Driving a UK plated motorhome

Nigel P said:
There is no limit to the duration that any EU issued licence can be used in the EU, if you become resident in an EU country there is no requirement to exchange a GB licence for one issued in the new country. It only becomes an issue at renewal where DVLA will not issue to non UK residents. As for vehicle registrations, it is possible for someone from the EU to bring their vehicle here to the UK and drive it on the originating country's plates whilst resident here providing they are resident only for a defined period ( fixed work contract, student etc)
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Spain if you become a resident of Spain you must exchange your UK license to Spanish within 6 months and that’s time is being reduced
 
Nigel P said:
There is no limit to the duration that any EU issued licence can be used in the EU, if you become resident in an EU country there is no requirement to exchange a GB licence for one issued in the new country. It only becomes an issue at renewal where DVLA will not issue to non UK residents. As for vehicle registrations, it is possible for someone from the EU to bring their vehicle here to the UK and drive it on the originating country's plates whilst resident here providing they are resident only for a defined period ( fixed work contract, student etc)
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With respect to the GB one you mention, that surely will not be the case in the EU after Friday.
 
Up to the end of this year, British residents in France have only been able to exchange their licences in a few specific circumstances. From 1/1/21, all British licence holders in France must and will be able to exchange their licence and this will need to be done by 31/12/21. We've been asked to not all apply in January..... 🙂
 
Rds559 said:
Wrong they are Spanish based
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Yes but use the affiliated companies regostered in the UK
Liberty seguros, Mapfre, Abbeygate & Ibex , to name but 4 all registered & based in spain but legal insurance in UK & other states.

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Lenny HB said:
Maybe but it would still have been illegal to for me to drive the Frence registered car in the UK as it was for you driving a French registered car in Spain.
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It is an exception.


The Exceptions​


There are some very specific exceptions to these rules that allow a UK resident to drive a foreign car in the UK.


The most commonly used exception is for rental vehicles. If you drive a rental vehicle from another country in the UK, you will not be violating any laws as a resident of the UK. This allows UK residents to travel freely. Meaning, a UK resident could fly to France, and return to the UK using a rental car registered in France.


Diplomatic vehicles are also exempt from following the same rules as other vehicles that drive in the UK long term. A diplomatic vehicle is allowed to drive on UK roads with foreign registration without being subjected to the same requirements as other vehicles.


If you work in a country that is part of the EU, you can temporarily use a company vehicle in the UK that is registered in your employer’s country. You also do not need to worry about breaking the law in this case.


Students and temporary workers residing in the UK for a fixed period longer than 6 months may also be exempt from needing to register their car in the UK. They will need to apply to the HMRC for an exemption before or upon arrival. (<Broken link removed>)


It is the same for all EU states.
 
gus-lopez said:
Yes but use the affiliated companies regostered in the UK
Liberty seguros, Mapfre, Abbeygate & Ibex , to name but 4 all registered & based in spain but legal insurance in UK & other states.
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They will insure UK plated vehicle and some other Spanish insurance companies
 
Liberty Seguro is the main for insuring motorhome on UK plates 3500kg and under, but I know 3 others
 
If your a Spanish resident It would be better if the motorhome was on Spanish plates and you owned it, because it's the motorhome you insure and it covers any driver, you would then be allowed to stay in Spain with no restrictions, you could stay in the UK 180 days, depending on how much and when your son used it. 🤔
I think the way your going is not completely legal. 🤔 Bob
 
I have looked in to importing to Spain and the best I can get is 7800 euros and that’s if the headlights will adjust over enough or we will have buy a pair and they are ridiculously.

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Rds559 said:
I have looked in to importing to Spain and the best I can get is 7800 euros and that’s if the headlights will adjust over enough or we will have buy a pair and they are ridiculously.
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If you put all your cards on the table, and your a UK Citizen and Spanish resident and have a Spanish driving licence, you cant drive a UK registered motorhome in Spain unless you are bringing it back to be matriculated or the owner is in the vehicle with you. 🤔 Bob.
 
You would have thought that in all the years the EU has been in existence that problems like this did not exist between member states..You would have thought by now that vehicle testing would have been harmonized and a central authority set up for vehicle registration and agreement on driving licences throughout the EU.. BUSBY.
 
gus-lopez said:
As others have said you can drive it in any country except Spain. Due to it being UK registered.

To others the vehicle is insured in the UK using a non-uk company that has affiliates in the UK .All perfectly legal & unfortunate that UK insurers refuse to do it.
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Hi gus-lopez ,sorry for another request. I am on a campsite in murcia at the moment and someone here has just sold their spanish property in December and moving back to the uk. He has a uk reg motorhome and plans to drive around( saying he will say he is a spanish resident if stopped after 90 days) heading home end april, he thinks this is fine, i said i think its ilegal to be a spanish resident, own a uk motorhome and drive it in spain?
I have looked but cannot find this on any official site, can you point me in the right direction to try and confirm it for him.
Gracias,
Cheers Cris.
 
It all depends where his van is insured no UK insurance company will insure the van for a Spanish resident believe me I’ve been trying for 7 years.
There are ways of insuring a UK plated van as Spanish resident.
 
