Living under the radar in Europe

[exile]

Ally I cannot claim to be an expert but I thought that car had to be exported and not SORN'd.

[Ally]

Yes. You are correct. The Sorn was a temporary measure during the lockdown. I wasn't up for paying road tax on a car stranded in a friend's garden in France. Thanks for reminding me.

[whyme?]

Yes. You are correct. The Sorn was a temporary measure during the lockdown. I wasn't up for paying road tax on a car stranded in a friend's garden in France. Thanks for reminding me.

As a matter of interest, doesn't any vehicle in France legally have to have some form of insurance if it's capable of being driven or does this not apply to those which are UK registered & insured?

[tim17]

I bought my current van in the UK and drove it back, as I already knew the reg number etc my insurers here were able to insure it so I was covered as soon as I took possession.

[Le Démerdeur]

I may be getting soft in my old age but I don't care what people do anymore as long as they don't bother me,

I never have been concerned about what others do, its their business, I was always amused by the outrage of others usually after they have struggled to do something, and lets face it most French beaurocracy is a struggle especially in the early days, and then want others to have as hard a time as them, its never on subjects where compliance is easy.

People keeping their car UK reg'd also amused me that they had to return every year for an MOT and since the advent of ANPR also had to purchase expensive road tax every year when if they had French registered the cost of the carte grise would have been 1/10 of the road tax they would have paid dependant on how long they kept the vehicle and the CT costs halved.

I kept off the radar for impôts for 9 years before I had income in France to declare, once I did so I realised just how much it had cost me doing so, how much less I would have paid in property taxes etc etc. They allowed me to do backdated returns for 4 previous years, as far back as I could go with claiming back the overpayments.

There will be no problem with anyone "regularising" their circumstances even after Brexit, most will have already done so, others will do so if they encounter problems regarding length of stay and returning within 6 months, the only ones sweating will be those en cavale and who will no longer have passports after a maximum of 10 years, they would never have been returning anyway so they will probably just carry on as they always have done. I have been surprised over the years to learn just how many can't return to the UK (or other countries) after I have gained their confidence.

[Ally]

Yes. You are correct. The Sorn was a temporary measure during the lockdown. I wasn't up for paying road tax on a car stranded in a friend's garden in France. Thanks for reminding me.

As a matter of interest, doesn't any vehicle in France legally have to have some form of insurance if it's capable of being driven or does this not apply to those which are UK registered & insured?

I don't know if that's the case. I was in a situation where I couldn't do anything about it. The UK insurance was void when I was absent and when I was absent I couldn't buy new French insurance. If it is true, it looks like I dodged a bullet. And I suppose it could only be driven if taken without consent.
My UK insurance was through Saga. The news that my insurance was void in my absence was a shock. That must happen hundreds or even thousands of times to second home owners when they take short trips back by air to Fraggle Rock during extended stays in France.

[mysty]

I may be getting soft in my old age but I don't care what people do anymore as long as they don't bother me,

I never have been concerned about what others do, its their business, I was always amused by the outrage of others usually after they have struggled to do something, and lets face it most French beaurocracy is a struggle especially in the early days, and then want others to have as hard a time as them, its never on subjects where compliance is easy.

People keeping their car UK reg'd also amused me that they had to return every year for an MOT and since the advent of ANPR also had to purchase expensive road tax every year when if they had French registered the cost of the carte grise would have been 1/10 of the road tax they would have paid dependant on how long they kept the vehicle and the CT costs halved.

I kept off the radar for impôts for 9 years before I had income in France to declare, once I did so I realised just how much it had cost me doing so, how much less I would have paid in property taxes etc etc. They allowed me to do backdated returns for 4 previous years, as far back as I could go with claiming back the overpayments.

There will be no problem with anyone "regularising" their circumstances even after Brexit, most will have already done so, others will do so if they encounter problems regarding length of stay and returning within 6 months, the only ones sweating will be those en cavale and who will no longer have passports after a maximum of 10 years, they would never have been returning anyway so they will probably just carry on as they always have done. I have been surprised over the years to learn just how many can't return to the UK (or other countries) after I have gained their confidence.

Mr Big, they better hope no one reports this post to the a French procurator or you will be too busy to post for weeks giving over your list of names.

[mysty]

Yes. You are correct. The Sorn was a temporary measure during the lockdown. I wasn't up for paying road tax on a car stranded in a friend's garden in France. Thanks for reminding me.

As a matter of interest, doesn't any vehicle in France legally have to have some form of insurance if it's capable of being driven or does this not apply to those which are UK registered & insured?

I don't know if that's the case. I was in a situation where I couldn't do anything about it. The UK insurance was void when I was absent and when I was absent I couldn't buy new French insurance. If it is true, it looks like I dodged a bullet. And I suppose it could only be driven if taken without consent.
My UK insurance was through Saga. The news that my insurance was void in my absence was a shock. That must happen hundreds or even thousands of times to second home owners when they take short trips back by air to Fraggle Rock during extended stays in France.

have either of your accounts been hacked

[Le Démerdeur]

Mr Big, they better hope no one reports this post to the a French procurator or you will be too busy to post for weeks giving over your list of names.

Procurator?

I'm not due to see him for another 4 years and the procedure is less than an hour with an overnight stay in the clinique, I know that he uses a camera but it must go further than I thought to read my mind

[Le Démerdeur]

My apologies, it is a word in English but not one that I had ever heard of