Car registration.

[janetta]

we are having our car changed into an Italian one by the driving school in Servligano. he seems to do it all for me and we await a call to see the notaio. dont know the costs but we cannot sell a UK car here and dont want to keep on going back to UK for MOT and insurance.

[gradese]

I have contacted Stuart Collins in Swansea about insuring my car with UK registration. They will insure me fully comprehensive for roughly three times what I used to pay in the UK - about £900 for a slightly sporty vehicle. (You can't actually get fully comp in Italy for an older car anyway, and if you could it would be a lot more than that.)

SC said: "We believe that one should keep the vehicle taxed & MOTd but policy cover is not affected without. Naturally on your return to UK it would be wise to comply with UK requirements". That suggests that if you don't intend to drive it in the UK you needn't tax and MOT it there.

The US insurer Clements quoted $1000 for similar cover, and the car could be registered anywhere. If I can buy a car here (without having to take residence), then I will be able to insure the car with Clements.

Of course, I could buy the car in my (Italian) wife's name, but then would have problems getting the expat insurance.

[liketheroman]

should not matter who owns the car for the expat insurers, they are more interested in 'habitual user'

[gradese]

in that case I might give Clements a call and see if they would insure it when it's registered in Italy under my wife's name

[antonella edwards]

Hi,
we recently changed over the number plate on one car into Italian plates whcih cost about 650 euros We had it insured with Stuart Collins before. I know for a fact that if a car is registered in the Uk it must be taxed and MOT'd in the Uk even if it is in Italy, otherwise the insurance is not valid. This also means that you have to take the car back to the Uk once a year. Stuart Collins use AXA for their overseas insurance and they also say this.
We sold another car and bought an Italian car and insured it and that was pretty simple and hopefully would be for you due to your wife. Hope this is helpful Antonella x

[lombardia2007]

Just to clear it up, as there seems to be some confusion/misinformation about UK vehicles in Italy - the law (EU directive 83/182 of 1983) states that an EU vehicle can stay in another EU country for a maximum of 6 months, and during that time it must be legal in it's country of origin - i.e. a UK car brought to Italy can only stay for 6 months, and must have UK road tax, UK MOT and valid insurance.

After 6 months you have to take the car to another EU country for another 6 months - i.e. you cannot just nip over the border to France for a day and bring it back to Italy, like doing a "Visa daytrip" from Thailand to Cambodia to update a visa for a person to stay in Thailand.

So, you must either remove the vehicle from Italy or get Italian number plates/registration on the vehicle.

From the European Commission website:

"IF YOU ARE MOVING
If you are moving to a different Community Member State, you must register your vehicle in that country as soon as possible after arrival and, at any rate, within six months of moving. You should have no difficulty in getting your vehicle registered provided you follow the set procedures."

European Commission - Your Europe - Citizens - Delivery and registration

"CAR Registration

If you live and drive in the host country for a period of 6 months or more, you should register your car in the host country. You will have to pay a registration tax. You should register your vehicle up to 6 months after its entrance in the host country. The registration process allows the national authorities to verify whether the vehicle has the technical characteristics (technical conformity and technical control) required by legal safety standards: bring all necessary technical documentation and have it translated, if possible. Also, please consult the following factsheet:

http://europa.eu/youreurope/nav/en/citizens/home.html"


From: European Commission - Your Europe - Citizens - When leaving a country and on arrival, formalities to be completed

I know there are many people breaking this law, and driving a car with UK plates in Italy for more than 6 months and just 'going back to the UK every year to get the MOT' is illegal under EU law.

[antonella edwards]

Hi,
I'm glad you've cleared that up, I know people also who have been driving for years with Uk number plates and just going back oncea year for new tax and Mot. I do however think that at times we are slightly misled by the insurance companies!
Antonella

[lombardia2007]

Hi antonella,

Yes, there are people all over the EU breaking this law, and I think the worst affected area is Spain, where the British ex-pat community are, in the last decade, the worst offenders.

However, since the widening of the EU to incorporate Eastern Europe, there are high numbers of Polish vehicles and others in the UK illegally, often without insurance.


By the way, everything's now on the new UK computer system: insurance, tax and the new style computerised MOTs - see this page: DVLA Online Vehicle Licensing | Home and click on "Vehicle Enquiry" on the left. Only the DVLA and police can see your insurance and MOT details, but that link allows you to see the road tax status of any UK registered vehicle, as long as you know the reg. number and vehicle make.

-> Therefore, you don't need to go to a Post Office in the UK to get road tax anymore - you just need to pay online, and the tax disc gets sent to the registered address in the UK, so if you maintain a UK address at a friend's or family members, you can just buy the tax disc online and have it sent to you. That's what I intend to do when my tax disc runs out, and still within the 6 months.

Previously, you could of course post all your documents to your friend/family contact and have them go to a Post Office and get the tax disc for you (as there's no personal identity check), but now it's all computerised there's no need.

[lombardia2007]

And you're right, the insurance company reps often do give out false information, often just to get your money, but when it comes to paying out a claim, they don't want to know, and of course insurance companies will do whatever they can to get out of paying a claim!

I've heard allsorts - like insurance companies in Italy/France/Spain saying they will insure a UK-reg car, and all you need is the local equivalent of the MOT (which is not worth the paper it's printed on), but won't pay out when a claim comes up!

[antonella edwards]

Hi Lombardia2007,
I brought my last set of UK tax via the phone using a credit card, was able to do this as had an MOT with new barcode system. They actually sent the tax disc to Italy. Did decide it was much easier in the long run and more cost effective to change the number plates over.
A second hand car dealer brought our LHD Mazda with Uk number plates. The fiat that we exchanged it for needed a little work done on it and he promised to do this before we picked it up. Did he hell, when we went back to see him afterwards he tried to deny having said anything about the extra work until I produced my Ace card, I knew his cousin who came to back me up. Not only was he furious but he eventually agreed to pay for the work to be done on the car.
Antonella