Which Country to Buy?

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RichardKiwiana

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Hi there all,

First post here but probably not my last. I'm from New Zealand and am heading towards the EU after an 8 month trip riding through the Stans on my motorcycle.

I'm thinking of picking up a motorhome in the EU or UK and doing some remote work while i travel through the EU. My question, as somebody who does not have an EU passport is, which country is the best to buy a motorhome in?

Ideally I will secure one of these 'digital nomad' visas so I can legally work in the EU. I imagine insurance will be the sticking point if I were to buy a camper in the UK for example as I'm sure most insurers will only cover for a certain number of days per year.

So yeah, is the issue residency? Do you have to have lived in most EU countries for a certain amount of time before purchasing a vehicle? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
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Sorry I can't answer your question, but I once saw a TV programme showing travellers buying cheap vans in London from private sellers to use for 6 months and then reselling them back to others at the same location. I dint even know if that exists anymore?

At least my response will bump your thread to the top so more people might see it ......

What I can recommend though is to consider using Starlink as your internet connection...
 
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Getting insurance for a motorhome in the UK is very difficult and very necessary. We had no choice but to use a company called Down Under Insurance. They're based in Melbourne, I think, but they charge like wounded bulls.
 
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For us UK residents our insurers allow us 180 days a year in the EU also breakdown cover. You will need a UK address for this. The same cover that would be required in the UK applies to the travel in the EU. The difference being a current licence must be carried, the log book or proof of ownership. Current Insurance,
(Breakdown cover optional) current MOT. Photo copies or print outs of mot and insurance acceptable but not log book. If you require glasses to drive a spare pair should be carried, warning triangle (two in Spain one in front and one behind also changing to flashing lights). A reflective waistcoat at least one for the driver for all preferable, they must be accessible from inside the car, spare bulb kit first aid kit and ideally a fire extinguisher, used to be a breathalyser but this is no longer required. Re dash cameras in Portugal they are strictly forbidden owing to data protect laws, lot will say I always have one never been stopped but I know different my son got fined E180 for having one mounted and turned on and was lucky they did not confiscate it. France as far as I am aware like the UK has no restrictions but Germany is stricter re posting anything without prior permission. Crazy as a dash cam is priceless in any accident etc. in the UK there is road tax depending on the size of the unit above or below 3500 kg’s and a C1 licence for over this weight. France has no road tax and an mot or its equivalent every 2 years.
 
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For internet we use IQ go £20 a year for the card £20 per 100 gb, only allows 3 months a year but we just have 2 cards. You will need to check visa allowance UK citizens can only spend 90 days in 180 in the EU it works looking backwards not to sure how you will be affected by this. Passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your leaving date, and you may be asked to prove you have the funds to sustain you during your trip. Rules are tightening up in the EU.

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I see nobody has answered your question and neither can I.
I think you will find that all countries in the EU plus UK and Ireland require an address to register the vehicle and for insurance with a minimum of 'third party cover' being required for the area you are travelling in.
 
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It may apply only to hiring but I read on another forum that NZMCA have a reciprocal arrangement with the U.K. Motorhome & Caravan Club and if you join that you can use their insurance company which covers non UK Residents.
 
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MisterB said:
Sorry I can't answer your question, but I once saw a TV programme showing travellers buying cheap vans in London from private sellers to use for 6 months and then reselling them back to others at the same location. I dint even know if that exists anymore?

At least my response will bump your thread to the top so more people might see it ......

What I can recommend though is to consider using Starlink as your internet connection...
Click to expand...
50yrs ago, there used to be a thriving London vehicle exchange/ sale just South of the river near Lambeth Bridge on a Sunday morning mainly for Aussie backpackers mostly VW type vehicles but, I THINK, that has long gone. 🤔
At the time, there was a lot of Australians living in the Earls Court rd area and this was used as a meet up point in the summer.
Perhaps this is what you saw on TV?
 
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L' Hobo said:
50yrs ago, there used to be a thriving London vehicle exchange/ sale just South of the river near Lambeth Bridge on a Sunday morning mainly for Aussie backpackers mostly VW type vehicles but, I THINK, that has long gone. 🤔
At the time, there was a lot of Australians living in the Earls Court rd area and this was used as a meet up point in the summer.
Perhaps this is what you saw on TV?
Click to expand...
Long since gone.

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I think your best bet is to get an address in an English speaking country, UK or Ireland are easiest.
Do you have any relatives or close fiends address you can use ?
This then becomes your 'residence'.
You buy a vehicle from the same country and tax, MoT and insure it like any other resident.
(In the UK the cost of the insurance will depend on a number of factors, including the crime rate in the residence post code)

I'd also arrange a mobile phone, etc etc all at the same address
 
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I would definitely focus on the Digital nomad visa before worrying about insurance, etc.
The country that agrees to 'host' would probably then be the one in which to buy & insure a MH
https://schengeninfo.com/digital-nomad-visa/
Despite the name, they don't necessarily mean you can wander all over Europe - not that there are (many) border checks.

