Any one based in Ayamonte - help needed

[greeny]

I originally posted this in the lounge but realised that it was probably not in the best place. Liveaboard forum probably isn't the right place either so apologies to any objectors. It just seems that there is more likelihood of someone based in Ayamonte being in here rather than the lounge.

"A friend of mine has recently been caught and fined in the Algarve for keeping her car here in excess of the 6 months allowed by Portuguese law. She has to remove it from Portugal immediately. Every day she overstays from now on results in the initial 250 euro fine being increased by an un-disclosed amount every day. 70 euro a day has been mentioned. It seems they will only tell her how much it will actually be, when she removes the car from the country and has to pay up.
She is too old to drive the car back to UK herself but her son is coming down mid July to take the car back with him. It seems the best solution until then is to take the car out of the country to Spain and park it up there until her son comes and takes it back in July.
Is there anyone based/living in Ayamonte or nearby who has a driveway, garden, or any suggestion of a place to park the car safely for 5 or 6 weeks until we can get it on it's way back to UK. The plan would be to take the car down there, park it up and return to Portimao via the ferry and the Vila Real train to Portimao, then go back with her son when he arrives.
Yes I know, many will say it serves her right etc. etc. but there are extenuating circumstances in that her husband died last year and the car got "stranded" here.
Carrying on driving it was probably silly in hindsight but we are where we are unfortunately."

David Greeny

 

[BradleyC]

Dear David,

From what you've said it sounds like they are requiring her to register the car as she has been there for longer than six months. You can find details of the rules relating to cars at
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/registration/taxes/index_en.htm

I would have thought she could just register the car as being based in Portugal by just contacting the national authorities.

Considering the circumstances, I would suggest a little common sense wouldn't go amiss, so I'd suggest you contact SOLVIT, who can hopefully take the matter up on her behalf. They provide this as a free service (see http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/index_en.htm and they have a pretty good success rate.

Hope that helps,

Kind regards,


Claire

 

[Ludd]

I have sent you a PM.

 

[25931]

Dear David,

From what you've said it sounds like they are requiring her to register the car as she has been there for longer than six months. You can find details of the rules relating to cars at
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/registration/taxes/index_en.htm

I would have thought she could just register the car as being based in Portugal by just contacting the national authorities.

Considering the circumstances, I would suggest a little common sense wouldn't go amiss, so I'd suggest you contact SOLVIT, who can hopefully take the matter up on her behalf. They provide this as a free service (see http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/index_en.htm and they have a pretty good success rate.

Hope that helps,

Kind regards,


Claire

I'm afraid that you can´t just register a car - it costs money and, sometimes, more than the car is worth. Only to be considered if its LHD and a good car.
Is it legally taxed ,tested and insured ? If so it might be worth taking it to Spain for a while, but a lot more info is required before one can advise sensibly.

 

[Carmel2]

Put it on a ferry back to the UK for some one to pick up?

 

[greeny]

Thanks to all for the replies.
We've looked to matriculate the car but I'm afraid it's mega expensive and the car just isn't worth that kind of money.
She has to produce a document that she gets signed off at the portuguese border when she leaves with the car. Only then can she go to Faro and find out how much the final fine will be, pay it and get off their hit list. That means the car has to physically leave the country and be seen to do so by the customs police at the border.
The plan would be to first move the car to Spain (Ayamonte is nearest), keep it there until her son arrives, in mid July, to take it back to UK via the Bilbao or Santander ferry.
She can't afford to keep running up the fine at a rate of 70 euros a day so it's got to go out of Portugal and the quicker the better.
Please keep the suggestions coming but finding a secure parking place in Ayamonte is top of the list at the moment.
Thanks to all
David

 

[chinita]

A not altogether flippant suggestion would be to park the car in the nearest Lidl car park over the border. They seem to have a very relaxed view of things and actually welcome campervans/motorhomes parking overnight.

If you are SURE that it will be collected in July.

 

[greeny]

A not altogether flippant suggestion would be to park the car in the nearest Lidl car park over the border. They seem to have a very relaxed view of things and actually welcome campervans/motorhomes parking overnight.

If you are SURE that it will be collected in July.

Hi
We definitely will be collecting the car - it may not be worth the hassle and cost of matriculation but it's worth taking back to England. She'll use it there. It's too good to abandon if that's what you're alluding to.

We've looked at the supermarkets on Google earth and it would be a last resort as she doesn't want it reporting to the spanish police and towed away. She'd be in even more difficulty then.

We've got a couple of options on the table now, neither of them is an ideal location to leave the car in but beggars can't be choosers as the saying goes. She now needs to make her mind up and we'll take it down there.
Greeny

 

[chinita]

There are also off site secure airport car parks. Even in the main site at Faro airport two weeks cost me just under 60 euro. For little more than £100 for a month she could probably find something acceptable once crossing into Spain. Check out long term parking at Seville airport for example. You can fly there from Stansted and it is already on the road to Santander.

 

[greeny]

Thanks to all who posted suggestions.
She's made her mind up now after some expensive indecision and the car is on it's way out the country tomorrow after collecting her V5 and paying the fine at Faro.
We still haven't been told how much the fine has increased over the original 250 euros for overstaying her 10 days that they gave her.
I won't say on here where she's taking it to for obvious reasons but thanks again for all the suggestions and the pm,s I got.
Greeny.