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WARNING: Registering a car in the UK


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Hi All

 

As you all know you cannot register an imported car with the DVLA until it has an MOT.

There can be quite a time between importation and MOT as most will recognise. Well,

I've just tried to register my TR250. Oh dear. Two problems.

 

Problem 1

The car was imported before NOVA was activated. Despite getting a note from HMRC

that the import duty was paid after I imported the 250 from the States and the letter from

HMRC containing a footnote to the DVLA that duty had been paid under a different scheme

the DVLA would not accept it. So I had to go back to HMRC and request that they add

the details to the NOVA system. This added some 10 days or so to the registration process.

Anyone in this position would be wise to ask HMRC to do this in advance.

 

Problem 2

All the paperwork has now been returned by DVLA. 'Great', I thought. Silly me. The idiot

returning the paperwork decided to bend the Heritage Certificate in half to get it into the

envelope. To add insult to injury they then stapled all the papers together. These 2 actions

have effectively destroyed the value of the Heritage Certificate.

 

Next month I will be registering another vehicle with the DVLA and they certainly won't be

getting an original Heritage certificate.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

 

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The value of my BMIHT certificate is the information it contains, not the physical piece of paper. It's in the car file unmutilated, but it would have as much value to me either way. But I can understand where folding and stapling could frost some folks. The lackey who did it probably didn't have a clue it was more than paperwork. Why did you send the original anyway? (smile).

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Rob

 

I share your frustration with DVLA, I have found they won't accept copies of anything so you will probably have to send your original heritage certificate, mind you, the last one I tried to get done they told me that they didn't recognise the certificate as a valid document for dating!!

 

Good luck .........................you'll need it

 

Tom

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Thanks Guys. I was just trying to forewarn anyone with a long term import project that's all.

If the car is not on NOVA (Notification Of Vehicle Arrival) it will delay the registration so if you

imported a car before NOVA ask HMRC to put it onto NOVA asap. And this applies to any

car, btw, not just 250's.

 

And yes, they won't accept copies of anything. They even insisted I sent them my original

driving license that they returned in the normal mail. That and the original MOT cert, original

insurance cert and, ok, all can be duplicated but what a pain that can be. I forget how

many items go missing in the post every day but it is lots. The TR250 is now registered

and has an age related registration number so all is well that ends well but I am still waiting

for my insurers to send me an updated insurance certificate showing the new registration

number rather than the chassis number. And...

 

DVLA told me the car was taxed as per the enclosed note; that wasn't enclosed so is the

car taxed ? I will wait until I get the updated insurance cert and go to the PO and try and

get a tax disk... well, a receipt anyway these days. And they will tell me then if the car is

taxed or not.

 

BTW, I was also sent a warning letter that my car wasn't on the insurance database and

unless I did something about that pdq I was liable for prosecution. The car was insured,

obviously but on its chassis number. The insurers were waiting for me to get an age related

number before putting it on their database. Big brother and his cameras have a lot to

answer for.

 

And think, I will have to go thru all this again towards the end of next month when my next

project will hopefully be due to get an age related number. No chance of bringing back the

local DVLA offices that were worth their weight in gold.

 

Tom250: I have read your posts in the past with some trepidation knowing I would be going

thru the same pain barrier that you went thru... but all very interesting, keep em coming !

 

Cheers

 

Rob

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Thanks Guys. I was just trying to forewarn anyone with a long term import project that's all.

If the car is not on NOVA (Notification Of Vehicle Arrival) it will delay the registration so if you

imported a car before NOVA ask HMRC to put it onto NOVA asap. And this applies to any

car, btw, not just 250's.

 

And yes, they won't accept copies of anything. They even insisted I sent them my original

driving license that they returned in the normal mail. That and the original MOT cert, original

insurance cert and, ok, all can be duplicated but what a pain that can be. I forget how

many items go missing in the post every day but it is lots. The TR250 is now registered

and has an age related registration number so all is well that ends well but I am still waiting

for my insurers to send me an updated insurance certificate showing the new registration

number rather than the chassis number. And...

 

DVLA told me the car was taxed as per the enclosed note; that wasn't enclosed so is the

car taxed ? I will wait until I get the updated insurance cert and go to the PO and try and

get a tax disk... well, a receipt anyway these days. And they will tell me then if the car is

taxed or not.

 

BTW, I was also sent a warning letter that my car wasn't on the insurance database and

unless I did something about that pdq I was liable for prosecution. The car was insured,

obviously but on its chassis number. The insurers were waiting for me to get an age related

number before putting it on their database. Big brother and his cameras have a lot to

answer for.

 

And think, I will have to go thru all this again towards the end of next month when my next

project will hopefully be due to get an age related number. No chance of bringing back the

local DVLA offices that were worth their weight in gold.

 

Tom250: I have read your posts in the past with some trepidation knowing I would be going

thru the same pain barrier that you went thru... but all very interesting, keep em coming !

 

Cheers

 

Rob

The local offices were something of a nightmare for years but had really got their act together well before they were closed, they had a super service.

