[budgie348]

Have been quoted £481 for an annual insurance policy with a 365 day green card, we have a Citroen Xsara Picasso 2.0 HDI which we are planning to bring to France next year when we bring our Narrowboat across. Does this sound excessive and if so is it easy to register a car in France when we will have no fixed abode!

 

[EuroTrash]

Check with your insurers because usually, even if a UK insurer offers a policy with 365 day EU cover, it is a condition of the policy that you are UK resident. If you're not, and you don't tell them, they would class it as failure to disclose a material fact, and would be within their rights to invalidate the policy.

Also, under EU law it isn't permissible for a car to spend more than 6 months out of 12 in a country where it isn't registered. (Q"So why do they offer a 365 day green card if it is illegal?" A "Because it wouldn't be illegal to spend 3 months in France, 3 months in Spain; 3 months in Italy etc...)

It is possible register a car in France if you live on a boat, and these are the documents that you need to produce: Immatriculation d'un véhicule : avec quels documents prouver son identité et son domicile ? - Service-public.fr
"Personne habitant sur un bateau de plaisance

Attestation établie par la capitainerie du port d'une propriété d'emplacement ou d'une location permanente,

Attestation d'assurance pour le bateau,

Titre de propriété ou contrat de location en cours du bateau".

If in fact you will still be considering yourselves UK resident, you might want to get a quote from NFU who offer (or used to offer, I presume they still do) 365 days EU cover as standard with all their policies, no extra charge.

PS Have you read Terry Darlington's Narrow Dog to Carcassonne? Brilliant book, it had me in stitches.

 

[budgie348]

Thank You, I intend to travel back to the Uk about 4 times a year, for about a week at a time. Would this make it legal as I will still be a UK resident just on an extended holiday travelling France. I will try NFU for a comparison and ask them the question. I have read Narro Dog to Carcasonne but being a true Narrowboater had to snigger a little at his fabrications but hey why spoil a good story for the sake of the ....

 

[EuroTrash]

Thank You, I intend to travel back to the Uk about 4 times a year, for about a week at a time. Would this make it legal as I will still be a UK resident just on an extended holiday travelling France.

Well if the car is in France for more than 6 months out of 12 then strictly speaking it isn't legal as far as France is concerned, but it's very unlikely that that, on its own, would cause a problem.

As regards the insurance, you need to explain the situation and let them decide. That way your back is covered and they can't say you didn't tell them the facts. If you are keeping a UK address where you will return to, and you explain it is just an extended holiday, they'll probably accept it.

 

[hils]

Am confused - have little brain sometimes; if you're on a barge (also have got and read NB to C), how is the car figuring - didn't know barges had garages .... one of you travels on the boat, the other drives the car, or what?

I understand the need for transport when you're moored up somewhere, but why not a couple of bikes or mopeds?

 

[budgie348]

We will be travelling by Boat and piggybacking the car every week or so by catching trains etc to recover it . This will give us an opportunity to explore further afield, keeping the boat as a base.

 

[hils]

We will be travelling by Boat and piggybacking the car every week or so by catching trains etc to recover it . This will give us an opportunity to explore further afield, keeping the boat as a base.

ah ... wouldn't it be cheaper and easier just to hire a car as and when ...?

 

[EuroTrash]

I wondered that too, but assumed the boat would be fairly static. There are huge holes in the sncf network so would have thought you might have to scratch your head quite hard to plot out a route of strategically-located moorings that are also close to railway stations. Or perhaps places that have canals do also tend to have rail links, I've never really noticed?

However back on the topic of insurance, that is another thing to check because I believe the NFU policy excludes cover for vehicles that are left unattended abroad, again I don't know exactly how they define unattended so best to ask. Wharves aren't always the safest of places and it wouldn't be funny if you found the car gone and the insurance didn't want to know.