Imported Bus what are the following procedures?

[70-CA-Panel]

Hi all,

I got my bus into the UK, Clem wrote a great valuation for it, all we have to do is provide it to the UK Customs, pay tax and duty and its here for good.

Customs will provide me with a form to register it with the DVLA.

Registration
Some work will need to be done before it can get on the road, can/should I register it right away or wait till its finished?
It's a panel van but will be used for camping, will have bed, and movable cooker, sink, water bottles... Nothing will be installed.
Can/should i register it as a camper? What are the other options for panels?
I would like to get black and silver plates, should not be a problem as its 1970, how do I go about that?

MOT
It needs to be registered before I can get an MOT i assume.
Does it need to be trailered/towed to the MOT place?
What's involved at the MOT?

Insurance
At what stage should I get insurance for it?
I've looked at another thread about insurances so will pick one that covers classic cars specifically.

Are there any requirements that I missed out?

I would appreciate info on all or parts of these as you have experience.

Thank you guys.

Andy

 

[yachty]

First thing to do is get it through the MOT, nothing happens without that. Once it's ready for MOT you can get it insured on the VIN number for a week to get it to and from the test station. Then take all the paperwork, including the customs stuff, to your local DVLA office and do the registration over the counter. Theres a checklist on the registration form of everything you need to give them. It's better to go to a local office than doing it by post as everything is checked with you and it's all effectively rubber stamped before it gets to Swansea. I got my V5 back within 10 days. You"ll receive your first tax disc with the V5. Then you call your insurance company and give them the Reg number and they then update your policy for the rest of the year. Number plates you sort yourself and there are various online suppliers of the black and silver plates.

 

[shaggyXO]

Just to Add i insured mine on the VIN a week before the MOT,N told the company vehicle reg to follow just so i could drive it the the garage legally

 

[70-CA-Panel]

Righto Yachty,

Thank you for your reply.

To get it straight in my head:

Insure on VIN just before it's ready for an MOT, drive down to MOT place without reg plates, when it passes drive to DVLA to sort out registration, change insurance to rego. Then it's ready for the roadtrips.
Does this sound right?

What if it fails MOT is there a time limit by which the work needs to be completed, and if so why?

Will DVLA send me yellow plates by default? Then if I want different plate styles I can order them from a plate presser.

Thank you again guys!

Cheers

Andy

 

[dazza1975]

you can insure the van for a month on VIN number, they all do it you just got to ask. This is the max though so dont mess once its insured.
As for the plates. you have to get them yourself. DVLA will not send you plates.

Good luck with the MOT!

 

[rickyrooo1]

the dvla don't send you plates matey, you get a form with the number they assign and you take that to the motor factors you choose and pick the style you like, i imported and did roughly as the poster above says
insure on vin
drive to mot on us plates
pass mot which was issued on us registration
went to dvla local office with paperwork to register/payment etc
wait a few days recieve number plate detail
they also print a new mot with uk reg on
ring insurance with uk reg
get plates made
drive

 

[70-CA-Panel]

That's great!

Thank you!

I got lots of work coming my way before I can get there, I wanted to know in case i need to register before starting work or anything.

Washed my bus and saw it in the light for the first time, oh-oh!!

 

[marcrichardson]

the dvla don't send you plates matey, you get a form with the number they assign and you take that to the motor factors you choose and pick the style you like, i imported and did roughly as the poster above says
insure on vin
drive to mot on us plates
pass mot which was issued on us registration
went to dvla local office with paperwork to register/payment etc
wait a few days recieve number plate detail
they also print a new mot with uk reg on
ring insurance with uk reg
get plates made
drive

What he said. I picked mine up from Felixstowe straight off the boat insured on the vin. (I knew it was roadworthy) I had it booked into a local to me MOT testing station for the same day then drove her 240 miles up to Scarborough. She failed the mot (obviously as she had us lighting set up and I got my garage to rework the wiring and pass a couple of days later) It is a grey area within the law but so long as you have it booked in at an MOT station you can drive it to and from.

