Not so.
A 'full age' visitor who has a foreign Drivers Licence is permitted to drive similar classes of vehicles in UK on it for a limited period (I forget if it is 6 months or a year). After this period it must either be surrendered/exchanged for a UK equivalent or if issued by countries where Test Standards are not considered by DVLA to be sufficiently rigid (ie. can be bought, as where I am!) you must take the UK tests.

__________________
Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

AND, you don't even have to show your driving licence to get the tax disc at a post office or online - that thing you are so worried about. That aspect is taken into account by the insurance companies who will want to know about the fact that you have one and all the rest of the information about your age and similar factors when you apply for insurance.

For background information, this linking of databases on various computer records developed relatively recently (as in the last few years) with the insurance records being linked to the DVLA - up until then there were any amount of fiddles going on that resulted in uninsured vehicles being used on the roads - even now, some insurance companies estimate that up to 10% of vehicles on the UK roads are not insured - hence you could probably get to a ferry terminal as discussed earlier if you don't actually care about bringing that vehicle back here ------- buy the vehicle with a valid tax disc/MOT and still covered by the current owners' insurance (in the latter case for a day or two) - that takes care of all the ANPR cameras which don't who is actually at the wheel - and high-tail it to the ferry. When the V5c is received at your accommodation address you just need that to be forwarded to you, where ever you are by then.
The outcome then is that you have a UK registered vehicle overseas and without insurance cover, but that is a whole different topic.

__________________
Dave

You will only need the V5C for certain when entering/leaving the EU or Schengen zone from/to a non member country, although in theory ......stuff theory, you've tried to do it correctly and DVLA is predictably being the least user-friendly and the most unhelpful public body in UK (more so than even the Tax people)!

Another solution could be to transport the vehicle on a trailer or lorry and unload it once on the port's own land. This does not have to be southern England. There are ferries from various ports along the east coast, sailing to various ports on mainland Europe, mainly Scandinavia. There are certainly some from Newcastle which is close to Scotland - possibly from ports in Scotland also.

For Insurance, you could try www.stuartcollins.com
They are insurance brokers who specialise in insurance for UK registered vehicles (not motos) that spend much time outside UK, elsewhere in EU.

An important point to remember is in UK, to legally own a vehicle it does not have to be Registered in your name. As Owner you have what they call an 'Insurable Interest' and you can insure it, even without the Registered Keeper having yet received the V5C - subject to meeting Insurer's other requirements (age, valid licence, claims record, offences record, etc).

__________________
Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

Tony, I have already found out from my communication with the DVLA UK that my Australian Driving Licence C class (a vehicle up to 4.5 Ton) won't transfer over to a UK C1 licence (vehicle 3.5 ton to 7.5 ton)

This Ford Transit being a small bus is border line 3.5 ton So it should be classed as a B class licence. I hope.

I am told that it is under 3.5 t.
I really don't need to get stopped for having the wrong type of licence catagory.

anyway I can't just keep talking about it here I will just have to see what I can get and what it will cost $$$ for the insurance MOT and tax etc

Thank you all

warrigal

What started out as a van has become a Transit (still a van but larger than a car based van) and now a bus and possibly in another weight category?
I am not up on Classes although I thought all transits were below weight limits and could be driven with a car driving licence. In my businesses we had quite a few of them - LWB, extra height, double axles, etc - always the guys only required car licences. We even had Aussie and NZ drivers! Although this was all a few years back.

An exception possibly could be as you now call it a 'small bus'. It may have been registered as a PSV (Public Service Vehicle) instead of a PLG (Private & Light Goods) which may have other requirements. It may also need special Test and Inspection certificates other than the usual MOT for cars and light vans.
Again, I may be a bit out of date with terminology!

(My previous post was written before seeing your one here, but still applies)

__________________
Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

The seller has said it is clasiffied as a PIG, and it is now a light goods vehicle not a BUS, so it should be under 3.5 ton.

even with some help , I still have no quotes for insurnace as yet.

And as I have said before there is no time to archive all this on my arrival in the UK.

So at this point in time only one month away from travel time, I still have no title to the vehicle, Because I have no insurance, policy so title can be transfered.
I still have the problem with the coming MOT inspection April, and just getting away with not getting it done is not a situation I am prepared to take a chance on.

Then there is paying the next tax which I assume is dependant on the MOT inspection.

so uk address.

I will see what my helper can come up with but everwhere I have looked turned and tryed online, they can't accomodate me, to Pay online with credit.

FFS..... SEPARATE THE ISSUES and deal with each in turn.

TAX.
Your opening post said "I have bought a van on ebay in the UK which is soon April 2012 to run out of MOT and tax. from then it needs the inspection get get back in MOT and TAX."

Tax belongs to the vehicle, not the Owner nor the Registered Keeper.
Unless the Seller cancels it for a refund (to get a bigger refund he would have done it 6 months ago is when you said you bought it) it just passes on with the vehicle just as much as does any petrol in the tank.

It would always run out at the end of a month - 30 April if what you say in Post No 1 is correct.

So tax is not a problem as you say you are coming to collect it in a months time. That gives you over 10 weeks (less a day) from now to collect it and get it out of the UK.

