Bloody Taxes
Please excuse this post that is concerned with the avoidance of punitive taxes. The answers may be relevant though to other readers.
I want to bring a G Wagon (1985 LWB 9 seats) fairly much full time to France from Ireland. I am willing to bring the G back to Ireland about once a year. Longer term 6+ years away I would like to bring the G back full time. I live in Ireland.
A number of questions arise from my situation.
I am reluctant to register the vehicle in France as I think I will be subject to an evil Irish only tax called VRT which if I'm right will cost me thousands when I bring it back to Ireland full time.
So the questions
1 Can I effectively insure a vehicle that is
reged in Euro Country A
insured in Euro country A
based in Euro country B for 6 - 12 month periods.
ie will standard claims will be honoured.
2 Can I effectively insure a vehicle
reged in Euro country A,
insured in Euro Country B,
based in Euro country B for 6 - 12 month periods.
ie will standard claims be honoured.
3 How long does a vehicle need to be in France before you are obligated to register it in France. I believe it is 6 months however Peter from Dungannon tells me that if you drive it out of the country within 6 mths and re-enter that restarts the clock - How to you prove you have left the country in that vehicle.
4 Does anybody know how expensive it is to register a vehicle in France that is originating from another Euro country.
Ireland Centric Questions
5 If a vehicle is out of the country for year long periods - do I need to tax it in Ireland during that period of absence. Many british retirees living full time in France drive British registered vehicles - do they still pay British road tax - even though the car is fairly much based in France full-time.
6 If an Irish reg'ed vehicle is subsequently reg'ed to another Euro country, then that vehicle is re-reged back to Ireland is that counted as an import and therefore subject to VRT.
7 For Irish Car Tax purposes when does a vehicle turn classic and therefore is subject to reduced car tax. I believe it is 30 years but cant be sure.
Sorry for the detail, but simply wanting to move a stately family carrier from one Euro country to another appears not to be that straightforward.
Cheers
Myles
You can get tourist insurance which is intended for extended trips abroad in your car. Sorry but I don't know anymore details than that.
Myles,
We moved to France from England in January and brought our old Land Rover Discovery with us. I hope I can answer some of your questions.
1. Yes, provided that your insurance company is happy for your vehicle to be in France/Europe etc. I found a UK company that specialises in insuring UK registered vehicles for British people living in France/Spain/Portugal etc. www.andrewcopeland.co.uk/gcm.htm
2. Yes. Although businesses in France are not as flexible as they are in the UK, we found an insurance company that seems happy to insure anything, and at a reasonable cost. We insured our 1999 G300 TD with all risks cover (including European wide breakdown, global medical & repatriation, vandalism, vehicle contents etc.) for 925 Euros. Insurance seems to be a bit cheaper in France compared to the UK.
3. You are right. I’m not 100% sure but I think it is 6 months (or maybe 12 months). Most British people that we have met in France do not bother registering the cars in France. I know someone locally who has 2 UK registered cars which have been in France for at least 3 years.
4. It is not very expensive but the import/registration process is a bit bureaucratic. You will need a French ‘MOT’ and a certificate of EU conformity from Mercedes. Our G was imported from Germany by the previous owner. He said it was fairly easy. The is a small tax to pay of about 400 Euros when you get your registration document. See
www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/37 for details and discussions.
5. I don’t know how it works in the ROI but in the UK you can register your vehicle as ‘off the road’ with a ‘SORN’ form. This is what we have done with our Discovery. When the UK MOT expires, we will get a French one. Although, if we ever take it back to the UK, it will need a UK MOT and road tax.
6. Each movement between EU countries will count as an export/import.
7. Sorry. I don’t know the answer to that one. In the UK it is any vehicle manufactured before 1973. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_excise_duty
I hope this gives you enough info to get started. Let me know when you are in France :)
Best wishes
Richard
a nice and very informative post, refreshing.
Great info on getting a vehicle into France. Much thanks.
this will set me on the right course. I'll get in touch with a local i know who has a car sales garage in the South East and he might set me straight about getting into the right groove re bureaucracy.
I presume I'll need that certificate of conformity from Merc in France. Would that be an importer distributer or dealer?
Thanks again to all for thehelp.
Myles
Myles,
You could ask your local MB dealer who to contact for the certificate of conformity or if your French is good, call the MB head office in France (sorry, I don't have the details).
Shame that this thread got hijacked :(
Max,
Maybe you could move the 'banter' to another thread?
sorry for the thread going the way it did myles !
Thread split.
MB at Milton Keynes should be able to get a CoC.
If i remember correctly, they charge about £100.
Um
Yer budget?
Paddywagon
How well did younz get done over this time
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I spoke with the VRT people in Dublin and apparently you can export it from Ireland - re-reg in France and when bringing it back to Ireland you dont have to pay the enormous VRT Tax.
However has anyone experience registering a vehicle in France, is it costly or idiosyncratic or both. Would they have a problem with strapless inward facing back benches.