Now I know a couple who have a vehicle on UK "
Cherished"
number plates who have lived here for about three years and are still driving around on them .I warned them some time back that they really need to re register their car on Bulgarian plates or they could find their selves in bother with the police here if stopped by an English speaking officer who understands written English.I gave a lift to a sister of one of the couple yesterday and was talking and she brought up the subject of her sisters vehicle.I was told by her that this vehicle is perfectly legal on these "
Cherished plates and was registered here on these plates and had an MOT done here.I begged to differ as I explained to the lady that the "
Cherished"
plates are linked to the origanal plates on the log book and if the vehicle is registered here it goes through the KAT system and inspected and plated by the Bulgarian authorities with a set of Bulgarian plates. I told that once the vehicle is plated here in Bulgaria or exported from the UK that the log book must be returned to the DVLA in Swansea as it is now registered here with a new log book and plates.
Also I informed her that it could not be registered here as the UK plates colour numbering and lettering would not conform to the Bulgarian vehicle identification and that I don't think they have "
Cherished"
plates here.
One other point was that this vehicle came by ship and was released at Varna and according to this lady her sister said it had been registered there before being released.

I think that this lady has been given this story by her sister and seems to believe her and I as an ex copper do not one bit.If anyone can throw any light on this matter or otherwise to what I believe then please inform me. I am convinced that they are driving this vehicle illegally as they don't want to reliquish the "
Cherished"
plates.This couple only drives this vehicle now and again and when they do they seem to take a "
safe route"
where there are unlikely to be police as I have been with them on occassion some time ago.You may think Iam being a bit of a busy body but I am not as even here insurance is paramount unless I am mistaken and you can drive around here with no MOT and still be insured? I know that you cannot get a vehicles MOT done here on British plates as I investigated that possibility and was told no by the police at the KAT in Varna when registering my vehicle.

I expect you are right here 'speedgunner' as I think you will find that European law states that you can drive a car etc on existing plates in another member state if you are there for up to 6 months. I am also of the opinion that if a person has an accident and they have the third party insurance it becomes invalid if they have no MOT. A simple case of reading the small print on the Insurance Doc (If you can).

I pointed this fact out to a person in Kaufland car park once and got told to F--- off. Some people are so nice.

Thanks Tonyb60 that person and the one I am talking about need to be very careful as I know that my mate told me of a person who was stopped by the police whilst driving on UK plates and had done so for about 5 years. The result was that this copper could read write and speak English and lost his vehicle and was find 3000leva as this person was showing his deeds that he had with him from a UK property that he owned and the copper asked him why he was showing him his house deeds instead of his vehicle docs?This event had taken place in Varna on a shopping spree apparently. So you may get away with it for a time but sooner or later you will get caught as stupid as we think the police may be over here when it comes to a foreign plated car and docs.

Tony is right if you look through the correct legislation you are allowed to drive you car in any member state for up to 6 months, but you will need to check that you ins company will cover you for this there are a few that won't in certain countries.

We were informed by the Embassy , from the Sofia KAT, that the car has to be registerd within 2 weeks, mind you that was a few years back

We drove to BG last year in our RHD UK motorhome and was there for almost 4 months.
When stopped, on several occasions (no surprise there then) the cops never bothered us about how long we'd been here, insurance etc. They just checked my licence and a couple of times asked to see my passport. That was it. We left BG into Romania via the Danube, nobody checked our papers at all. Luck, I guess.
One point I'd like to raise: I have a blue UK issued disabled badge.
According to several parking control attendants, it was not valid in BG, even though it s an EU issue with the blue and white star symbol embossed on it.
They all pointed out the same thing:"
This is a European Communities badge and is not valid in Bulgaria."
However, they all permitted me to display it and park for free. I was told that if I park in a resort, I could get towed away though.
Just a point of interest.

