Buying a motorhome in Germany

[Captain beancan]

Hi there

 

I am currently looking into buying a small camper\day van in Germany, any tips on this would be great we won't be returning to the uk so don't need to import it ect will need to get insurance ect so not sure how all that works. Any pointers would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Kris

[StuartO]

You will need to decide which Country you will register your vehicle in and using Germany might prove difficult unless you have a German residential address.  Talk to a dealer who does regular trade selling to foreigners; they will probably know the score.  Bundesvan (in UK) might be able to help you too.  Insurance might also be problematic without a residential address.

 

I met a couple from New Zealand in Italy a few years ago who bought a MH in the Czech Republic and kept/insured it from there in order to tour across Europe for 6 months each year and then store it and go home until next year and they did not have a Czech address themselves.  The dealer provided storage/servicing backup and perhaps also an accommodation address, I can't remember.  They had done their homework and Czech Republic was apparently the most accommodating country.

 

[Brian Kirby]

In simple terms, EU regulations require a vehicle to be registered to an identifiable owner who has a permanent address in one or other EU state, and to be insured to that same address. It is not necessary to live at the address, and it is possible to log a relative's (presumably with their agreement!) for this purpose. However, you must be contactable by post at that address. (Much the same is also true for bank accounts, so you may have to solve that conundrum as well) If you are unable to do that, you will have to investigate the routes that itinerants use to register and insure vehicles, which I suspect vary from one state to the next. Don't forget that the UK is now on course to leave the EU, which may throw any presently existing arrangements into the melting pot. What that may happen is, presently, anyone's guess.

[lennyhb]

Some German dealer will register & insure a van for you, I think they do this with Dutch owners as Holland has an additional 40% tax on vehicles. It might be worth approaching dealers near the Dutch Border. Not sure what would happen if the dealer when bust as in Germany the registration is proof of ownership, one part held by the owner the other by their bank.

[Randonneur]

Captain beancan - 2016-08-08 9:56 PM

 

Hi there

 

I am currently looking into buying a small camper\day van in Germany, any tips on this would be great we won't be returning to the uk so don't need to import it ect will need to get insurance ect so not sure how all that works. Any pointers would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Kris

 

As you are in a rather difficult position would it not be easier to put the contents of your van in storage where you are, then fly back to UK to purchase another camper which will be easier to insure. I know that this method might interrupt your travel plans but could be more practical in the long term.