Pugsy said:
Hi gus-lopez ,sorry for another request. I am on a campsite in murcia at the moment and someone here has just sold their spanish property in December and moving back to the uk. He has a uk reg motorhome and plans to drive around( saying he will say he is a spanish resident if stopped after 90 days) heading home end april, he thinks this is fine, i said i think its ilegal to be a spanish resident, own a uk motorhome and drive it in spain?
I have looked but cannot find this on any official site, can you point me in the right direction to try and confirm it for him.
Gracias,
Cheers Cris.
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If stopped after 31st March and he's not resident, and asked for his documents he will have to show his passport. If there is no entry stamp after 1st January, it will be clear that he was in Spain before then. He is legally allowed to stay until 31st March as the default date for Schengen will begin then. Any days afterwards will be illegal.

If he says he's resident, he will be required to show his residency document.

If he is resident, it will be illegal to drive his UK registered vehicle.

His choice!

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Rds559 said:
It all depends where his van is insured no UK insurance company will insure the van for a Spanish resident believe me I’ve been trying for 7 years.
There are ways of insuring a UK plated van as Spanish resident.
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He says it is insured in the uk?,for use in Spain as a resident (has had the van 4 years) however it doubled the cost of his policy to do this,now£800.His plan is to live in the uk but use Spanish residency to overcome the 90 day rule.I told him i did not think that was possible whilst driving and owning a uk plate motorhome??. But i could be wrong,i am not 100% sure,so i am trying to confirm this via official information.I have got a few sources of the forum now to look at. Someone always knows on here, great int it😃,you never get left stuck.👍.
Cheers Cris.
 
jumartoo said:
If stopped after 31st March and he's not resident, and asked for his documents he will have to show his passport. If there is no entry stamp after 1st January, it will be clear that he was in Spain before then. He is legally allowed to stay until 31st March as the default date for Schengen will begin then. Any days afterwards will be illegal.

If he says he's resident, he will be required to show his residency document.

If he is resident, it will be illegal to drive his UK registered vehicle.

His choice!
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This is how l believe it to be ,and i am trying to get official sources to help him stay on the correct side of the law. He is in his late 70's ,a nice auld bloke and i would not want him to come unstuck. Just trying to help out,but he is addiment he can do it?

Cheers Cris.
 
I will show him the sources i now have and then its up to him. Thanks for the replies and sources provided, thats all i can do.

Cheers Cris🍻.
 
If he is a Spanish resident I would like to know what UK insurance company will insure a UK plated van for a Spanish resident to drive as I said I’ve tried every UK insurance company no company will do it.
 
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None of these say you can insure a UK van to drive it on a Spanish license
 
Pugsy said:
He says it is insured in the uk?,for use in Spain as a resident (has had the van 4 years) however it doubled the cost of his policy to do this,now£800.His plan is to live in the uk but use Spanish residency to overcome the 90 day rule.I told him i did not think that was possible whilst driving and owning a uk plate motorhome??. But i could be wrong,i am not 100% sure,so i am trying to confirm this via official information.I have got a few sources of the forum now to look at. Someone always knows on here, great int it😃,you never get left stuck.👍.
Cheers Cris.
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If he has Spanish residency then he lives in Spain not the UK, that's what residency means.
 
Rds559 said:
None of these say you can insure a UK van to drive it on a Spanish license
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That's because you can't, being a resident in Spain you did the right thing changing your licence, because you would have had to take a test in Spain now the UK is not a EU member, but you cannot drive a UK registered vehicle. 🤔 Bob.

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Rds559 said:
None of these say you can insure a UK van to drive it on a Spanish license
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nor were they meant to. It was in answer to the 'cannot drive a foreign plated vehicle' question.

Abbeygate, Ibex & Liberty seguros would all insure a UK plated van.
i've previously insured Uk registered vehicles , also a German one , as it still had the owners plates, along with a couple on the vin number whilst being replated.
I've never come across an online spanish site that asks what licence you are presently holding,only where you actually took your test ?
If like me you are a spanish resident then there is no problem driving a vehicle that is not spanish registered in any other EU state.
 
bobandjanie said:
That's because you can't, being a resident in Spain you did the right thing changing your licence, because you would have had to take a test in Spain now the UK is not a EU member, but you cannot drive a UK registered vehicle. 🤔 Bob.
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Abbeygate brokers offered to insure my UK registered camper in Portugal with a Portuguese licence.

I pointed out the illegalty of this but they said it was ok, of course they are brokers and more interested in their commission, I doubt that the underwriters would have the same view.

I believe Abbeygate also operate in Spain.
 
Rds559 said:
If he is a Spanish resident I would like to know what UK insurance company will insure a UK plated van for a Spanish resident to drive as I said I’ve tried every UK insurance company no company will do it.
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I will ask and confirm exactly how he is insured and report back.👍.
 
If they have an office in the UK, I believe they can offer insurance cover, but that might have changed now, in Spain they will sell you anything, as far as their concerned your vehicle will be matriculated onto Spanish plates.

Once your resident you only have 30days to matriculate your vehicle, because you can't drive a foreign vehicle. 🤔 Bob.

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