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07/05/2008, 21:55 geoff Joined on 06/05/2008 france Posts 69 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  ErnieY wrote: Loath as I am to resurrect what is a widely covered topic but this car is already illegal both in UK and France. Contrary to what many believe (and a great many practice) it's not a "pick-n-mix" choice, a vehicle must be fully road legal in the country where it is registered. Therefore, if it is to remain on UK plates, this means Tax & MOT and UK insurance, exactly as if it were being used in UK. The fact that it is temporarily in France for several month's of the year, or anywhere for that matter, does not negate that. That is very true,   I know a Dutch couple that nearly lost there car ,after she was stopped for speeding,and told the police she had lived and been driveing on Dutch plates for ten years. So why take the chance G    Report

08/05/2008, 2:55 BobDee Joined on 17/08/2005 Reaup Lisse 47 Posts 118 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK I feel as if I am playing devils advocate here, having had my " ancient" cars French plated for 18 months now, but as originally stated, my friends UK plated car is UK taxed, UK MOT'd and will have UK insurance, perhaps SAGA. If it shuttles back and forth from France to the UK over a twelve month period, who is to say that it is breaking the law? We have all had experinces of not having passports even looked at at UK France border crossings, and no doubt number plates are photographed both sides, but I seriously doubt that a data base exists that uses all this info and flags the fact that car has spent six months and one day in any particular country. The six month "must be registered" period is presumably a continuous period of six months. When we first arrved in France, our UK plated cars were insured by AXA on the understanding that they were French registered in the next six months,  which of  course they were.    As stated previously if the car is UK legal and the insurance company are fully aware of the cars usage and will therefor pay up in the event of an accident, where is the problem? There have to be many people who for professional reasons spend varying times out of France. All the aforementioned laws are designed to catch the person is drives on UK plates whilst living permanently in France. This is not the case here. If in one year, a person spends seven months in the UK and five in France and the next year five in the UK and seven in France, are you expected to switch insurers every year, assuming of course you know in advance where you will be in the next twelve months? BobD (Wish I hadn't started this!)    Report

08/05/2008, 6:29 Tony F Dordogne Joined on 10/04/2005 Small village in the Dordogne, near St Cyprien Posts 1,494 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK Sorry Bob, I don't see the issue here.  Your friend is here for 7 months of the year so the car should be registered here.  Plenty of time has been spent on this issue over the years on here and the advice you've been given is very clear - it doesn't matter whether she's 'resident', 183 days or whatever, French and UK law says if the car is in France for more than 6 months, it should be SORNd and registered in France.  Pick and mix isn't an option and it's English legality has no bearing on this at all, it's French law that wins out. Wait until she has an accident or is stopped by the Gendarmes and looses her car - then she'll wish she complied with the law and that is happening more and more as the Gendarmes clamp down on speeding, drunk driving and Europeans taking the mickey out of their French hosts, it's a national initiative tho it is being enforced more rigorously in some areas than in others. Tony F Dordogne (24) Huguenot Trails    Report

08/05/2008, 7:24 Boiling a frog Joined on 06/09/2004 Charente 16 Posts 617 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  European law states that one is allowed to use a vehicle registered in another european country for a maximum of 6 months in an EU country where one is not resident. UK law states that if you intend to be a perminant resident of the UK the foreign registered vehicle on entering the country must remain off road until it is reregistered. French law states that you have one month to reregister your vehicle. Is anyone suggesting that this person ,who has decided to come to France for 7 months,but will remain tax resident in the UK(due to the UK tax rules) will have to reregister the vehicle within one month of arrival. Then at the end of the seven months ,return to the UK, keep the vehicle off road until it is reregistered in the UK. And so on. I think we need a touch of realism in these circumstances.If the car is insured,taxed etc and the insurance coy is aware that it going to be in France for 7 months the I cannot see any problem.              Boiling a frog    Report

