SORN cannot be backdated?

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Wed 15 Dec 2004 09:02
SORN cannot be backdated? - Cliff Pope


I have just been reading the DVLA document New Car Tax Rules.
It says that SORN lasts 12 months, but apparently it cannot be transferred to a new owner, unlike car tax. So if I buy a SORNed car I must immediately SORN it myself.
There is the problem. Supposing I buy such a car part-way through a month. Its old SORN now lapses, and I must re-declare SORN myself. But ?SORN applications cannot be backdated?, and apparently can run from the first of a month only.
So what happens about the 2-3 week gap before my new SORN starts?
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Wed 15 Dec 2004 10:00
SORN cannot be backdated? - Robin Reliant
Provided you have declared the SORN at the earliest opportunity, you will have no problem. What a previous owner has or has not done cannot be your responsibility.
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Wed 15 Dec 2004 10:13
SORN cannot be backdated? - Cliff Pope
My point was that there will be a period of a few weeks when the car is in my ownership, but not covered by my SORN because that can't start until the first of the next month.
Equally it won't be covered by the previous owner's SORN because that will have lapsed when he sold the car.
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Wed 15 Dec 2004 10:45
SORN cannot be backdated? - martint123
SORN starts from the date you declare it - doesn't have to be at the beginning or end of a month.
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Wed 15 Dec 2004 13:42
SORN cannot be backdated? - Cliff Pope
The DVLA note says SORN runs for 12 months. So SORN can expire part-way through a month?
If it means SORN runs for 12 months from the start of the month in which it is declared, then it is saying SORN can be backdated, just like tax.
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Wed 15 Dec 2004 13:54
SORN cannot be backdated? - BrianW
I suspect that this another example of sloppy drafting of legislation and the intended wording is "SORN cannot be backdated to a month previous to that in which it is declared".
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