Once not on UK Public Roads it does not require TAX (but you should SORN it or declare it permanantly exported - see below)
END OF !

Next issue -

MOT.
MOT is identified to the vehicle, not any Owner. The piece of paper should just be handed over with the keys. Nothing else to do.

As above, you say it expires in April. This can be any date in April - we don't know which. Even so, you have a minimum of 6 weeks (less a day) of MOT before it runs out (possibly up to 10weeks less a day) and you are coming in a month's time.

If it runs out near the start of April this is not an immediate problem as you have the Tax. MOT databases are not immediately linked to roadside ANPR checks (yet!) unlike Tax and Insurance. Any penalty would be small and not restrict your journey unless a Police Officer then and there issues you with a Notice declaring the vehicle unsafe.

As with Tax, MOT is only necessary if the vehicle is used on UK Public Roads.
END OF !

Next issue-

REGISTERED KEEPER.
If you have an address, as you now say you have, get the seller to -
-complete your name & address on Part 6 of his V5C.
-copy a scan of your signature, or do something like it, in your signature section on Part 8.
-remove Section 10 to keep to give to you.
-send it off to DVLA today.

The self imposed DVLA target for sending a new V5C is 4 weeks so it should be waiting for you when you arrive.

You then have a document that you can use to take the vehicle into practically every other country in the World.
END OF !

Next issue-

DVLA.
By end April you will have the vehicle (out of UK), with you as its Registered Keeper and with V5C that will enable your travels elsewhere.

The tax expires and so you should then renew it (if using it on UK Public Roads) or make a SORN declaration (you can do it on-line if you have the V5C with you). That SORN runs out a year later and should be renewed then.

Longer term you will want to get off the Register. You do this by signing are returning Part 11 (Notification of permanent Export) or write telling them you have broken up the vehicle and no longer have it (as described in the very final paragraph on the new style pink V5C).
END OF !

Next issue-

DRIVING LICENCE.
As I said before, you are permitted to drive in UK on a Foreign Licence for a good few months - at least 6.
I believe you can drive PLG vehicles up to a declared unladen weight of 3.5 tons on a Car Licence (non automatic).
You check this out.
END OF !

Next issue-

INSURANCE.
The link I gave you should be able to sort this out, as can many others. Many on-line insurers, for ease of quick business, do not like anything unusual that requires more thought or effort on their part.

Keep trying and don't alert them to what you see are potential problems. Keep it simple yet correct.
You would have a UK Address and be Owner and Registered Keeper of a UK Registered Vehicle. No real problem other than cost due to lack of driving claims history. It can be done online with some Brokers who even issue Documents and Certificate of Insurance on line.

Any insurance MUST include minimum levels of insurance required by Law throughout EU (plus Norway, Switzerland & little bits more). The Certificate of Insurance will be acceptable proof by all Police there.
If going outside EU there will be facilities at or near the border to purchase local insurance.

This is what you have to organise yourself but outside that -
END OF !


I hope this is the end of the thread other than to see a post in April saying "SORTED!".
__________________________________________________ __________

To other HUBBers - unless I am glaringly incorrect, don't divert the thread with relatively insignificant detail of little practical consequence.
The guy needs to be pushed into believing, not frightened off.
He also needs to tell the Seller to stop w4nking him about with false info!
Encourage him. I'm exhausted!

__________________
Vitim Bridge Clubwww.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533442
www.sibirskyextreme.com

I'm impressed with that multi-quote skill! How off topic is that??

Seriously, I agree - the seller of this van is not helping at all and you, the purchaser, need to be much firmer (a polite word here) with what you want him to do; as Tony says, he is jerking you around or he genuinely has no idea what he is talking about.
I'll say it one more time, because the van has current MOT/RFL he could insure it under his name (at your cost) for, say, a month so you can drive it out of the UK past the cameras.

I totally endorse the idea of getting out of the UK asap; check out ferry routes from Newcastle, NE England, and Hull, also nearish to NE England. It may be that one or more ferry companies are running out of the Firth of Forth (Edinburgh) by then - some do for the summer season.
No one within the EU wants to see your vehicle documents unless you draw attention to yourself.
ps Don't forget to bring that set of Oz plates with you as a plan B.

__________________
Dave

Yep - sums it up (although I know you meant to write PLG). Have just dropped back in on this thread after a few days away - some very entertaining exchanges and peevish posts since I dropped in my 2-pennoth.

As was previously said - there are plenty of ppl driving around the UK with licences from elsewhere and I am sure they aren't ALL illegal despite what the Daily Fail would like us to believe, so it must be possible to get 3rd party UK insurance (which WILL give you 3rd party cover elsewhere in the EU - end of) without a UK driving licence.

__________________
www.overlandcruiser.wordpress.com

Hi folks
I'm afraid WARRIGAL 1 is getting his nickers in a knot with all this info (all good by the way)
He seems to have a knack for answering questions that aren't asked.
I've suggested he leaves all the paperwork to me.
I've done this sort of thing before

With a bit of help from me and fellow HUBBERs we will get him on his way.
I supose that's what the HUBB is all about.

Rory

Maybe this helps with the insurance issue?
eCar - Short Term Policy
(I notice that no-one has mentioned expensive UK insurance will be if he has to take out a years policy).

__________________
UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350