 

I have to say The DVLA do their best, but aren't a patch on whats been lost. Its hard to see how the extra workload could be covered without having employed the same amount of staff, who were made redundant.

 

You can contact them by Telephone after getting the selections right (Press this and that etc) then they are well informed and helpful, eventually!

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You can contact them by Telephone after getting the selections right (Press this and that etc) then they are well informed and helpful, eventually!

A useful tip for bypassing any of these keypad phone menus is to press "0" several times as soon as it answers. This almost always puts you through to a human straight away (not neccesarily the right department but at least a person who can sidetrack the system for you).

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DVLA. Tel. No. 01792 782764. Put it in your address book

 

Dave

Edited by nowtelse2do
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Just for reference if you follow the attached URL and enter your vehicle registration and make (or a vehicle you're thinking of buying) you get confirmation of MOT due date, tax due date, SORN details, date of first registration, plus a whole lot more, all very useful.

 

Web site is run by DVLA and I find it very useful, for the 4 vehicles I have to keep track on dates, helps keep me legal.

 

https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

 

Regards Mark

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I am planning to register my TR4A soon and currently prepping it for an MOT. It was imported in 2012 and went through the importer, a Triumph dealer, a customer of theirs and then an auction house that I bought it from.

 

I have applied for a Heritage certificate. The only paperwork I got from the auctioneers was the Nova certificate and a copy of the American vehicle licence. Am I likely to have a problem with only a copy of the US licence? I fear the original is long gone and its been worrying me as I don't think I can do much to get an original.

 

Carleton

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Carleton

 

Sorry for the delay in replying. There will no doubt be the usual delays but at the end of the day

the 4A Registrar should be able to help and I am confident you will get the car registered. I tried to

register a UK TR6 that was taken to France and the original registration number lost and with help

from Bill Pigott managed to get the original number returned to the car. At the end of the day the

DVLA will have you jumping thru hoops but with help from the Register you should be OK.

 

I am just in the process of registering another import from Canada and await the response from

the DVLA whether they will accept the paperwork or not. The 'ORIGINAL TITLE' is a clear photo-

copy so I am not too optimistic and can see me enlisting the help of the appropriate registrar.

Fingers crossed !

 

Cheers

 

Rob

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Unhappy update

 

The DVLA have rejected my application to register my imported car. They say that the original non-UK registration

certificate is needed, they will not accept a copy. Worse, however, is that they have failed to return my BMIHT certificate

and have asked for proof of the date of manufacture. Words fail me.

 

The DVLA are not fit for purpose, that's for sure.

 

A very angry Rob

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Hi all,

 

Have a '74 car (not a TR) from Germany, that was brought to the UK for restoration 20+ years ago which was completed but never collected (and the bill never paid).

 

I have started to sort the ownership and registration process and first of all decided to take it for an M o T.

 

As it has no papers I have tried to test it on its VIN number which features clearly stamped on the shell and on the German chassis plate.

 

Problem is the 'new' VOSA system will not allow or accept any VIN that does not have the 17 digits as used on moderns (even though you only use the last six when identifying a vehicle for test).

 

The VIN has : Letter, number, number / 6 X numbers.

 

Has anyone else found this with the latest MoT testing software (The system seems to spend most of its time on ''contingency testing'' as the system doesn't appear to work very well)

 

Looks like it will sit around for another year at this rate.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

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My son in law is having a nightmare with his Stag

It was last on the road, MOT'd and taxed in 1998, it's registered in his name but when it went for MOT, it wasn't recognised.

Apparently VOSA (or whoever they are called nowadays) and the DVLA both individually acknowledge the car but as they don't seem to speak to each other, it can't currently be MOT'd......bloody nightmare

 

Simon

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Unhappy update

 

The DVLA have rejected my application to register my imported car. They say that the original non-UK registration

certificate is needed, they will not accept a copy. Worse, however, is that they have failed to return my BMIHT certificate

and have asked for proof of the date of manufacture. Words fail me.

 

The DVLA are not fit for purpose, that's for sure.

 

A very angry Rob

Rob

They have not and will not except copy's end of and will retain any paperwork sent.

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A couple of years ago I bought a Land Rover that came from Spain, all documents was lost for some reason, it had no documents apart from the Nova that I put info the system myself as the guy who imported it didnt do it. I got a certificate from Land Rover in Solihull and with those two documents I managed to get the car registered, has the rules changed or was I just lucky?

Edited by TRseks
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  • 2 months later...

Just thought I'd add a note to this thread. Just had my imported TR4A MOT'ed. No issues at all with the software, we simply created a new vehicle entry on the system. There were a couple of ambiguous boxes on the computer form - country of registration (we put 'unknown') and why there was no registration number entered (we put 'missing'). The MOT guy (who's a good friend of mine) said this info wasn't really important, as it will all be overwritten once the DVLA receive the V55/5 application register a vehicle.Car passed, by the way!

Wish me luck - just ordered the V55 and will let you know how smoothly it goes!

 

Ray

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