Uk road tax who needs it!!! - Horizons Unlimited

**hobnob** · #1 23 Jan 2006

Hi guys just a quicky
going away for 12 months so do i need to keep road tax on the 4x4 whilst im away as it will have run out by the time we return and besides we all hate paying it so why should i ????

**Matt Cartney** · #2 23 Jan 2006

Theoretically I see no reason why you should have to. However, you'll have to get a 'Statutory Off Road Notice' or SORN for the vehicle to avoid an automatic fine. Just take your old tax disc along with V25 into post office, obtain a refund for the left over time on your tax disc and get your car 'sorned'. (and hope you don't get nicked between your house and the ferry!) I've never done this myself but I'd guess theres no reason why you shouldn't.
Matt

**4wheels** · #3 25 Jan 2006

The road tax refund covers unexpired months only so I guess you are covered up to the end of the month anyway. I suppose you might get done for not displaying a valid tax disc, but since the boys in blue have ANPR a check should show your vehicle is taxed on the computer system. Best keep copies of the documents - I think they would be lenient but that's just personal opinion.
Les

**Bill Holland** · #4 25 Jan 2006

I seem to remember a similar thread a couple of months ago, the problem there was being away from the UK for over a year, seems you can only declare SORN for 12 months, so if you are away after the first 12 month period of SORN, you may get fined in your absence. Has anyone found an answer to this ?

**adventure950** · #5 25 Jan 2006

How about telling DVLA that you will be out of the country with the vehicle for over a year and get some written documents off them to provide you with a temporary tax disc till you leave the uk. When you re-enter I do not think a court in the land would convict you if you had just got off a ferry and MOT and taxed your vehicle as soon as Practicable as they say in the legal system.

**Sime66** · #6 25 Jan 2006

I filled in the "exported" section of the logbook and posted it off when I left the UK because I knew it was going to be more than a year. Dunno if I'm going to get stiffed when I get back in 10 days though...

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Simon

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/fitzpatrick

**mustaphapint** · #7 7 Feb 2006

Technically, your UK registered vehicle is only legal when abroad if it is road legal in the UK. ie MOT'd, taxed and insured. This is certainly the case in Europe. I doubt very much if a foreign police force would be interested in your road tax but it may be an issue if you have an accident and your insurance company use it as an excuse to avoid paying out. Having said that I'd probably be along with you taking the risk anyway. By the way you can now declare SORN or retax your vehicle via the DVLA website.
And no I don't know how you would comply with the law if your MOT runs out when you are half-way round the world!

**Frank Warner** · #8 7 Feb 2006

On the MOT.

I've enquired here in Australia - they said over the phone (took some time to get the answer);
Have the vehicle inspected by someone who normally does that function in that country
Post it to us (have it interperted if it is not in English) together with the fees due and a covering letter.

Seems reasonable. Probably a good idea to take a blank inspection form with you - so the person doing the inspection has an idea of what would be required in your country? Maybe get them to fill out both their form and yours?

**danielsprague** · #9 20 Feb 2006

I'm planning on leaving for well over a year. When I return. I don't expect my vehicle will pass an MOT....

UK law, as I understand it, allows you to drive without MOT / tax if you have an arranged MOT at a garage. So maybe the answer is to book an MOT in the UK from France or wherever and drive there straight from the ferry! You'd certainly have plenty to chat about with the mechanic while you waited...

[This message has been edited by danielsprague (edited 20 February 2006).]

**moggy 1968** · #10 26 Feb 2006

Quote:

Originally posted by moggy 1968:
Your only covered for driving to and from the garage to undertake a prebooked mot or after an mot to a garage to have mot work done on the vehicle that is prebooked. You could still get nicked for a dangerous vehicle though. You would have a hard time persuading them that driving 200 miles to your local garage was 'reasonable'. Although there are no specified distance limites (50 miles in scotland may be reasonable, in london it isn't) it should be somewhere local. Maybe the garages in dover do a roaring trade in this! My tax runs out when I am away, but I don't think you can get a new one more than a month before the old one runs out so I shall just go to the Post Office in Dover when I get back and get one, thats assuming customs let me off the port! Fortunately my mot will still be valid so I will have all the documentation I need with me.

evidently those in suits hadn't thought about this 'cos it is beyond their sphere of conscious thought!

Andy
Landy 101 ambie/camper
TLC H60 x2!
1968 morris minor traveller

of <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="">quote:</font><HR><font face="" size="2">Originally posted by danielsprague:
I'm planning on leaving for well over a year. When I return. I don't expect my vehicle will pass an MOT....

UK law, as I understand it, allows you to drive without MOT / tax if you have an arranged MOT at a garage. So maybe the answer is to book an MOT in the UK from France or wherever and drive there straight from the ferry! You'd certainly have plenty to chat about with the mechanic while you waited...

[This message has been edited by danielsprague (edited 20 February 2006).]

</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

**mustaphapint** · #11 26 Feb 2006

Andy.
You are still leaving yourself open to an automatic fine for not either renewing your road fund licence on time or declaring the vehicle off-road. There appears to be no dialogue over this, if your vehicle comes up on the database for not being either taxed or declared off-road a fixed penalty notice is automatically sent to the registered keeper. You can renew your road tax over the internet if you have the new computerised MOT. It means the tax disc will be sent to your home, but at least you're covered from being fined for avoiding the tax.
It used to be that you had to do something against the law to commit an offence. Now you can be made a criminal just by doing nothing.

[This message has been edited by harleyrider (edited 26 February 2006).]

**moggy 1968** · #12 27 Feb 2006

hmm, yes good point, maybe the answer is to get it on the internet while you are away. then your only offence is not displaying a tax disc, which under the circumstances you would probably get away with.

Andy

**danielsprague** · #13 4 Mar 2006

I've just read some rules regarding declaring a vehicle off the road (SORN), which states that... 'you should not declare SORN if the vehicle is being temporarily exported'. Usefully however, they do not suggest what to do under these circumstances. No doubt it will involve some forking out of tax...

**mustaphapint** · #14 5 Mar 2006

The alternative is to declare the vehicle as exported , however you are then supposed to import it to another country which is probably not very practical on a round the world tour. I wonder what would happen if you declared your bike exported, but never competed an import and then returned with it to the UK a couple of years later and tried to re-register it. I guess you would be illegal as soon as you rode off the ferry.

**oldbmw** · #15 5 Mar 2006

Maybe it would be easier to export your bike to France ? I have mine registered in france, as I only use it in the summer and keep it there. There is no MOT for motorcycles in france which removes that worry. you would of course have to insure it in France, and that is what I do.. probably outside of the eec you would need 'auxilary' insurance.