And don't forget, UK is no longer in the EU...
 
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RichardKiwiana said:
Hi there all,

First post here but probably not my last. I'm from New Zealand and am heading towards the EU after an 8 month trip riding through the Stans on my motorcycle.

I'm thinking of picking up a motorhome in the EU or UK and doing some remote work while i travel through the EU. My question, as somebody who does not have an EU passport is, which country is the best to buy a motorhome in?

Ideally I will secure one of these 'digital nomad' visas so I can legally work in the EU. I imagine insurance will be the sticking point if I were to buy a camper in the UK for example as I'm sure most insurers will only cover for a certain number of days per year.

So yeah, is the issue residency? Do you have to have lived in most EU countries for a certain amount of time before purchasing a vehicle? Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...

One option may be for you to get the digital thing sorted and then to rent a van for the duration. It would probably be wise to rent in the EU if you're mainly going to be in the EU. It is a bit pricey - looking at (say Indie Campers) it may cost you c. € 40 a night starting in say Berlin.

But it will potentially take quite a bit of the angst out of purchasing, registering, having a residential address, insuring, selling at the end and so on.
 
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PaulW2 said:
One option may be for you to get the digital thing sorted and then to rent a van for the duration. It would probably be wise to rent in the EU if you're mainly going to be in the EU. It is a bit pricey - looking at (say Indie Campers) it may cost you c. € 40 a night starting in say Berlin.

But it will potentially take quite a bit of the angst out of purchasing, registering, having a residential address, insuring, selling at the end and so on.
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Wouldn't he have to have a residential address to hire? 🤔
 
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L' Hobo said:
Wouldn't he have to have a residential address to hire? 🤔
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You could be yourself - a Kiwi tourist or digital nomad - and hire I would think? Normal home address: Auckland... But it's probably worth contacting them to check. On line at least they're happy to provide a price for a long term rental.

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PaulW2 said:
You could be yourself - a Kiwi tourist or digital nomad - and hire I would think? Normal home address: Auckland... But it's probably worth contacting them to check. On line at least they're happy to provide a price for a long term rental.
Click to expand...
And in that case I would have thought that Germany may well be the best place to look?

By far the biggest motorhome market in Europe, part of the EU, good service standards and consumer protection and so on...
 
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RichardKiwiana said:
Hi there all,

First post here but probably not my last. I'm from New Zealand and am heading towards the EU after an 8 month trip riding through the Stans on my motorcycle.

I'm thinking of picking up a motorhome in the EU or UK and doing some remote work while i travel through the EU. My question, as somebody who does not have an EU passport is, which country is the best to buy a motorhome in?

Ideally I will secure one of these 'digital nomad' visas so I can legally work in the EU. I imagine insurance will be the sticking point if I were to buy a camper in the UK for example as I'm sure most insurers will only cover for a certain number of days per year.

So yeah, is the issue residency? Do you have to have lived in most EU countries for a certain amount of time before purchasing a vehicle? Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...
ok it depends is the short answer.

If you are planning on taking the motorhome back to NZ then the UK/NI or ROI would be your best bet as right-hand drive and if purchasing new you can export VAT free and depending on the time away from NZ potential use the Personal Export Scheme to bring your vehicle back into NZ without GST/Import Duties.

If you are planning just to have a van for a while then onsell depends on where you are going as the rest of Europe is left-hand drive and maybe better to buy in France or Germany which has a lot more choice.

The sticking point for most countries is going to be an address whether a friend in the UK could help, alternatively there are a couple of companies on in the Netherland and one in France that organises all of that for you including the address for registration.

Insurance is the tricky piece as you are not resident in one of these countries, the last insurance we organised for Kiwi friends was with Keith Michaels Insurance using AG Insurance but the price was eyewatering about £1500 per year compared with our van which is about £300.

As someone mentioned check out the NZMCA reciprocal rights as they may have some insurance ideas.
 
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PaulW2 said:
And in that case I would have thought that Germany may well be the best place to look?

By far the biggest motorhome market in Europe, part of the EU, good service standards and consumer protection and so on...
Click to expand...
There is a big rental market in Germany.

The last time we rented, we looked at all the prices, and found it was far cheaper to drive our own car from the UK to Dusseldorf, rent the motorhome for 3 weeks, and then return and drive our car back.

We met another couple from the UK in the DRM hire place in Dusseldorf who were doing the same thing, and they were going to Spain for a month.

In addition, the German rental companies sell of large percentages of their hire fleet after a couple of seasons, so there is a big second hand market of ex rentals.
(all LHD of course)

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