Bringing the elan back to the Uk

[cellaway]

Hi all
The. ‘93 fed spec, led, Elan is registered in the Uk , sorn declared, not used in France since 2007 when problems with the back brakes started. After a succession of small ish problems and lack of time, I’ve finally got the car into the semblance of order and my intention was to bring it back to the Uk, get it street legal and then decide what to do with it. However, following a conversation today it appears that it’s not as easy as putting it on a trailer and towing it to the ferry. Has anybody got any ideas or advice. Another option is to sell it to someone in the EU as moving it between EU members is seemingly not as problematic. The car is way too good to break for parts

[Giniw]

it appears that it’s not as easy as putting it on a trailer and towing it to the ferry.

Hi, what seems to be the issue?

[cellaway]

We should have registered the car in France but because of the brake and other problems, it wasn’t possible. Since we’ve been out of the EU, there are definite time limits to get this done. As far as I can make out because even though the car is off the road, it is now in France illegally. So far as I know it can’t be returned to the UK. without potentially incurring fines.

[cellaway]

Should have been, back to the UK

[Giniw]

Hi, so the car is still registered in the UK? (but SORNed?)

I am not really sure there is a time limit to register a car in France, as long as you are the one importing it from abroad and you have an invoice of some sort. What you really don't want to do, is buying an unregistered car from a guy who brought it to France and didn't bother or failed to register it. You have to be the original buyer who bought it abroad. You then have a few weeks (or maybe months, can't remember) to drive it with a import register plate from the original country. Maybe a temporary registering is possible in France too, not too sure about this (WW plates)
When I bought the Esprit from Belgium (it turned out it was an original French car so I brought it back \o/) I registered it way later and it was not an issue at all (but I am talking about months, not 10+ years)

If it was already yours and you just brought it with you, I am not too sure what you should have done, probably a simple procedure.
I can have a look at a *.gouv.fr website if you are not too comfortable that stuff in French.
My guess is, as long as you have all the regular papers to register it, it should not be an issue.

Then again, you may register it as a classic car as it's older than 30 years old, and it's easier. For an example, some people succeed in registering a barn find without the original papers at all, so .......
Now, I don't know if that would be a good idea to register it as a classic to bring it back to the UK: maybe it could be more complicated? Although I think it should be doable too.


edit: could you just not un sorn it and get it back?
Is a sorn (ed?) car supposed to be parked in the UK? When you unsorn it, do you have to prove it's here in the UK with you?


edit2: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/lega ... sorn-mean/
it doesn't say anything about a car being SORN abroad? (whether you drove it or not is not really relevant as they can't know if you did anyway).
So couldn't you just un SORN it and put it on a trailer?

I may be missing some details from the SORN status ^^'

[cellaway]

Have you any idea of a time limit from the car being in France for the Form 846A.

[cellaway]

GiniW, thanks for the help on this. As the car is over 30 years old it can be regarded as a classic. So hopefully the regulations will be less stringent !!! I can only hope.

[cellaway]

There’s a description of the Form 846Aon the douane web site. Could you read through for me when you have the time ?

[lotusflasherman]

There’s a description of the Form 846Aon the douane web site. Could you read through for me when you have the time ?

If you use Google Chrome you can Right Click mouse and get offered "Translate to English". I have a property in Cap d'Agde, Hérault department, and use it with success for similar stuff when my 'basic schoolboy French' isn't enough.

It's possible to drag across to select a word, phrase, paragraph, or the whole document... or use this and cut and paste into it .. https://translate.google.com/

[Dave Eds]

Should have been, back to the UK

Thread title edited for you.....

[Simon_P]

Who is going to fine you for taking a UK registered car to the UK?
How are they even going to know to know that you haven't done some administration?
Are they actually going to notice or care?

From what I remember the law required you to deregister it in the UK and permanently export it after 12 months and register it, tax, MoT and insure it in the County that you are resident. Not sure what the driving it back to the UK business is? It doesn't say register it at your Nan's address and pop back every year for an MoT even though that is what some people do.

If you import it into France you will have to do the corresponding export from the UK.

It looks like you are creating a problem that doesn't yet exist.