Re-registering cars in a foreign country made easier

Re-registering cars in a foreign country made easier
Published:  2 Apr at 6 PM
The European Commission wants to cut the red tape for drivers, but worries about fraud remain, according to the EuropeanVoice.com.

The Commission wants to make it less complicated to transfer a vehicle registration from one country to another, in order to overcome one of the most common complaints of citizens who relocate to another EU member state.

Having to pay registration twice, multiple technical checks and road-worthiness tests and long waiting times were among the problems which a survey of citizens’ experiences identified in 2010. Car rental firms have also faced problems moving vehicles from one member state to another.

Under the European Commission’s proposal, countries in the EU would be able to carry out a more straightforward procedure in order to be granted authorisation for searching the required registration information of other countries within the region.

Member states would also have to give an automatic recognition when an employer makes a registration for an employee. This will be put in place to benefit those who reside in one member nation but work in another. There will also be a special registration introduced for individuals who spend some of the year in other member states.

However, there have been some concerns expressed about risks of fraud or threats to safety if other member states are required to recognise registrations from abroad. The Association of British Insurers stated that many vehicles are currently transferred into other member states to facilitate crimes.

The Association suggests that a large number of people avoid re-registering their vehicles due to the lengthy and complicated process involved, and claims that higher re-registration rates would help insurers know which country vehicles are currently in.