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07.12.2020 15:28; Pavlina Trifonova
UK police are monitoring car numbers. PHOTOS: Reuters
Compatriots who have not complied with the registration requirement in the country complain that their cars have been detained
Bulgarians living in the UK have complained on social media that their cars with Bulgarian license plates have been seized by British police in the last month or have received a warning that they can no longer drive them.
The rules require that they be registered in England within 6 months of arriving in the country. However, many Bulgarians did not comply with this requirement, as taxes and inspections on the island were more expensive, and it was difficult for law enforcement to determine exactly when they arrived, as European citizens were not subject to border registration.
However, with the requirement to apply for residence status to stay in the country after Brexit, the authorities already have evidence of how long they have been living on the island. If they have been for more than 5 years and have received full residency status, the requirement to do a car registration in English is even shorter – 14 days.
The UK has been struggling with this problem for several years as it estimates that it is losing around £ 60 million a year in unpaid traffic taxes. In several specialized police actions, 350,000 vehicles with foreign registration were seized, which exceeded the registration period of 6 months.
To get them back, their owners must pay a £ 200 exemption fee, a £ 160 deposit, a guarantee that they will immediately register the car and start paying taxes and insurance on it. And the sooner they do, the better it is for them, as they are also charged £ 21 a day to park the stopped car.
To prove the period in which the car was driven in the UK with a foreign registration, the authorities rely mainly on the recordings of road cameras, which are equipped with English roads. They also encourage local authorities to provide them with information if they notice that a vehicle with someone else’s license plates is parked in their area for a long time.
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