Driving a Portugese registered car as a Brit visitor on a Brit licence?

[greeny]

Yep, can confirm that, the lady in the Post Office checked while sorting out my IDP, you need 2 different ones to get the ferry to Bilbao and drive through to Portugal for example.

Went for my IDP today and finished up having to get 2. The guy in the post office told me I needed one for Portugal and a different one for Spain. When I got home I went on wikepidea and that says that Spain and Portugal are both subject to the same agreement and the same IDP applies for both countries. However as Germany requirement is a different one and as I need to drive there as well, the second one will not be wasted.
They have managed to miss the trailer category off so I'm going back tomorrow to get it corrected. The guy didn't seem to really know what he was doing and if I was going again I'd do my own research first and not rely on them getting it right.
I also found that the IDP is only valid for a year and needs to be renewed annually.

 

[Jungle Jim]

Spain and Portugal are definitely different IDPs, the post office lady showed me the chart she has to work from. My IDP expires when my licence next needs renewing which is 2.5 years away. I was reading her instructions through the window and I think it said 3 years or when your licence expires, whichever is sooner.

I agree they are not sure what they are doing yet, I have gained a motorbike licence on mine

 

[Neil_Y]

This has nothing to do with Brexit, just if you can drive a car in the UK that is on foreign plates, and you can't if you are a UK resident (not citizen)

Many people selling cars in UK on Polish or Romanian plates say a UK resident can drive them, but you can't. So just a warning.

 

[greeny]

Spain and Portugal are definitely different IDPs, the post office lady showed me the chart she has to work from. My IDP expires when my licence next needs renewing which is 2.5 years away. I was reading her instructions through the window and I think it said 3 years or when your licence expires, whichever is sooner.

I agree they are not sure what they are doing yet, I have gained a motorbike licence on mine

Done more digging and you are correct I think. Wikepedia and several other sites are wrong. It does appear that Spain and Portugal are different IDP's.
Spain being the 1949 permit and Portugal being the 1968 permit.
On top of all this, the man at the post office would only issue me with 1 year permits but the rules say that the 1968 permit is a 3 yr one and the 1949 is only valid for 1 year. Going back tomorrow to argue my case and hopefully get the trailer category added and the 1968 permit re-issued for 3 years.
I think that the Post Office need to do some more staff training.

 

[dunedin]

This has nothing to do with Brexit, just if you can drive a car in the UK that is on foreign plates, and you can't if you are a UK resident (not citizen)

Many people selling cars in UK on Polish or Romanian plates say a UK resident can drive them, but you can't. So just a warning.

Can you please give a link or reference to the law / regulation that states that a U.K. resident cannot drive a foreign plated car in the U.K. Not heard of that before.

Could be important as a friend needs to bring a Malta plated car and boat trailer up to the U.K. - through Malta, Italy, France and U.K. provided insurance is sorted, what is the regulation issue?

 

[Graham376]

Can you please give a link or reference to the law / regulation that states that a U.K. resident cannot drive a foreign plated car in the U.K. Not heard of that before.

Could be important as a friend needs to bring a Malta plated car and boat trailer up to the U.K. - through Malta, Italy, France and U.K. provided insurance is sorted, what is the regulation issue?

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports

 

[dunedin]

https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports

This seems a bit ambiguous - as about importing a car not driving one.

Surely the importer does not need to be the driver? (The importer of a product does not generally crew the cargo vessel or fly the plane)
So if the Non U.K. resident owner of the EU plated car and trailer asks me to drive it to the U.K., the owner qualifies under the first part as not U.K. resident, only bringing in temporarily.

So if proper documentation from the owner as importer, and properly insured, why can’t a U.K. citizen drive the Eu registered vehicle.

 

[Graham376]

This seems a bit ambiguous - as about importing a car not driving one.

Surely the importer does not need to be the driver? (The importer of a product does not generally crew the cargo vessel or fly the plane)
So if the Non U.K. resident owner of the EU plated car and trailer asks me to drive it to the U.K., the owner qualifies under the first part as not U.K. resident, only bringing in temporarily.

So if proper documentation from the owner as importer, and properly insured, why can’t a U.K. citizen drive the Eu registered vehicle.

The rule as I understand it is that only the owner and immediate family can drive it, a UK resident can't drive a foreign car belonging to someone else.

 

[dunedin]

The rule as I understand it is that only the owner and immediate family can drive it, a UK resident can't drive a foreign car belonging to someone else.

Interesting. Any clues where that rule is then?
Not trying to be pedantic, this is a real requirement for a boat delivery

 

[Graham376]

Interesting. Any clues where that rule is then?
Not trying to be pedantic, this is a real requirement for a boat delivery

Easiest way is to phone the DVLA help line and ask if you, a UK resident, are allowed to drive a temporarily imported car belonging to someone else.

 

[DownWest]

I have always understood that one was not allowed to drive a foreign reg car in your country of residence. Back a bit, in Portugal, it was fairly heavily enforced.
I have driven foreign plated cars in UK, but only as an expat. Nobody asked about it, but they might have done if I was involved in an accident.

As Graham says, check it at source.