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Help please!!! Registering a German Skoda in the UK

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I am trying to register my German Skoda Fabia which I have been driving in the UK now since half a year. Can anybody advise me on what needs to be done? I have started the registration process in December and have been speaking to several departments such as DVLA, SVA, VCA aso. It seems impossible to find out from just one person what needs to be done to get my English number plate...

Does anybody know if I need to get a new speedometer/dash or just change the display to miles???

Thank you sooo much for you help in advance!!!

Go to your local DVLA office and ask for a V55. Fill that in and return it with an MOT, insurance certificate, driving licence and proof of address (like a house bill or something) along with £55 and enough money to tax it for at least 6 months and they'll issue you a reg number and tax disc through the post.

  • Author

Thanks for your answers so far.

I've already sent off the application to DVLA but it had been returned because of my Certificate of Conformity. Before I can apply again I was told I have to change the speedometer and the headlights... This comes up to 700 GBP...

What I need to know now is if I really need to get a new speedometer/dash or just change the display to miles???

Does anybody know which department is checking foreign cars in the UK? Is DVLA tracking the length of your stay in another country?

Would the parking office provide details to DVLA?

THANK YOU

I've only delt with japanese imports, the speedometers in them are in KMH, you can buy converters to make them work in MPH.

You'll get RHD headlights in a breakers for less than £100.

You rear foglight will be on the wrong side too.

  • Author

NEILY03

SVA didnt say anything regarding the foglight - they sad I "only" have to change the headlights and speedometer...

That exactly is my problem at the moment - no department is able to tell me what "all" needs to be done - DVLA is just handling the application, SVA is only handing you out your certificate but none of them knows what the other one is doing :-(

Edited by A1982

it looks like to me it is easier to sell the car in Germany and buy a UK registered Fabia!.

Why is there a need to change the Tacho? One should have both, KMH and MPH displayed, only the counter is in KM, no big deal!!?? :confused:

The problem you have is the SVA guys work on what they believe the law to state, if that particular person doesn't feel it's a problem it will pass.

You need to find a scrapped Fabia in the UK and raid it for bits!

O.k m8y

where did you buy it from was it a main dealer and how old is the car!

as germany is in europe there should already be a eurpion type aprovall for the model you have obtain a copy of the report and send it in to dvla presto u.k reg

you may have import taxes to pay

S V A i single vehicle athority

mainly for models not avaibile in the europe,

the skoda dealer sould be able to get you a copy of the type aproval docs!

they will be online somewhere too!

The car doesnt need an SVA, that is for incoming vehicles from outside the EU.

For a car to be type approved in the UK, the speedo must show either MPH or both KMH and MPH. The only other requirement is that the headlight dip on the correct side of the road.

NEILY03

SVA didnt say anything regarding the foglight - they sad I "only" have to change the headlights and speedometer...

That exactly is my problem at the moment - no department is able to tell me what "all" needs to be done - DVLA is just handling the application, SVA is only handing you out your certificate but none of them knows what the other one is doing :-(

Hello,

I have a British/UK Fabia VRS and a simple additional wiring job has given me two rear foglights. Rear lights have identical setups even down to the double element bulbs. Just identify which wire is foglight feed, carefully splice and make a connection then run wire across to the other side, then place a small spade connection onto end of wire, (I also placed a small inline fuse as a precaution).

Place spade through multi connecter onto bulb connection board.

Compare how feed wire is connected on normal side, then duplicate on opposite side.

Before commencing ensure lights are switched off and ignition "OFF"

giandougl. 29/01/2009

Edited by giandougl

The car doesnt need an SVA, that is for incoming vehicles from outside the EU.

For a car to be type approved in the UK, the speedo must show either MPH or both KMH and MPH. The only other requirement is that the headlight dip on the correct side of the road.

and youll propblly find that if you aim ur lights right you'll get away without changing them

thats what i did on my dodge ram when i brought it in from the usa!

  • Author

For approval I got a Certificiate of Conformity and a supplier's declaration for products having preferential oirigin status...

I was told by SVA that I need to get a Single Vehicle Approval Certificate...

This is really a nightmare.

How would I aim my lights right? I can only put the light up or down but not sideways... as far as I know.

The car is 2.5 years old, bought in Germany.

DVLA declined my application the start of January... Reason - it had something to do with my CoC but what DVLA couldnt tell me. Then I called VCA - they didnt know what DVLA wanted. After VCA I called SVA and they finally asked me to change the speedometer and headlights.

  • Author
it looks like to me it is easier to sell the car in Germany and buy a UK registered Fabia!.

Why is there a need to change the Tacho? One should have both, KMH and MPH displayed, only the counter is in KM, no big deal!!?? :confused:

The car is only 2.5 years old - 12.000km - if I would sell the car now I would make a huge loss...

I was told by SVA I couldnt just change the display.

I ran a LHD UK registered foreign car here for 18 months, I can confirm that the following are allowed.

The miles/km travelled display can continue to run in kms, just as the one on the car I owned did.

The following needs to be done, and its just a case of swapping parts.

The speedo face can be changed to one that has kmh/mph on it, although most likely will need to be third party because Skoda will only sell you a whole dashpod.

The lights will need changing, a UK scrapyard should be all you need to get some.

As long as you have a valid certificate of conformity for the eu, then no SVA is required. Get the car through a UK mot, where they will test it based on the VIN number and resubmit the registration request with the Certificate and MOT details.

Regarding the earlier post about re-aiming the lights. This is possible on cars sourced from the USA because they have a different beam pattern to the UK/Europe and are more flat beamed than here and europe. Re-aiming a european car is not possible because of the kick in the beam.

  • Author
I ran a LHD UK registered foreign car here for 18 months, I can confirm that the following are allowed.

The miles/km travelled display can continue to run in kms, just as the one on the car I owned did.

The following needs to be done, and its just a case of swapping parts.

The speedo face can be changed to one that has kmh/mph on it, although most likely will need to be third party because Skoda will only sell you a whole dashpod.

The lights will need changing, a UK scrapyard should be all you need to get some.

As long as you have a valid certificate of conformity for the eu, then no SVA is required. Get the car through a UK mot, where they will test it based on the VIN number and resubmit the registration request with the Certificate and MOT details.

Regarding the earlier post about re-aiming the lights. This is possible on cars sourced from the USA because they have a different beam pattern to the UK/Europe and are more flat beamed than here and europe. Re-aiming a european car is not possible because of the kick in the beam.

Thank you sooo much for your help!!!

I will only need MOT in May so I am not worrying about this at the moment.

Ater making the changes to the car (lights/display) who would be confirming that I made the changes??? I was told that you only get that confirmation of SVA. Otherwise nobody would make the changes and just "say" to DVLA - Yes, I made the changes...

I didnt get my number plate in the first place because they wouldnt except my CoC...

First DVLA told me that my CoC is fine, then they told me it isnt valid anymore. How can a CoC not be valid anymore? They asked me to get a new CoC dated in the past year. That doesnt make any sense at all as you only get ONE CoC for ONE car... Then I was told I had to get the Single Vehicle Approval Certificate instead...

  • 1 month later...

A1982!!

how about a switch? i need to change the headlights on my UK registered fabia to register it in sweden, you wanna switch the headlights with me>? as you need rhd ones and i need lhd ones

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