Rambling archer

Thanks BomberH - that seems to hit the nail on the head ... 10 days eh? phew!

Sally1605

Ok, so ferry is out as they don’t take hens, plus I’ve been reading about the Spanish border control and I’m back to thinking flying may be better. That way I only have to deal with Manchester and Lisbon customs/ border officials. So I will sell my car before I leave the uk, hire one in Portugal until I can buy one.

MikeB2169

What is the problem with Spanish border control? We have booked our ferry from Portsmouth to Santander for us and our 3 small dogs and plan to drive down to Marvao

Sally1605

I’m sure you won’t have a problem as taking dogs is a normal occurrence, I have read they can be a pain with the more unusual ( which unfortunately hens seem to be) and can create delays asking for additional vet checks and form filling. Sorry didn’t mean to scare anyone.

MikeB2169

Another problem has just cropped up which i had not thought about the car we are bringing is in my husband name but not mine (we have 3 cars and one of the others is in mine) But I am the one which will have D7 visa and he will be put on at a later date at the second visa appointment in Portugal so do i change the registered keeper to me here which means the date on V5c form will say june 2022 or do i leave it in my husband name we are going to buy a LHD there once we arrive we are not arriving until 1st Oct

NSG666

I don't know the answer to your question but a bit of unsolicited info that may or may not affect you and is of course none of my business so feel free to ignore/don't respond to it.

Some couples/families decide that one will submit the D7 visa then others follow with the D6 family reunification visa - I have read from others with experience that it is quicker and simpler for all to go via the D7 route if circumstances allow.

MikeB2169

Thanks but as i am older than my husband and have retired with 2 pensions,he does not really qualify for D7 but we do own 2 properties so finance not a problem but we were advised for me to apply for D7 and then put him on later

NSG666

No worries and hope all goes well.

I just hopped onto the Facebook group that I suggested to you previously and just yesterday someone posted about a matriculation issue. Effectively he has residency granted but his wife's SEF appointment got moved until well after the 6 month time limit for the UK car to either be matriculated or returned to the UK. Within that thread it was confirmed that, even in the case of spouses, the matriculation does have to be carried out by the registered keeper in order to benefit from the tax free import.

Regarding changing registered keeper before you depart I'm not sure whether the 6 month runs to the date you take the car over or to the date you are granted temporary residency but hopefully someone on here can confirm that to you.

MikeB2169

Yes that is the question if i change the registration to my name today which i can do online does the 6 months start from then in which case by the time i get my SEF appointment I will have had it in my name for the required 6 months, but if not then the only other alternative is to leave it in his name and he will have to drive it back to UK before time runs out or if someone wanted t it ( Free) they could take back to the UK?

riv

You have stated that the car is in good condition and reliable.

In that circumstance , given that you are seeking little or no money for it, I believe that you would easily find a taker who is happy to have the obligation to return it to the UK within X months.

I believe all the transfer legalities and insurance purchase can be done online. So I would still go for a new MOT a couple of weeks prior to departure to make it all the more desirable a purchase.

And I would not change the ownership from H to W as A] this would have no benefit at all if you do indeed sell or pass it on to someone else; and B] you might prefer to retain the option to re register on Portuguese plates once you get there, and if you have difficulty finding a good quality 2nd hand car at a reasonable price.
After all, if it costs next to nothing to re register, might it not be useful even to keep as a 2nd car in reserve ?

I don't suppose it is an automatic, is it , by any chance ?

MikeB2169

Thanks for that I was thinking the same thing, it would be no benefit to change ownership at this late stage, the worst scenario would be my husband would have to drive it back to UK before time runs out and best would be he would get his D6 and I think then he could register it? and if so we would still buy a LHD and keep the other as a second as we have 3 cars in the UK

NSG666

You could send him on a real journey - drive the UK car back to the UK to sell then hop over to Germany (cheaper depending on what you buy) to collect the LHD car you bought there and drive it back to PT

Hettyb

In the UK you can only have a car MOT done in the month leading up to the expiry date.

Bomber Harris

That only applies if you want the new MOT to be valid for 12 months from the date of expiry of the old MOT.
If you MOT a car more than a month before the expiry of the old MOT the new MOT will be valid for 12 months from the date it was issued.

Hettyb

Thanks Bomber.