I am planning to drive to Australia. I understand that Australia requires a current vehicle tax disk. I will enter Australia with about 6 months of MOT. I do not want to insure the vehicle for 12 months in the UK only just to buy a tax disk. Also tax disks will no longer be issued after October 2014.

Any ideas?

Thanks Trevor

You can use those one day insurance things like insureforaday to buy a uk tax disk.

I've used them to collect UK vehicles and have read that in the small print before on them.

Never heard of a country needing a foreign tax disk on a foreign registered vehicle though. But I know very little about Oz.

Be careful of driving without a current tax disc from the country in which the vehicle is registered. Even in 2010/11 our tax disc was checked more than once in South Africa. They are catching up with technology.

Margaret

I've also been checked before. Presumably once it's all electronic, this fact will filter across to those who check? Not sure my Czech is up to trying to explain the intricacies of the UK licensing system!

I concur with the above point. I think that the original poster will need to do a bit of digging to find out exactly what the purpose of the UK tax disk is. If the legislation in the UK states that the tax disk is required in order to have the right to use the roads in the UK, and the vehicle is not being used in the UK, then it doesn't make sense that a valid tax disk should be required if the vehicle is being used on the other side of the world.

I have experience with a similar situation: I have a Canadian registered motorcycle that I use exclusively in Europe. I maintain European insurance coverage when I ride it in Europe. I don't keep the Canadian equivalent of a tax disk current if the motorcycle is off the North American continent.

An argument could be made that the 'home registration practices' (tax disks, etc.) need to be kept up if the vehicle is in a neighboring country (e.g. a UK vehicle in France, a Canadian vehicle in the USA), but once the vehicle has been moved to another continent and cannot be 'driven' back to the home country, I think it is kind of pointless to continue to pay dues to the home country if the dues are levied for the purpose of using the home country roads.

Apropos of the comment above about South African cops checking tax disc validity - well, cops (anywhere) are going to look for ways of challenging a motorist, and if they see an expired tax disc, they will raise that issue and present a challenge. The fix for that is simple, just remove the expired tax disc from the vehicle. What cops need to see (and are entitled to see) is the registration document for the vehicle, proof of ownership of the vehicle, and proof of insurance of the vehicle. If those three items are in order, I can't see any other cause for concern.

Michael

Cops are cops the world over. Their job is mainly to extort money from you, either for the government or for their own pocket. They are revenue officials in a shinier uniform.

Non-display of a tax disk from a foreign country is a totally moot point. Driven for years in Europe without tax in the 'home country' of the vehicle. All they want is insurance, a basically road worthy looking vehicle (lights, tyres) and the registration papers in your name, id, driving license.

They couldn't actually charge you with anything, because they cannot determine if the vehicle is taxed or not in its home country. This may change within the EU in the near future (if it doesn't implode under the weight of its own bs soon, here's hoping), but as yet thats it.

As I said before, I know nothing about Oz, but its going to involve an awful lot of paperwork for any little piggy to try to make a prosecution stick for that. I can't imagine that its any different for that reason alone.

Hi Trevor,
You will need a carnet for Oz ( plus Iran, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Timor Leste if venturing that way ) unless you intend to pay the import duty. Regarding driving vehicles in foreign countries, my understanding is that the vehicle has to be registered in the home country. Also, in Oz at least, that is a requirement of the carnet. However, people break the law all the time, so join the club, we have a huge membership.
Regards,
Mark

Hi Mark:

I think you might be missing the nuance that exists between 'registration' and 'having a valid tax disk'.

In my particular case (that being the only case I can talk about with any authority), my motorcycle is unquestionably 'registered'. It does not have a current validity sticker (required for operation in the home country), but it certainly is 'registered'.

I think that what the original poster needs to do is determine if a valid UK tax sticker is necessary to maintain registration of his moto (my guess is that this is unlikely), or if a valid tax sticker is necessary in order to comply with the requirements for driving on public roads in the home country.

One possible way of determining this might be to observe vehicles that are fitted with licence plates, but never operated on public roads. Examples of this would include ramp vehicles used at airports, or shuttle and tug vehicles used in container yards at marine ports. If these vehicles are observed to be operating with a licence plate installed, but no tax disk, then that implies that the tax disk is not a prerequisite to maintain vehicle registration, but instead a requirement for vehicles that will be operated on public roads.

The above suggestion won't provide a conclusive answer (a review of the applicable legislation will be needed), but it might suggest what the final answer is going to be.

Michael

'Registered' has nothing to do with whether road tax has been paid in the UK at least.

Registration plates are for life in as much of Europe as I am aware of. I can park a vehicle in a hayshed for 20 years and its still 'registered'.

Bear in mind that after 12 months outside the UK it is IMPOSSIBLE to tax a vehicle as it is impossible to tax a UK vehicle with no MOT (not the same in all countries).

So I would take advantage of that and avoid road tax for as long as I was out of the UK or where ever.

I should add that the last time the Irish customs (an absolute shower of Hitlers, as bad as you will meet anywhere in my experience) tried (and failed ) to take a vehicle off me, they never even mentioned I didn't have a tax disk displayed on it. And that was within the EU.

Don't worry about it, spend your 200 and what ever pounds on your travels and have a good time!!

