How long may a UK vehicle remain in Schengen....

[ean_p]

How long may a UK registered vehicle /item (ie cycle) remain in the Schengen area before being liable for import tax and how long has it to be out of the area in order to reset the clock please?
Incidently I'm not looking for discussion / comments on the limits and nature of EU resident people driving 3rd country vehicles etc... only on time periods of the above import liability!

 

[nortada]

Think different countries have different rules and the rules also depend if you are a resident or a visitor.

Assuming you are a visitor, I suggest you identify your country(ies) of interest and those with the knowledge will come forward.

 

[AndersG]

6 months in Spain for a car driven by a non resident.

 

[nortada]

6 months in Spain for a car driven by a non resident.

Same in Portugal, which is 3 months longer than the non-EU resident can use it but it covers tourists and short-term visitors.

The rules are different for those who have Portuguese residency.

We don’t drive in Portugal but doubtless someone who does will be along to spill the beans.

 

[syvictoria]

6 months in Spain for a car driven by a non resident.

Same in Italy too, I believe.

 

[Graham376]

It appears there is no Schengen time limit, as others have said it's down to individual country rules. I've seen UK cars clamped in Spain when they've been seen parked in same area for long periods and heard of a couple of (non resident) villa owners being told to get their UK cars out of Portugal or import them.

 

[Koeketiene]

My son moved from the UK to Belgium Summer last year.
He was planning to keep it on UK reg till his insurance ran out (November) before importing it.
Plod stopped by late October with loads of questions about his car.
They had noticed his car had been in the country 'a long time' and told him to import/register it in Belgium.
He said he intended to once his insurance ran out, and certainly before the Brexit transition period ran out.
They seemed OK with that.

 

[greeny]

6 months seems to be the standard right across europe. When I was taking my Portuguese car back to Uk for an extended period a couple of years ago I enquired about how long I could keep it there and was told 6 months maximum. My source was my brother in law who was a traffic cop. My bother who moved to Belgium some years ago, again had 6 months to get his car changed over to their registration. Some countries do enforce more stringently than others though I believe.

 

[ean_p]

Hi guys and thanks for the replies.......now having dug a little deeper it appears that there is an EU facet to it and that suggests that you are allowed 6 months in any 12 month period without incurring 'importation' liabilities, and so not a lot of point in storing the camper in France then!
Thanks once again!

 

[syvictoria]

Hi guys and thanks for the replies.......now having dug a little deeper it appears that there is an EU facet to it and that suggests that you are allowed 6 months in any 12 month period without incurring 'importation' liabilities, and so not a lot of point in storing the camper in France then!
Thanks once again!

You would likely have to return to the UK annually to have the vehicle MOT'd anyway?

 

[nortada]

Point of interest.

Before 31/12/20, In Portugal, British registered cars were a regular sight. In any public car park you would find at least 10% cars with UK plates. Post 31/12/20 hardly ever see any.

 

[Kelpie]

When you import a car, do you have to pay VAT?

 

[Graham376]

When you import a car, do you have to pay VAT?

Don't know about other countries but Portuguese customs wanted €8k duty & VAT on a mate's 20 year old £1k Merc. If he had imported it at the time he obtained residence, would have been far less and in the end he took it back to UK and sold it.

 

[Koeketiene]

When you import a car, do you have to pay VAT?

You didn't have to pay VAT pre-Brexit (and during the transition period).
I am afraid that now you are at the mercy of the local customs/douane/vat officials.
Levels of VAT payable can differ from country to country or even the local official dealing with your case.

 

[Graham376]

You didn't have to pay VAT pre-Brexit (and during the transition period).

The €8k to import I quoted above was in 2019 so pre-Brexit.

 

[Koeketiene]

The €8k to import I quoted above was in 2019 so pre-Brexit.

Truly amazed by this.
Last November (post Brexit but still in transition period) my son imported his UK reg car in Belgium. Not a penny of VAT/duty to pay.
Likewise, the wife and I imported our UK reg cars in France (January 2019 - pre Brexit) and not a penny of VAT/duty to pay.
This rule (intra-Community acquisition) is valid EU wide.

It might have been worthwhile to have obtained a second opinion.

 

[Graham376]

It might have been worthwhile to have obtained a second opinion.

No point, we were at customs with him, my wife doing the translating. They opened up a reference book with virtually every model of car (and it's Euro rating for newer ones) and then looked at the next column for the charge. Portugal is regularly fined by EU for overcharging car duty but makes more on the charges than fines cost them. Different situation if car imported during formal immigration process.

 

[nortada]

No point, we were at customs with him, my wife doing the translating. They opened up a reference book with virtually every model of car (and it's Euro rating for newer ones) and then looked at the next column for the charge. Portugal is regularly fined by EU for overcharging car duty but makes more on the charges than fines cost them. Different situation if car imported during formal immigration process.

Am I right in thinking, during the formal immigration process you have a limited time (30 days) to import your car, free of import duty (circulation tax)?

 

[Graham376]

Am I right in thinking, during the formal immigration process you have a limited time (30 days) to import your car, free of import duty (circulation tax)?

I'm told there's a time limit but don't know how long.

 

[westernman]

My experience is old, but I moved from France to Germany and imported my car into Germany. You have a limited period (about one month sounds right), to formally import your car. There is no import duty or VAT to pay, but you will have to pay a registration fee in most countries. This can range from 0 to a hefty amount for an old polluting gas guzzler with a big engine in France. There are some hoops to go through with the equivalent of MOT etc.

A friend imported his Corvette from California to France and registered it here. The process was quite long (but the official letter saying you started doing it is sufficient to satisfy any cop). In theory he had to prove that he had modified the car as far as reasonably possible to conform to EU legislation (which requires EU marks on just about everything). My friend was quite anxious as he thought he might have to change all the lights, seat belts, windows, ......

He added some fog lights and got his certificate with no issues at all. ?

6 months later he sold it for twice what it was worth in California.