Hello
My dad owns a Corsa (4 years old) which he bought in Portugal, and it's still in Portugal. It's all legal there (registered there, insured, taxed, mechanical test etc). He wishes to drive it back to the UK.
If he was foreign, he could drive it in the UK for 6 months without a problem, but because he's English we understand he can't even drive it home from the port because an English citizen can't drive a foreign plated car in England.
We genuinely just need to complete one journey in the car to get it from the port to our house, where it'll then be garaged until we get the chance to change over the lights, complete any other modifications necessary, and then go through the process for registering it in the UK.
Is our only option a tow truck? That's very expensive. Does anyone know if its likely we'll be physically stopped from driving it at the port or what punishment we risk if we do drive it home. Or if there is a procedure we can go through to maybe allow us to drive this car temporarily in the UK?
Many thanks
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English citizen can't drive a foreign plated car in England
As long as he's insured can't see the problem..
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I hoped so Pugugly but I have read this:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVeh...3
EU vehicles brought into the UK will be allowed to be used freely for six months in any 12-month period without the need to register in the UK, provided the vehicle complies with the requirements of its home country. Where the keeper of the vehicle becomes resident in this country, the vehicle must be immediately registered and licensed in the UK. [b]UK residents are not allowed to use a foreign registered vehicle on UK roads.[/b]
A right inconvenience.
Does anyone know if it is a strictly enforced rule at the port?
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Ah - sorry I assumed you were going to register it as soon as he got here. I did the same brought a Landie in drove to a LVLO and got it registered.
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if its any help a friend of mine returned from living in spain a couple of years ago and got off the pride of Bilbao with spanish plates on,he drove home and next day came to me,i got an mot on it for him and then he applied for his english plates
the english army didnt stalk him but neither did he have a car accident on the way up
i think technically you would be doing an illegal act but as pugugly says make sure uk insurance is in place and drive it to its permanent home until the documentation is in place
be aware your corsa needs to be recognised as eu compliant or you will be pushing water
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I know someone who has been driving a US registered Pontiac in England for over a year now with no repercussions, untaxed but apparently does have insurance based on VIN number as obviously it has no worthwhile registration.
You couldn't make it up!
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But judging by the OP the car owner is actually resident in Portugal - so is not resident here IYKWIM
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I have worked for a company based in England, even though the truck was registered in Belgium and i am English and am a English resident, the truck was parked in England all the year and only went back to Belgium for its annual test once a year. This was purely for cheaper road tax and less hassle with regards to speed cameras and parking fines.
So providing the car is insured and is EU compliant, there should be no reason why you can't drive the car in the UK untill you get a MOT and the changes made to lights etc and register it as UK based vehicle.
pastyman.
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Years ago it was acceptable to take a car to the nearest DVLA office to apply for registration, for me that was the Maidstone office, having got off the ferry at Dover. I also drove foreign registered cars, in Uk for a few weeks at a time, on their foreign plates without having problems or being illegal (SFAIK)
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What about all those new foreign RHD cars that used to be bought abroad and then brought straight to the uk?
Have the rules changed?
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Surely the key word is RESIDENT
If he can demonstrate residence in Portugal (i.e. and address, which he must have for the portugese authorities to have the car registered to) then he should be OK.
Otherwise he is being discriminated against by nationality.
How do all these Poles etc who are resident here drive Polish registered cars then = or is it just not policed.
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![2016 Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 [75] ecoFLEX Energy 5dr [AC]](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/9318db4708bb71c0c102965a3d06d0bf/e294afc2ff4f3e1a08a1104d6c60895b.jpg)