 

[tonicman]

the dvla don't send you plates matey, you get a form with the number they assign and you take that to the motor factors you choose and pick the style you like, i imported and did roughly as the poster above says
insure on vin
drive to mot on us plates
pass mot which was issued on us registration
went to dvla local office with paperwork to register/payment etc
wait a few days recieve number plate detail
they also print a new mot with uk reg on
ring insurance with uk reg
get plates made
drive

What he said. I picked mine up from Felixstowe straight off the boat insured on the vin. (I knew it was roadworthy) I had it booked into a local to me MOT testing station for the same day then drove her 240 miles up to Scarborough. She failed the mot (obviously as she had us lighting set up and I got my garage to rework the wiring and pass a couple of days later) It is a grey area within the law but so long as you have it booked in at an MOT station you can drive it to and from.

no grey area at all dude it needs to be a test station within reasonable distance you cannot do this legally

 

[Bay-low71]

We drove ours from Harwich to South Wales insured on the Vin and booked in for the following day as we drove through the night, it failed on lighting and drag link sorted within a day and retested, the registration turned out to be more of a headache really.
I think you'll be incredibly unlucky to be pulled up if you've insured and booked at an MOT centre. You could always book several along the way home in 50 mile intervals, cancel each one when you get passed....that'll do it. Ha ha

 

[Graham L]

I'm sorry but we shouldn't be condoning breaking the law, or suggested to other people they do it.

The FACTS
Its illegal to drive it away from the port as its never been registered in this country or held a UK MOT, places like Chatham will not let you drive it away as they know the law.

You can drive it to the MOT station once its insured and drive it back again but thats it, you cannot drive it the DVLA office.

Once you have submitted the paperwork (V55/5, US Title Doc, HMRC Import Doc, Insurance, Proof of ID etc) DVLA may choose to inspect the vehicle to check the chassis number, again you cannot drive it there, it has to arrive on a trailer otherwise they will not inspect it.

Only once you have the letter from the DVLA clearly stating the UK reg, you have the tax disc in your hand, can get UK plates made up, get them fitted and then its LEGAL to drive it on UK roads.

We shouldn't be offering advise out thats wrong on a public forum.

If you do a search about importing all of this is covered in great detail.

 

[Bay-low71]

I'm sorry but we shouldn't be condoning breaking the law, or suggested to other people they do it.

The FACTS
Its illegal to drive it away from the port as its never been registered in this country or held a UK MOT, places like Chatham will not let you drive it away as they know the law.

You can drive it to the MOT station once its insured and drive it back again but thats it, you cannot drive it the DVLA office.

Once you have submitted the paperwork (V55/5, US Title Doc, HMRC Import Doc, Insurance, Proof of ID etc) DVLA may choose to inspect the vehicle to check the chassis number, again you cannot drive it there, it has to arrive on a trailer otherwise they will not inspect it.

Only once you have the letter from the DVLA clearly stating the UK reg, you have the tax disc in your hand, can get UK plates made up, get them fitted and then its LEGAL to drive it on UK roads.

We shouldn't be offering advise out thats wrong on a public forum.

If you do a search about importing all of this is covered in great detail.

Graham
As in any forum you go on, with all replies come people's opinions, experiences and some facts be them right or wrong. However, ultimately it is you who is fully responsible for your actions so to use a forum alone as your point of reference would be rather foolish with anything you do. Use a forum to support your findings not be the whole of your findings as granted this could land you in trouble. As my Dad used to say "on your head be it".
Ben

 

[Graham L]

Ben
The point is in this case it's a bit of a minefield to find the correct info as it means you have to visit various government sites to get the correct and complete information.

Hence why more than one poster has suggested it's fine to drive an imported bus away from the docks when it's illegal.

My post was trying to stop anyone else doing this and getting themselves into trouble and openly suggesting its ok to break the law on a public forum ends up giving the forum a bad name.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[70-CA-Panel]

Thanks for your info guys, especially Graham. I prefer hearing the legal/correct procedures.

I'm still waiting for the forms from the UK Customs for the DVLA.
What's the 5 form mentioned above?

Cheers

Andy

 

[Graham L]

The V55/5 is the form you need to fill in to register the bus, if you ring up the dvla and ask for an 'import pack' they will send you a form and instructions on how to fill it in although not all of it is needed due to the ago of the bus.

Again if you do a search for v55/5 on here there's plenty of advice on what needs to be filled in, or drop me a line once you are ready for that stage.

 

[70-CA-Panel]

Brilliant!

Thanks Graham.

A