

asprn said:


> thieawin said:
> 
> 
> > NB you can drive to a prearranged MOT whilst not having a valid MOT and whilst on SORN, so off boat to a nearby MOT station (not 100's of miles)
> ...


Dougie whilst what you say is technically correct the legal provision in practice means you have to go straight there, ie no stopping off en route, no diverting, no stopping overnight, no shopping, no multiple fill ups with fuel, sustenance etc.

Safer to book within an hour or two drive, you may not get away with claiming you are on the way to John O'Groats for a pre booked MOT, when you come off BF in Plymouth


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Slightly off topic but you don't need a cat either, ours broke 4 years ago, and was replaced by a suitable pipe, and has passed it's MOT every year since at different garages


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*MOT in Portugal?*

The idea of returning to the UK with a campervan simply to Tax and MOT it sounds decidedly OTT.

We live in France and ran around in UK registered vehicles for years, insuring them in France.

If we went back to the UK in them we would simply get them MOT-ed and taxed a.s.a.p., but our French residency would explain why this had not happened before, if it was queried.

Nowadays we need to import into France within a few months, but if you have homes in both countries, you can still be a visitor, and not need to import.

Surely to be practical, the main thing is to be insured, and it isn't a bad idea to get a local MOT - Controle Technique in France - every so often - especially with older vehicles.

Helen


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

*Re: MOT in Portugal?*



hmh said:


> The idea of returning to the UK with a campervan simply to Tax and MOT it sounds decidedly OTT.
> 
> We live in France and ran around in UK registered vehicles for years, insuring them in France.
> 
> ...


Helen

you may have done it for a long time, but a vehicle has to be registered somewhere in the EU. If you are in a country for more than 6 months then you must re-register it in that country, or take it back to UK to get it re-licensed (and MOT'd!). I seem to remember hearing about this for long term Spanish residents who were pulled up by the local police, and of course our police locally have had purges with eastern europeans who are here working.


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## aultymer (Jun 20, 2006)

> You only need an MOT and Insurance to Tax a vehicle


I don't think so!
You need an MOT and insurance covering every minute the vehicle is on the road NOT just when you are taxing the vehicle.


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

thieawin said:


> NB if you are intending taking your vehicle out of UK for more than 12 months you should export it and cancel registration as well according to UK law and re register where it is taken to.


Assuming where you are taking it to is only one country!



Dougie, if you felt inclined, maybe you could write a small sticky (if Nuke agrees) just for the MOT info at least? I searched a few times for the last time you said the test must be on the day of return but despite an extended trawl couldn't find it 

Cheers

Jason


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*MOT in Portugal?*

Hi Bognormike,

I did say that nowadays we import the vehicle into France within a few months, this is because we don't have a UK address.

If the people in Portugal also have an address in the UK, then the assumption will be that it is going backwards and forwards between the two countries - in fact that will be the assumption anyway, as they are Brits. No-one in France or Portugal is going to verify their UK tax disc, or M.O.T.

I am not suggesting they don't do things legally, but there is a huge grey area when you live abroad.

Helen


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## locrep (Dec 5, 2011)

If the vehicle is safe to drive, why not book it into the nearest MOT station at your port of arrival, then at least you would not be wasting a Police units time explaining that you are on your way to get it tested.


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