How long can we stay abroad?

walkingsoul

Guest
I was wondering how long you can stay living in a van abroad before you have to register it abroad?
Would you have to pay vat and other tax all over again on the van?
How long can you get insured for too?
thanks.
 
hi .complex question . i theory if you are going to take the vehicle abroad for more than 12 months you have to officially export it .fill in section c on the v5 you should then hand it in to dvla and get in return a v561 certificate of permenant export.
is staying in eu countries you may have to check 6 months i believe is the longest its allowed to stay with out importing .
this brings in problems as you may have to be a resident of that country . (another can of worms )
you could keep travelling going in and out of different countries . insurance well you are in hot water. if you dont have addresses here then you possibly cant get it .even though any insurance took out in any eu country must contain the minimum ins cover throughout the eu. they may not want to cover you as a full timer living abroad in the camper.
also mot will probably be required . there are exemptions depending on the vehicle you use etc.
many tell lies or give address of friends . drive abroad illegally and hope they dont get caught.
you may be able to buy insurance abit like border insurance that gives short periods of cover.
lots just come back re mot .get uk insurance etc. remember even having a driving licence requires a current address .
are you keeping property here ?that can help.
it is a major problem for many living fulltime in campers here never mind abroad .
there as been instances in spain where un taxed uk vehicles have been uplifted and taken away . anywhere you drive in the eu on uk plates it must be of legal condition all the time .just as if it was in uk.
 
If you have a green card you can stay just under a year you must be out of the country before your tax and mot runs out my mate only just made it back last time he came over for a year. To register a van if its a right hand drive and a motorhome they want do it if its a comercial right hand they wont do it if it is a left hand drive self build and on your log book can be hard to do if its not on your log book as a motorhome very hard to do. :wave::cheers:
 
Llanito

walkingsoul said:
I was wondering how long you can stay living in a van abroad before you have to register it abroad?
Would you have to pay vat and other tax all over again on the van?
How long can you get insured for too?
thanks.
Click to expand...
get your tax and mot more or less at the nearer time and that way you stay 11 months hoping this helps
 
six Months is the limit in all Countries in EU ,my Insurance covers me for 365 days away[ Comfort ],if your van is new and does not require an MOT for three years you could dodge from Country to Country for 3 years, if your van requires an MOT you must return to UK to get it done, you can tax and Insure your van on line so no need to return for that, but many people stay in Spain for instance much longer than 6 months so you pays your money and takes your chances as they say. your van must be legal in Britain to travel in EU Countries legally.
 
Just to add to vindiboy's good post - a lot of people keep within the 6 month rule by crossing from, say, Spain into Portugal for a day or so and then back again (buy something and keep the receipt if you are concerned - although I have often wondered whether the authorities would bother to go to the effort of catching up with you in view of the open borders within most of the EU).
 
John H said:
Just to add to vindiboy's good post - a lot of people keep within the 6 month rule by crossing from, say, Spain into Portugal for a day or so and then back again (buy something and keep the receipt if you are concerned - although I have often wondered whether the authorities would bother to go to the effort of catching up with you in view of the open borders within most of the EU).[/QUOTE

That's right John, unless you come to the attention of Authority, E.G. Police for some infringement, no one is bothered, A poster on another Forum who is Brit. but Spanish resident stated that it is for you to prove you haven't been in the Country for too long if challenged rather than for the Authority to prove you have.:):)
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the catch in spain is your tax in the window. also now they can get through to dvla with computer to see if its mot or insured . there as been quite a few uplifts . there was an article in lots of local spanish english papers a while back.
 
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As long as you are taxed and mot and have insurance you can stay You must be out of the country before your tax mot and insurance run.s out. You dont have to go into France or Portugal for a day anymore as long as you legal and traveling you ok.
 
Thanks for the helpful info everyone.
My Mrs is an Italian citizen and has family over there so maybe she could get insured!
Jeez there's no getting away from the British system so much for the eurozone.
 
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