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Europe Topics specific to Western and Eastern Europe, from UK to the Russian border, and south-east to Turkey.
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  #1  
Old 10 May 2019
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Exclamation Road Tax in Europe
Hi a quick word of warning if like me you let your road TAX lapse while on the road. Im in Madrid where after a minor parking problem i was told by the police that my bike was not taxed and would be towed away if i could not prove it was or i taxed it there and then. I did it on line and saved myself a 100 Euro fine plus tow charges.
Also if your in Madrid beware where you park a local guy said no probs park as long as you like .90 Euro fine first thing in the morning is not fun. Skip
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Old 10 May 2019
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Originally Posted by skip View Post
Also if your in Madrid beware where you park a local guy said no probs park as long as you like .90 Euro fine first thing in the morning is not fun. Skip
You can park as long as you like....... but you will get a fine.
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  #3  
Old 12 May 2019
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British bike or Spanish bike?

Anyway... not every country has a road tax.
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Old 12 May 2019
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British bike, they went straight on to the British government TAX & MOT page. Luckily i managed to do it on line there and then. Skip
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Old 12 May 2019
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Originally Posted by skip View Post
British bike, they went straight on to the British government TAX & MOT page. Luckily i managed to do it on line there and then. Skip
Be aware the gendarmerie in France are doing it as well

Also it clearly states on my UK insurance policy documents for both bikes & cars that the insurance is only valid if the vehicle is currently tax & has a valid MoT

I blame Brexit for it
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  #6  
Old 12 May 2019
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OK, now if I am returning from a long (year plus) tour and the MOT and tax have run out how am I meant to get them sorted out when I get back when the ferry gets in at 8 in the evening? Wait until the garage opens and get the MOT done then?

Honestly the idea of keeping Egyptian plates is starting to make more and more sense (I know, I can’t, it just seems to make life easier - on the flip side will the average policeman realise that my Egyptian plates aren’t pukka?).
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  #7  
Old 5 Jun 2019
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A little bit of trivia for you. In the UK vehicles (cars and motorbikes at least) over 40 years old are exempt from needing road tax and MOTs. This will mean that all you need is insurance and you are legal all over the world. No need to worry about getting caught owing off the ferry without an MOT or road tax.

Do any other countries operate such a system? If so can people register a vehicle there easily?
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Old 17 Jun 2019
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Originally Posted by Jay_Benson View Post
A little bit of trivia for you. In the UK vehicles (cars and motorbikes at least) over 40 years old are exempt from needing road tax and MOTs. This will mean that all you need is insurance and you are legal all over the world. No need to worry about getting caught owing off the ferry without an MOT or road tax.

Do any other countries operate such a system? If so can people register a vehicle there easily?
I think you will find that you sill have to tax over 40yr old vehicles, but it is free (zero duty), and apply for the V5 to be changed to histrionic vehicle status, and also proof that the vehicle is over 40years old to be able to be exempted from the mot.
In France there is no road tax anyway, and currently motorcycles do not need a control technique (mot), but you need proof of residency ( utility bill, copy of tax habitation), and a valid driving licence for whatever you are registering in your name.
Also any vehicle over 30 years old can be registered as a “vehicle collection” but the above criteria still apply.
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  #9  
Old 18 Jun 2019
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Extract from the DVLA website

Bringing your vehicle back untaxed
If you bring your vehicle back to the UK untaxed you cannot drive it back into the UK - it’ll have to be transported and a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) must be made straight away.
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  #10  
Old 27 Jan 2023
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And just to cheer u up further the Spanish police like to use the dvla site to check if u r legit . I speak from personal experience.......random stop check near port , its apparently due to ex pats using UK plated vehicles un taxed no mot etc etc according to the guarda chaps
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  #11  
Old 27 Jan 2023
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I thought that was a pre Brexit thing as now we’ve ‘taken back control’ those foreigners no longer have access to our sovereign databases (). No French camera speeding fines have caught up with me recently anyway.

I suppose there’s enough cops around in in France / Spain that someone has to get stopped by them but in my experience it’s pretty rare as a tourist keeping somewhere near the limits. In fact I’ve been struck by lightning more often in the 20 yrs than I’ve been stopped by the cops in either France or Spain. Is a loaded up bike really going to be mistaken for a tax dodging expat in a rusty VW?
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