I apologize for digressing from Trevor's question.
The registration, tax discs, MOTs, mandatory insurance and what nots are a mangled maze between countries.
In Australia vehicle registration is a state (eg. NSW, Victoria ) based tax and is valid for a year only, so requires annual renewal, otherwise it is considered to be unregistered. It roughly equates to the UK registration plus tax disc plus third party insurance in most Oz states. Regulations vary between states, eg. NSW require an annual vehicle inspection, similar to the UK MOT, while Victoria only require an inspection on transfer of ownership or when re-registering an unregistered vehicle.
To get an Australian carnet, the vehicle has to have current registration, I don't know the requirements for a UK carnet. Actually I'm stuck with an unregistered Australian bike in the UK, and I cannot get it re-registered in order to get another Oz carnet to ride it back home via SE Asia. Therefore I'm thinking of riding it home via the USA.



Regards,
Mark

Also bear in mind that any UK registered vehicle has,by law, to be either taxed or sorned. If the vehicle is sorned it must be kept at a given address in the UK where it may be inspected. Penalties for either are high.

Margaret

So its therefore illegal to leave the UK with a vehicle for more than 12 months, because with no valid MOT it can't be taxed??

Lots of people have done it/are doing it; its a bit of a legal mess, but I have never heard of anyone coming out to 'inspect the location of' a SORN vehicle. And if for some bizarre reason they did, well its in a locked garage or shed and they would require a warrant from the courts to enter your property anyway, which they would experience some difficulty obtaining.

It's just an extra deterrent to stop people from driving untaxed vehicles and make it easier for the government to seize/steal your property from you! SORN is only valid within the UK anyway, the regulation doesn't even exist in the vast majority of countries.

It was brought in as a way to take old vehicles off the roads, by making it difficult for small scrap yards to trade. This encourages more people to buy new cars and increases the tax take accordingly whilst also damaging the 'cash' economy, and was then morphed into a way of collecting 'easy money' from people that forget to renew the pointless declarations annually.

Its absolutely pointless to try to tax a UK vehicle when you are in say India at the time or Mozambique or Russia.
Are you going to hang around waiting for DHL to deliver you tax disc for 2 weeks:confused1::confused1:

Or drive home quickly from Pakistan because you just realised your MOT is out in 6 days?:confused1::confused1:

PC Plodski isn't going to know for one thing and has no way to check it, isn't going to care for another and won't do anything anyway because it would be way too much hassle.
If he wants what's in your wallet badly enough he'll find some other ludicrous pretence to try to fine you like not enough spare bulbs, warning triangles etc etc.

However this is all off topic, does anyone know if it is an actual LEGAL requirement in Australia to have road tax in the country of origin when importing a vehicle on a carnet?

That's what the original poster really wants to know.

It is a LEGAL requirement, if the vehicle is to be used on the road, to have the vehicle LEGAL in the country of origin for use on the road in any other country. This comes down to a UN agreement... that is lots of paperwork, regulations and signatures....

If the vehicle comes from the UK then you cannot use it in France, Spain, Australia etc etc unless it is legal for use in the UK. Meaning you have to have a road tax payment valid. This is a legal requirement to use the vehicle in the other country .. nothing to do with a carnet. (Sorry Mark but you will need some form of rego to be legal in any country).

Think of it this way - your paying road tax for home, but not where you are. So another person going to your home country does not pay road tax there - they pay it for their home.. a balance?

Regarding MOT, Tax disks and 'Australian rego'... different things .. and lots of misunderstanding. Hence the ability to 'get away' with things .. unless the cop knows what is what in the other country! Then your in for a heap of trouble!!!!

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Australia too is moving away from 'tax disks' to a computerized system. Nothing to stick on the bike. You'll still get some bit of paper just in case to computer looses things. Some Australian cop cars have 'number plate' recognition cameras hooked up to the computer - if its is not regoed then the cop will know even as you ride past. I'd assume it will be the same elsewhere.

As Mark said, Australia combines the roadworthy, tax and a check on required minimum insurance into one thing - called 'registration'. It does make things simpler .. if you have 'rego' then it means you have the lot.. no need to check each thing individually.

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MOT when overseas .. or rego when overseas.. Talk to your people! Mine wanted some form of inspection done there by someone who does a similar service in that country. They would accept that and re rego the vehicle.. I'd think taking the previous inspection paperwork with you would help the foreign rego people understand what is required in your home country .. possibly avoiding different regulation problems?

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You asked for LEGAL ... not practical! You got legal + a little practical.

I don't know what the Australian requirements pertaining to a foreign registered vehicle (temporarily imported into Australia for tourism) are.

But, a quick look at the Government of the United Kingdom website finds very definitive statements about the UK's position on vehicles that are operated outside of the country.

For UK registered vehicles that will be outside of the UK for less than 12 months, see here: Taking a vehicle out of the UK - less than 12 months. The UK government's position on this is quite clear: "A UK-registered vehicle exported temporarily remains subject to UK law. That means that you need to make sure it is taxed in the UK while it’s abroad."

For UK registered vehicles that will be outside of the UK for morethan 12 months, see here: Taking a vehicle out of the UK - more than 12 months.

Michael

For Gods sake no one follow that piece of advice on that government website. Thats for PERMANENT export to another country!!

You won't be able to bring it home again without importing it!

Who cares what the UK governments position is, when the vehicle is not on UK roads, of course they will tell you to tax it!!