08/05/2008, 7:38 Tandem_Pilot Joined on 23/08/2004 Posts 284 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  Boiling a frog wrote: If the car is insured,taxed etc and the insurance coy is aware that it going to be in France for 7 months the I cannot see any problem.      But the insurance company is not aware:  BobDee wrote: Anyone have any experience of a company UK or French that allows several months out of the country? Regards Alex Milton Keynes and the Haute Vienne    Report

08/05/2008, 7:43 geoff Joined on 06/05/2008 france Posts 69 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  Boiling a frog wrote:  European law states that one is allowed to use a vehicle registered in another european country for a maximum of 6 months in an EU country where one is not resident. UK law states that if you intend to be a perminant resident of the UK the foreign registered vehicle on entering the country must remain off road until it is reregistered. French law states that you have one month to reregister your vehicle. Is anyone suggesting that this person ,who has decided to come to France for 7 months,but will remain tax resident in the UK(due to the UK tax rules) will have to reregister the vehicle within one month of arrival. Then at the end of the seven months ,return to the UK, keep the vehicle off road until it is reregistered in the UK. And so on. I think we need a touch of realism in these circumstances.If the car is insured,taxed etc and the insurance coy is aware that it going to be in France for 7 months the I cannot see any problem.        Sorry after all the above good advice, why stay with u.k. reg. when to french reg. has to be better. no1 no road tax. no2  2yrs testing. no 3 and if you changed your driving permit. drive to your death. G    Report

08/05/2008, 7:55 Boiling a frog Joined on 06/09/2004 Charente 16 Posts 617 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  Tandem_Pilot wrote:  Boiling a frog wrote: If the car is insured,taxed etc and the insurance coy is aware that it going to be in France for 7 months the I cannot see any problem.      But the insurance company is not aware:  BobDee wrote: Anyone have any experience of a company UK or French that allows several months out of the country? The OP was asking about insurance that would cover in the circumstances given,and was advised that saga cover for 12 months.So the OP has now found an insurance coy which will cover and presumably will be told of the circumstances.         Boiling a frog    Report

08/05/2008, 7:59 Boiling a frog Joined on 06/09/2004 Charente 16 Posts 617 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  geoff wrote:   Sorry after all the above good advice, why stay with u.k. reg. when to french reg. has to be better. no1 no road tax. no2  2yrs testing. no 3 and if you changed your driving permit. drive to your death.   One slight flaw in that arguement. The person is a  UK resident and it is illegal under EU law to drive a foreign registered vehicle in your country of residence.Otherwise we could all avoid UK road tax etc by buying a French registered car           Boiling a frog    Report

08/05/2008, 8:00 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 3,739 Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK  BobDee wrote: but as originally stated, my friends UK plated car is UK taxed, UK MOT'd and will have UK insurance, perhaps SAGA Allow me to remind you of your original post Bob because this is NOT what you stated.  BobDee wrote: Currently has french insurance but that only allows 30 days in UK I take your point about 5/7 month's or 7/5 months and indeed the law is clumsy, it probably never having been designed for such relatively uncommon circumstances, however it is what it is and like it or not must be observed. Fancy foot work and a "who knows or cares attitude" may seem OK - until something happens - at which time when the onus is on you (your friend) to prove that they were in compliance with the law, this is when it all goes pear shaped. As I previously said your friends best (only) option is to French register the car and find a sympathetic insurer, and preferrably direct not through a broker so there is no possibility of misunderstanding or argument at a later date. Tony: I'm surprised you suggest SORNing as it is clearly not appropriate in this case, if the car is to be registered in France it must be exported. BAF:  Boiling a frog wrote: this person, who has decided to come to France for 7 months, but will remain tax resident in the UK(due to the UK tax rules) I think you need to expand on this one. Residency is no more pick-n-mix than car registration.  BobDee wrote: (Wish I hadn't started this!) Amen to that.................... My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

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France Forum » Living » Driving » Re: Suitable insurance for France and UK

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