UK Van in Spain

I trust the good advice and broad knowledge shown in this forum. Because of this I am asking a question a somewhat off topic.

(If anybody knows a better forum for me to go to, please let me know):

I plan to buy a second hand medium size van to move some of my belongings (including furniture and other rather large items) to Spain from London and to use it as a van in Spain.

My questions are:

  1. Which makes are good reliable?

  1. Can I keep the van in Spain registered in the UK for an indefinite time? I believe that I may be required to register it in Spain after some time. The problem is that I don't know how long I will stay in Spain or need the van in Spain.

  2. Can I use the Spanish MOT (called ITV in Spain) to obtain the yearly road license?

Thanks,

Antonio

Reply to
asalcedo
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You can drive with UK number plates for 12 months, after which the vehicle must conform to all local regulations.

You don't need a UK tax disc while in Spain.

(I went through all this when I worked in Germany for a year - I was represented by my local MEP who was also a lawyer.)

Reply to
Bob Martin

You will possibly also need to make a SORN declaration over here as well otherwise you risk being asked to pay UK road tax for the period you were away and/or a fine too.

I have just been through something similar where I did not tick the right box on a form when getting a tax refund. It seems you must have a valid tax disc or a SORN no matter what. They are totally unforgiving of mistakes.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Minchin

A friend had a fiat Punto in Italy for 15 years IIRC.. He never taxed it at all. Just insured it. MOT's? Don't make me laugh..

Insurance is possible.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

In some parts of Spain the local police will clamp down. In other parts, they won't, it's very hit and miss. Sometimes you will get "pulled" if they recognise your vehicle and it's been in the country for a long period. Some parts of the country will let you keep the vehicvle there for 12 months but in other places it could be 3 months - if you don't have proof that you're getting the vehicle transferred to spanish registration. Obviously, if the cops don't stop you none of this applies.

The expat forums are full of this kind of question, check out

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for long, detailed discussions and tales of woe.

You could also have trouble getting an ITV for a van in Spain, for two reasons. First of all, the vehicle isn't registered on Spanish plates Second, the spanish regs. are very tough on RHD commercial vehicles. If it's a large van they will often fail it due to poor / lack of rear visibility. (It's also a protectionist ploy, but that's one for the conspiracy people)

Your vehicle _must_ be legal in Spain - or in any country you drive in. Specifically it must comply with the law whereever it's registered. It must also have insurance cover that's valid for wherever you are. If your vehicle is registered in the UK, it must have a tax disc and MOT if necessary. If it's been out of the country and still registered in the UK and the tax/MOT has expired, it cannot be legal, so you can't get it insured. Yes, you can buy an insurance policy, but the company will very likely refuse to pay out if you make a claim, on the basis that your vehicle isn't legal. You'll still get a big fine for having an illegal vehicle if the spanish police don't like your (out of date) documents.

The spanish police are quite hot on the ins and outs of british veicles in Spain. They regard them all with suspicion. You can't argue with these guys so make sure you carry all your paperwork (passport, driving licence, insurance, log book, MOT, return tickets) all the time - and smile sweetly.

Reply to
pete

That was not my experience. The police said I had to report to the local Tüv station (German MOT) where they would give me a report on how my car failed to meet German regulations. While I was in the waiting room the solicitor assigned to me by my employer (IBM) - she was also the MEP - turned up and she and the garage manager retired to a room where all the legal books were kept. They found EU legislation which said the German police couldn't touch me until I had been there for 12 months, and I was given a letter by the solicitor to show to any police who stopped me. I checked with Swansea and they said I didn't need a tax disc if I was not using UK roads.

Reply to
Bob Martin

my employer

using UK roads.

I'm not denying your experience _in_ _Germany_. However, Germany is not Spain - and Spain is 17 autonomous regions (rather like Wales and Scotland are to the United Kingdom) each one with their own local laws and regultaions.

The practical situation, in 2009, for an individual who has neither the money or legal representation of a multi-billion dollar company behind them, nor the time to go through european law is very different. If the local police don't like your paperwork - whether it ultimately turns out to be legal or not: under their local laws, spanish national law or european law, is largely immaterial - you will probably get fined. You may even get towed. Waving your arms (metaphorically) and yelling at them in english won't help your situation, either.

The best thing to do is try to prevent the possibililty, by having everything in order, making sure there are no external reasons (damage, faults, lack of or outdated tax disk), and not pissing-off the men with guns.

Reply to
pete

Do you happen to have that letter still or a reference to the Directive as everything I've ever seen limits the use of a car registered in another member state to 6 months and then only if the keeper is not resident in the UK. See eg

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Reply to
neverwas

Several people I know who have extensive experience recommend Transits. They also have the advantage that spares wil be available almost anywhere.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

I recently chatted to a motorhome owner who was going back to England (we were in France) to get it MOTed because his insurance company said they would refuse to pay out if it had any other kind of test, including an ITV.

Another Dave

Reply to
Another Dave

Another Dave gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It's on UK plates, so be legal on the roads in any EU country, it must have UK tax, UK insurance (covering the country it's being used in), and a UK MOT if it's over 3yo, and it must be registered to a valid UK address that the keeper can be contacted at. Most non-EU countries will require similar.

If it's in that country for more than a few months, or the keeper is permanently resident in that country, it must be registered in that country.

It's really not a difficult concept, and it's _exactly_ the same as for vehicles registered in other EU countries but used in the UK.

Reply to
Adrian

I thought you just had to move out of the country and then back in again

- that's the principle I worked on when I lived in Germany - the vehicle has to leave the country's border - you can then bring it in again

You do, however, need valid insurance. Make sure you comply with their requirements

Reply to
geoff

my employer

using UK roads.

Nevertheless, European law overrides national law.

Reply to
Bob Martin

changed since I was in Germany. Assuming the link is correct.

Reply to
Bob Martin

te:

Unless you have a crash perhaps?

Robert

Reply to
RobertL

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