Crossing the EU with no MOT/road tax/insurance

[ilesmark]

Hi all.

I left the UK with my UK registered car in February 2007. I drove across North Africa, The Middle East, South Asia and then Thailand etc. Later in 2008 I will be returning home. As can be imagined, the UK MOT and road tax have long since expired and you can't get UK MOT, Road Tax or insurance outside the UK. DVLA told me I had to declare the car exported - which I have done. While I am outside the EU, it's not a problem but as soon as I set tyre in the EU - which I will have to do to drive across it to get back to the UK - I will be committing an offence by driving a car that is registered in an EU member state but which doesn't have a current MOT, road tax and insurance in that state. Just like a German would be doing if he drove his German-registered car in the UK without current German MOT, road tax and insurance. DVLA tell me it will be up to the Polish/German/French police to catch me as I am passing through those countries - if they don't, it isn't an offence in the UK. So - someone on this forum must have faced something like this on various long-term overland trips - do you have any experience of the likelihood of problems with the authorities in each of these countries?

As soon as I get the car back to the UK, I will need to get it transported from the ferry port, which shouldn't be a problem. Then I will get it MOTd and taxed and get it re-registered with DVLA.