18 months outside UK

Jez 1966
Jez 1966 Forum Participant Posts: 1
edited May 2022 in Towcars & Towing #1

We're at the early stages of planning a Canada & USA tour with motorhome & car on trailer.

Visa's mean this could be outside UK for upto 18 months. (6 months Canada & 12 months USA)

Temporary import means we can take vehicles in ok.

My question is regarding MOT/TAX and insurance etc requirements for vehicles.

I've search extensively online but I can't find advise or was to ask DVLA.

Anyone with knowledge of what is required for a vehicle >3 years old outside UK of more than a year?

Tax/MOT-local equivalent/Insurance local-home country?

Comments

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2022 #2

    Have a look on u tube at Tread the Globe.  They took their van to the US and golly was it expensive

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2022 #3

    It's been a long time since I took my car over to the US, but I presume that basically things haven't changed that much since.

    Once your vehicle is out of the UK, nobody is interested in its status there so long as you don't count as being permanently resident there during your absence, so there is no requirement to keep a valid MOT and no need to tax. I insured the car upon arrival in the US with an American insurance. It kept its UK number plates, though, throughout its stay there.

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited May 2022 #4
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2022 #5

    Many who have done it recommend Seabridge Tours - for advice and information as well as for the actual shipping. 

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
    1000 Comments
    edited May 2022 #6

    Lutz, what happens when a person returns with an out of date MOT?, is it taken to its UK destination on a transporter🤔

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2022 #7

    To my knowledge, so long as you haven't taken up permanent residency in the UK again upon returning, you are not subject to things like MOT, tax, etc. Otherwise the same would apply if your MOT ran out while on holiday on the Continent.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2022 #8

    You book the MOT near the port before returning and drive directly to it.

  • wallacebob
    wallacebob Forum Participant Posts: 89
    edited June 2022 #9

    You should contact your insurer, most allow a max of 3 months outside UK. Maintaining vehicle in roadworthy condition and having a current MOT is a condition of insurance. Whether the vehicle is in UK or not, it must be MOTed and road taxed, if it on the UK system. If you import the vehicle to USA it will have to be retested for compliance, and registered as a US vehicle. In mainland EU and UK you have 6 months before you must re-register a vehicle, I assume similar in US.

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2022 #10

    You can easily get around the insurance problem by insuring the vehicle in the USA. Then you don't have to have a valid MOT and once outside the UK and with no permanent address in the UK it does not have to be taxed in the UK either. The limit for temporary importation to the USA is twelve months, (at least it was when I took my car to there). A temporarily imported vehicle does not have to meet US standards and obviously does not need to be registered there. By the way, the 6 month limit in the EU for non-EU residents only applies if you take up residence in an EU country. If you tour within the EU and move from country to country without a permanent address, the same 12 month limit applies as in the USA.

  • NutsyH
    NutsyH Forum Participant Posts: 534
    edited June 2022 #11

    Note also that your house insurance will probably be invalidated by that length of unoccupancy. 

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2022 #12

    I would have thought that house vacancy is unlikely to be an issue if you are going to be away for so long. Either you will have sold up or rented the house out for the period of absence. I don't think many people would contemplate leaving their house unoccupied for 18 months or more.

  • ScreenNameD685707A30
    ScreenNameD685707A30 Forum Participant Posts: 3
    edited February 15 #13

    Hi does anybody in this string know of a company/broker who can provide motorhome insurance for a UK registered motorhome, when its in Canada and the USA.

     

    Thanks in advance 

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 15 #14

    Try Clements Worldwide cover.

    https://www.clements.com/

  • Lutz
    Lutz Forum Participant Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭✭
    edited February 15 #15

    I insured my car upon arrival in the USA through the Triple A.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 16 #16

    Have you read all the blogs and travel reports on line from others shipping motorhomes across the Atlantic who have gone before you ?  They often explain the insurances and travel arrangements they used.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 16 #17

    Have a look at Tread the Globe on u tube, they took their van to US and Canada and it wasn’t as straight forward as you may believe

  • ScreenNameD685707A30
    ScreenNameD685707A30 Forum Participant Posts: 3
    edited February 16 #18

    Yes I have unfortuantely, and things have changed a little over the last 12 months. Thum insurance who the majority of people have used in the past have recently changed their policy. At the moment they aren't able to insure any vehicles in Canada. The will insure our motorhome when it's in the US, but we wish to travel in both countries. We have found one other insurer, but they won't insure against any 3rd parties claims who might be involved in the same accident. We would need 2 different insurances provided by different comapnies, they're are not cheap individually or together and could lead to all manner of issues if we ever had to claim. So as it stands we haven't found 1 company that will insure us. (I have asked Clements today, but haven't as yet had a reply). I have also already had an email conversation wth Marianne from Tread the globe, they used Thum too. 

    Thum are hoping to be able to cover vehicles in Canada at some point in the future, bust as of today, it isn't an option.

     

    Please keep forwarding your suggestions.