(edit title) Using a UK registered Car/Bike Only in Sweden for 1 year Options

[Dcmcm]

Hi All,

Thinking about taking a job in Stockholm for a year and wondering if you can fill me in on a few things.

Can I just drive over in my car (as the extra freedom in flat hunting would mean I would have a chance of getting one before my contract was up) and use it for a whole year? What is the time limit?

Tempted to come over on my motorbike instead (nice, summer 1500 mile trip), but I would like to know if year round biking is possible in Stockholm?

Thanks,

D.

[Vstrommer71]

I am just looking for the same info,but I guess you(we) are unlucky though...

info

[Puffin]

Will your insurance cover you for a full year?

[Laura Neil]

Vstrommer, that is for a permanent import.

i know that you can temporarily export a UK registered, mot'd, insured and taxed vehicle from the UK for less than 12 months without an problem from the UK.

how the Swedes look at this im not sure.

its something i know others at work do, and they run the gauntlet of getting stopped, usually colleagues will just say they are visiting Sweden or will take the vehicle back to UK.
helps being in Malmo, easy trip to Denmark

[josemariamf]

Same Issue here! I'm considering bringing my motorbike from Spain but I don't know what the rules for motorbikes are in terms of paying congestion charges in Stockholm, where to park, finding a garage and whether.
Does anyone one ride around here?

[bobalong]

Even if you bring your bike taxed, MOT'd and insured etc you will have a problem with the insurance if something happens. Generally, your normal policy will only cover you for a certain amount of days per year for riding abroad. Should anything happen, they ask for proof of when you took the bike abroad and if you cannot show when it was taken they will merely refuse to pay out and leave you with a hefty bill to pay. You could try to negotiate with them for taking the bike abroad stating you are travelling on an extended holiday etc. At least you will be covered should anything happen. This is what we did for the first year we moved here. The holidaying bit was not strictly correct but it gave us time to sort ourselves out and find our feet before registering them here.

You get pulled up all the time generally as your number plate is foreign. They do a breath test, look at your licence, check it out and then let you go so long as you have not been speeding or riding recklessly. They are merely curious half the time. We used to just say that we had a holiday home we were staying at for the summer as we had and still have UK licences. They got used to us locally and never bothered us after a while. They just got used to seeing us pottering about.

[bobalong]

BTW- the bike season is usuall from end of April to mid to late September only. Before and after these times are risky due to frosts and ice on the roads even when it SEEMS ok. You can get caught out like we did at the weekend. Went for a ride on Saturday, first of the season, did 50 miles or so, ( damned cold) and got caught in sleet, so hot tailed it home asap and managed, only just mind, to get home before the blizzard struck!!

Heard it had snowed yesterday even in Stockholm.

Last year I was riding back from the airport and got caught out in sleet and snow...on 17th MAY!!

[Rick Methven]

Hi All,Thinking about taking a job in Stockholm for a year and wondering if you can fill me in on a few things.Can I just drive over in my car (as the extra freedom in flat hu ... (show full quote)

Hi All,

Thinking about taking a job in Stockholm for a year and wondering if you can fill me in on a few things.

Can I just drive over in my car (as the extra freedom in flat hunting would mean I would have a chance of getting one before my contract was up) and use it for a whole year? What is the time limit?

Tempted to come over on my motorbike instead (nice, summer 1500 mile trip), but I would like to know if year round biking is possible in Stockholm?

Thanks,

D. ... (hide full quote)

The problem you will have is that a stay of more than 3 months for work means that you will have to be registered woth the tax office and therefore be classed as a resident. importing a vehicle when you are resident means that you will have to register that car/bike in Sweden and have it taxed and insured in Sweden.

[bobalong]

When I moved here I had my bike here for 11 months and 3 weeks before I registered it here. Once my tax and mot and insurance were due to expire from UK I registered it. I was resident etc but rode on my UK plates. When I got pulled I merely gave them my licence and said I had a holiday home here.

All they wanted to know was how much I liked being here and wasn't I so honoured to be staying in THEIR wonderful country!!!

I felt like saying sometimes, it's not that bloody nice and Norway has better scenery ( just to wind them up), but I merely smiled and fluttered my eyelashes sweetly and agreed and went merrily on my way.... :-)

[bobalong]

I read that officially you can ride/drive for about 30 days on the Transportstyrelsen website a while back before having to register your car here, so long as you are permanently moving here. However, stays of 12 months is not permanently moving here.

