foreign car tax

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Mon 14 Feb 2011 15:20
foreign car tax - newman

Just out of interest this one.

Can cars with foreign number plates legally park on UK roads without displaying a UK tax disc? I understand that there are some rules which allow such cars to maintain tax in country of origin but how can one check the validity of their tax, or is that not something the general public can do (similar to when someone spots a UK car without tax)?

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Mon 14 Feb 2011 15:34
foreign car tax - LucyBC

Providing excise duty (or the equivalent) has been paid in the EU a car can be used in the UK for six months. Obviously the level of knowledge as to how tax is indicated is lower for other EU courtries but if you know the origin of the vehicle you can at least discover what you should be looking for by making a few online checks.

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Mon 14 Feb 2011 15:49
foreign car tax - newman

That's interesting. I believe it is a car from Italy and therefore within the EU.

However, the car has been coming and going from my road (a resident) for well over 6 months, with the foreign plates. They have at least been living here for 2 years. Are there not any rules to require such plates to be changed to UK ones after a set time?

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Tue 15 Feb 2011 05:16
foreign car tax - LucyBC

They can drive it between here and Italy as often as they like on Italian plates but if they have moved here and the car is here permanently it should be registered in the UK after 6 months.

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Tue 15 Feb 2011 08:26
foreign car tax - Berisford

Hey I've got one of those situations near me. This one is an old Transit on Swiss plates, been there about 5 years and just to add insult he parks it half on, half off the pavement and facing the traffic too!

There is often an Italian reg vehicle parked behind it too.

I assume it's all too much trouble for plod to bother but I would think it's a clever way of avoiding UK rules & regs/camera's?

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Tue 15 Feb 2011 12:30
foreign car tax - newman

I know, how many things can these drivers get away with. I live near London, so congestion charging, speed cameras, parking fines, and so on.

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Tue 15 Feb 2011 19:00
foreign car tax - Collos25

The 6 month rule does not stand up to scrutiny firstly who can prove the car has or has not left these shores even for a few hours and secondly because unlike other EU countries there is no personal residents registration for EU citizens and thirdly Switzerland is not in the EU and should have been dealt with by the police.

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