UK tax disc ?

**HondaXRV750** · #1 17 Feb 2002

A road legal bike in the UK has insurance and a tax disc! No doubt this is the same for countries covered with the green card.
My question is, what is needed further east? I know about the carnet, but do you have to keep paying UK tax even thought you are not using the UK roads?
Do you need a current disc covering the length of the carnet? What happens if your renewel comes up when I am in the middle of the Iranian desert?
Any info on the above will be appreciated.

**PanEuropean** · #2 17 Feb 2002

As I understand it, the general principle for international travel is that the vehicle has to be properly registered and licenced in the country that it is plated in (meaning, where your licence plate is from), and the insurance coverage has to be valid in, and meet the minimum standards for the country you are currently operating in.

If your tax disk is necessary to maintain the registration of the motorcycle in the UK, then probably you would need to keep it valid. If the tax disk is only required if you wish to use public roads in the UK, then probably you don't need to keep it valid. By way of example, in Switzerland, a tax sticker is obligatory to use the motorways - but if the Swiss registered motorcycle is out of the country, then no tax sticker is needed, because you are not using the Swiss motorways.

Perhaps a UK member could help out. Paul Narramore has excellent occupational qualifications to assist with this question

[This message has been edited by PanEuropean (edited 17 February 2002).]

**Paul Narramore** · #3 17 Feb 2002

Thanks for that, Mike! Now to the best of my knowledge, a UK motor vehicle must be taxed for use on a road, which to my mind means a UK road. Vehicles are taxed to raise revenue to (in theory) pay for road building and repairs, so if a vehicle is used in another country, then displaying a UK tax disc in that country becomes irrelevant.
For example if a motorcycle from Botswana was stopped by Police in the UK, not only would a tax disc from Botswana mean nothing to that officer, I cannot see that as a temporary visitor, he commits any offence.
Of course, all this might be a load of rocking horse shit...
I suggest he hands in his tax disc for a refund on leaving these shores and re-applies for another upon his return.

Quote:

Originally posted by PanEuropean:
As I understand it, the general principle for international travel is that the vehicle has to be properly registered and licenced in the country that it is plated in (meaning, where your licence plate is from), and the insurance coverage has to be valid in, and meet the minimum standards for the country you are currently operating in.

If your tax disk is necessary to maintain the registration of the motorcycle in the UK, then probably you would need to keep it valid. If the tax disk is only required if you wish to use public roads in the UK, then probably you don't need to keep it valid. By way of example, in Switzerland, a tax sticker is obligatory to use the motorways - but if the Swiss registered motorcycle is out of the country, then no tax sticker is needed, because you are not using the Swiss motorways.

Perhaps a UK member could help out. Paul Narramore has excellent occupational qualifications to assist with this question

[This message has been edited by PanEuropean (edited 17 February 2002).]