I don't unerstand how you can keep your UK vehicle here legally after the 60 or 90 days the UK insurance allow you. We took our Pajero over 7 years ago we only had to get the vignetta and we were legal for the duration of our visit that could last 60 days. However after the 60 days we could not re insure the Pajero in BG because it was on UK plates but they did give us an additional month EU insurance at a cost of 280lev (Yes, they saw us coming) We could not get insurance other than that. The UK were not interested as we used up the 60 day allowance a year they allow. Next year we had the 60 days again - so basically the vehcile could only be used 60days a year under the UK insurance. Then we had the problem of the MOT you CANNOT get an MOT on an UK vehicle unless it has all been transferred to Bulgarian plates. So with no mot you cannot get insurance and tax in the UK so the vehicle has to be sorn. We did manage o get the vehicle chanaged to BG plates. I really don't know how people are still their UK vehicles here. We tried everything possible to get legal in he Pajero without success. The only way was to transfer to BG plates.... Hope this helps

Not allowed, but not uncommon. I know several ex-pats who have been in BG for (maybe) 7+ years and are still driving their UK RHD cars on UK plates. Interesting though, I have never had my insurance or log book checked. 1st time I came out by road from Blighty was in 2006 for almost 4 months. Nothing scrutinised back then too. So it's very possible to get away with it if nobody ever checks the paperwork. The vignette isn't checked against the vehicle, is it? When I crossed from Giurgiu to Ruse last year, I went into the little hut and bought a year ticket for 67Levs, no questions were asked about my vehicle, unlike in other EU countries en-route where when I bought the ticket, I was asked for my reg. no. and given a document with it printed on that I was told to keep in the vehicle at all times for possibe inspection (never happened) in both directions.

As I say Paddybg I really don't know how they can do this - You cannot get insurance in the UK for overseas but you can get cover from 60 to 90 days on your own insurance. You cannot get insurance here in BG for a UK registared plate but you can get EU cover for 11 month. So if any of the people you know had an accident they would not be cover and if they are pulled by the police than they would be a fine. The vignetta is a tax disc and should be displated on the left hand side of you vehicle - You can buy a year as you say for 67e, we just bought a year for the Chorokee but in fact it will only last us until Jan as the new year begins than. It was cheaper for us to buy the year rather that 25lev a montth.

The police are very alert here in Silistra. We have been pulled over a few time for spot checks. They check all the Bulgarian documents then tells us to go. It is rather nerve wrecking waiting for your document to be handed back. I am told the new law now is if the police pull a UK car, they must have an English speaking officer. I am sure someone will confirm if that is the case or not.

You have a very short time something like 2 weeks from the point that you decide to stay in a country to register it,

if you have a residency card they say you are planning to stay and have to register it, if you are on holiday then 90 days in a 6 month period is allowed legally but you must tell your insurance company especially if over 30 days out of the country

My problem is that I have UK cars, in the UK drive them to BG , stay say 1 or 2 months, nip back to the UK for a week and return in a van, then stay 1 or 2 months, next trip change to the car again, it causes problems.....

I get year vignettes due to the lower cost, as I make multiple trips, it looks like it has been there all the time if someone sees it twice in a year, but the trips may have been 6 months or more apart

If I register as BG car then go back in the UK the police in UK say that they know I am English and can seize the car as I am not allowed a foreign car in the UK being English.....
( many people use foreign cars to be able to afford insurance ) , my time in the UK is not a factor.....due to being English

So it can be a problem both ways

Liverpool police say its not difficult or problematic....they say I should be `normal` and leave a car in each country and get a plane!

I plan to have purely BG cars and vans, but what to do if I get stopped when in the UK?

There is an article in the Daily Mail stating that there is to be a crack down on non UK Vehicles in the UK. Should be interesting as there are many Polish, Latvian, Romanian etc in the UK. Looks like the dodgy one's are gunner be caught
and so they should be.

tonyb60 wrote:

There is an article in the Daily Mail stating that there is to be a crack down on non UK Vehicles in the UK. Should be interesting as there are many Polish, Latvian, Romanian etc in the UK.
e.

About time! Read an article last week that UK is losing a small fortune in unpaid parking fines from 'vehicles with Eastern European licence plates'

Nice to see you Tony