Check with Transportstyrelsen on the rules for staying for 12 months or less.

I never had a problem, but then again, I live 200 miles from Stockholm with just a few thousand people here (everyone knows everyone sort of place), so I cannot say that they were that bothered, even though some of the coppers that pulled me up were my neighbours friends and knew damn well who I was anyway, but they never did anything.

Even got pulled up at the bottom of my own drive once in my husbands UK registered van. The copper knew who I was etc but went through the rig marole of licence check, breath test etc and KNEW I lived here!

Being in Stockholm or Malmö etc might be a bit trickier I guess.

[Mpf]

When I moved here I had my bike here for 11 months and 3 weeks before I registered it here. Once my tax and mot and insurance were due to expire from UK I registered it. I was ... (show full quote)

When I moved here I had my bike here for 11 months and 3 weeks before I registered it here. Once my tax and mot and insurance were due to expire from UK I registered it. I was resident etc but rode on my UK plates. When I got pulled I merely gave them my licence and said I had a holiday home here. ... (hide full quote)

I'm working in another EU country on a 10-month temporary contract, after which I'll be returning home. Do I have to register my car in that country?

YES — Because your stay is longer than 6 months.

taken from: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehic...aq/index_en.htm

and this:

Car
If you have a new car, no checks can be imposed in the new country. If you
have a used car, it may have to undergo a roadworthiness test.
In general you have to register your car under the normal number plates of the
new country, as well as pay vehicle registration and car tax in that
country.
You can use your car on a temporary basis in any other EU country without
paying taxes for six months out of any 12 months. This does not apply to ‘frontier
workers’ — people who work every day in a neighbouring country.

From: http://edz.bib.uni-mannheim.de/daten/edz-k.../rightss_en.pdf

[gplusa]

I think you will also need to have winter tyres, if you're going to be having your car here during the compulsary winter tyre months. It was a relaxed law for tourists or truck drivers passing through the country, but I think they have tightened up on that now.

[Yorkshireman]

Insurance is the tricky thing, if You are here temporary and don't have to specifically tell the insurance company the dates You are out of the UK ... I'm out-of-date, but some companies used to issue insurance green cards for travel in europe ... then at the end of the day ... no-one here actually knows when You enter or leave Sweden with the car! (just make sure you have someone in UK to pay the bill, and road tax when due!)

As for the congestion charge in Stockholm, Motorbikes are not charged, and neither are cars with foreign number plates.

[Mpf]

Insurance is the tricky thing, if You are here temporary and don't have to specifically tell the insurance company the dates You are out of the UK ... I'm out-of-date, ... (show full quote)

Insurance is the tricky thing, if You are here temporary and don't have to specifically tell the insurance company the dates You are out of the UK ... I'm out-of-date, but some companies used to issue insurance green cards for travel in europe ... then at the end of the day ... no-one here actually knows when You enter or leave Sweden with the car! ... (hide full quote)

Yeah lets just do what we want. Bugger the law and rules and regulations, what does anyone know anyway.

Why can't people just advise sensibly rather than giving a load of ald trollop about how they do things illegally. Look at the comment above - yeah they don't know anyway. All well and good till you have an accident or even kill someone.

Bottom line - if you are moving over perminently you should register you car immediately. You can, however, as the rules imply, drive your car tempoarily in Sweden for up to 6 months. If your intention is to stay in the country for over 6 months and that is know on your arrival then you must register your car immediately.

I don't know why people have to make it so hard or even give such stupid advice to people they don't know "because that is what they did" or offer advice which is clearly in contradition to the laws of the country to which they have moved. Even more worrying is the fact that they come on here bragging about how they conduct their illegal activities lol

Rant over :-)

[Rick Methven]

Can I just drive over in my car (as the extra freedom in flat hunting would mean I would have a chance of getting one before my contract was up) and use it for a whole year? What is the time limit?

Answer

I'm working in another EU country on a 10-month temporary contract, after which I'll be returning home. Do I have to register my car in that country?

YES — Because your stay is longer than 6 months.

That also means local insurance and Bike insurance is expensive in Sweden, as well as only being practical between April and October.