Moving to Germany

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lphong
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Hello all!

I have applied for ERASMUS for next academic year... so I am moving to Hamburg in September. I have got a few questions for you experts.

1. I think I have to register my car with the German authority within 3 months upon my first arrival, does it mean I have to export my car and reimport it back into the UK again in 2010?

2. Can I simply declare my car offroad in September and make it on-road again in July 2010?

Seriously, I don't even know what I am saying... bascially, I have no idea what to do!!

fixwin38
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Re: Moving to Germany

Hi as a student with a Uk home address you can drive to Germany (with valid UK tax and Mot and drive it for the duration of your stay without changing it to German plates..only sort out the TUV requirements for lights dipping the other way the same as a continental tourist.....you must keep the uk tax anf mot valid for the duration of your stay....

lphong
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Re: Moving to Germany

Cool!! Thank you!

That is really useful!

Pistonhead
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Re: Moving to Germany

Hi Iphong,

I have a nagging feeling that any stay of 3 months and over, you Do have to register, but to clear this point get in touch with the AA of RAC customer help desk on thier website.

They will have the answer for definate.

Viel spass,

black pete
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Re: Moving to Germany

i never asked about the car only about the driver licence and was told that it is ok for 6 months after that i had to convert it to german licence or get an international one

lphong
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Re: Moving to Germany

black pete wrote:
i never asked about the car only about the driver licence and was told that it is ok for 6 months after that i had to convert it to german licence or get an international one

OO! I think an EU licenses can be used in another EU nation until it expire. But i will still ask anyway!! Thanks!

black pete
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Re: Moving to Germany

i have an EU since early '90s :lol:

i'not that young :cry:

lphong
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Re: Moving to Germany

MERRRRRRRRRRRR, this is so complicated!

black pete
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Re: Moving to Germany

lphong wrote:
MERRRRRRRRRRRR, this is so complicated!

when you get there go to a police station and ask everything u need to know they'll have most of the answers for u and give u directions as where to ask for the ones they cann't answer!!!

lphong
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Re: Moving to Germany

YAY!!! fixwin was right!! Finally found the law article!

Council Directive 83/182/EEC

Article 5
Specific cases of temporary importation of private vehicles
1. 1. Private vehicles imported temporarily shall be exempt from the taxes referred to in Article 1 in the following cases:

where a student uses a private vehicle registered in the Member State of his normal residence in the territory of another Member State in which the student is residing for the sole purpose of pursuing his studies.

attendance at a university or school in another Member State does not constitute a transfer of normal residence.

lphong
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Re: Moving to Germany

black pete wrote:

when you get there go to a police station and ask everything u need to know they'll have most of the answers for u and give u directions as where to ask for the ones they cann't answer!!!

Yeah, i think i will. Hopefully they will be much more helpful than the local police here!

Grecian
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Re: Moving to Germany

lphong wrote:
YAY!!! fixwin was right!! Finally found the law article!

Council Directive 83/182/EEC

Article 5
Specific cases of temporary importation of private vehicles
1. 1. Private vehicles imported temporarily shall be exempt from the taxes referred to in Article 1 in the following cases:

where a student uses a private vehicle registered in the Member State of his normal residence in the territory of another Member State in which the student is residing for the sole purpose of pursuing his studies.

attendance at a university or school in another Member State does not constitute a transfer of normal residence.

FAO: GWOA commitee. I think you need to introduce a 'smug' emoticon for Fixwin....he just keeps getting things right.

And I mean that in a good way!

mortinson
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Re: Moving to Germany

lphong wrote:

OO! I think an EU licenses can be used in another EU nation until it expire. But i will still ask anyway!! Thanks!

This is 100% true. We lived in the UK for more than 7 years and both my wife and myself had Spanish licences... very useful becuase back then there were no points for them.

Though on second thoughts it did not make any difference. We never had a ticket in the UK.

lphong
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Re: Moving to Germany

mortinson wrote:

This is 100% true. We lived in the UK for more than 7 years and both my wife and myself had Spanish licences... very useful becuase back then there were no points for them.

Though on second thoughts it did not make any difference. We never had a ticket in the UK.

Nice to know! I am wondering... if I got caught for speeding in another EU member state, what will happen?

mortinson
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Re: Moving to Germany

lphong wrote:
mortinson wrote:

This is 100% true. We lived in the UK for more than 7 years and both my wife and myself had Spanish licences... very useful becuase back then there were no points for them.

Though on second thoughts it did not make any difference. We never had a ticket in the UK.

Nice to know! I am wondering... if I got caught for speeding in another EU member state, what will happen?

It depends on the country, naturally. In most, if not all of them, you have to pay cash on the spot or else have your car impounded. In Spain, they are so nice that they accompany you to the Cash Point :wink:

In the UK, the land of fair play things are or at least were different a few years ago.... In 1999 I was stop by a cop in Wales, in our way back from Ireland where we had spent a few days. I was doing 90 mph or so and got stopped by a cop driving a camouflaged Volvo estate. The guy asked me to produce my driver's licence and on noticing that it had been issued in Spain, asked me whether I was on holiday. I naturally replied "Yes". Then he asked me whether that was a rented car. I considered it a white lie to say "Yes" since it was my company car and I had it on a long term lease (technically a "rental"). The cop, very graciously let me go with a warning. I suspect that this would have never happened elsewhere.... :D