MOT for Long-Term Travel Outside the UK: All You Need to Know

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Travelling with a vehicle outside the UK for over a year?

Dreaming of hitting the open road, venturing beyond the familiar highways of the UK, and exploring the winding mountain passes of the Caucasus, the bustling bazaars of Turkey, or the sun-drenched coasts of Morocco? Before you pack up your UK-registered vehicle and set off on an international adventure, there’s one crucial question to answer: Do you need an MOT beyond the standard annual requirement when travelling outside the UK?

With over six years of experience exploring Europe, Morocco, Turkey, and the Caucasus in motorhomes and overland trucks, we’ve faced just about every challenge you can imagine – from border bureaucracy to breakdowns in the middle of nowhere. We’ve learned the hard way, so you don’t have to.

This guide pulls together all the essential knowledge you need, including vehicle requirements and insurance tips, with practical advice drawn from our firsthand experiences on the road. Read on to find out everything you need to know.

MOTs for long-term travel outside the UK

MOT Requirements for UK Registered Vehicles Abroad

In the United Kingdom, vehicles over three years old must pass an MOT test annually to ensure roadworthiness. Vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago are exempt from an annual MOT as long as no ‘substantial changes’ have been made to the vehicle in the last 30 years.

The UK government says, “UK law still applies to a UK-registered vehicle if you take it abroad for less than 12 months. That means you need to make sure your vehicle is taxed in the UK while it’s abroad, you have a current MOT, and you have valid UK insurance.”

This guidance assumes that you will return to the UK annually with your car, motorhome, campervan, truck or motorbike, for an MOT and thus avoid the legal requirement to export your vehicle if it is outside of the UK for more than a year.

But what if you’re travelling for more than a year and not planning on moving to another country where you could import your vehicle?

Within the EU

Your UK-registered vehicle must have a valid MOT. Without this, your UK insurance, which also covers you for driving in the UK, may be invalidated. The same applies to any breakdown cover. RAC and AA EU policyholders often face checks for MOT, tax and insurance before a support vehicle is dispatched.
Your vehicle must be insured to a minimum of third-party liability. Your UK insurer is legally required to provide this cover for the whole period of your insurance. When you see time limitations, this is related to a fully comprehensive cover. So, if you’re limited to 90 days in the EU, you can still travel for longer but the level of cover will drop after 90 days from fully comprehensive to third party.
Your vehicle must be taxed according to UK legislation. It’s tempting to apply SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification), but again, this could invalidate your insurance and any breakdown cover.
Insurance, MOT and tax all depend on one another. You can insure a vehicle without tax and MOT, but you can’t tax a vehicle without an MOT. Without an MOT and tax, your insurance is not valid.
There are no reciprocal MOTs in the EU. You cannot have an ITV in Spain or a TUV in Germany on a UK-registered vehicle instead of an MOT. Likewise, an MOT in Gibraltar is not an option unless you are a resident there.
A valid UK driving license is required. This allows you to drive in all EU countries without an International Driving Permit, but if you only have a paper driving licence or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, then you will need an IDP.

Outside the EU

Once you leave the countries of the EU, things start to change. The UK government advises that you understand local laws and requirements when travelling.

Wherever you go in the world, a valid UK driving license is required. You may need an IDP, depending on the country you are visiting. It is likely you will be asked for an IDP in countries which use a different alphabet, like Arabic in the Middle East and Cyrillic in Greece and Serbia.
Your vehicle must be insured to a minimum of third-party liability, and you’ll need a green card or equivalent. Your UK insurer may provide this cover at an additional cost for popular countries like Morocco, Turkey and Albania. It is also possible to buy third-party frontier insurance at the border or port of arrival. It is a legal requirement in all countries that you have this level of cover. Companies like TourInsure and Clements provide international motor insurance, but it is expensive, and there are quite a few limitations.
A UK MOT is not recognised in countries outside of the UK and is not a requirement of entry, temporarilty importing your vehicle, or frontier insurance.
You are not required to pay or evidence payment of vehicle tax on entry and it is not required for frontier insurance. In the UK and EU, vehicle tax is reciprocal, but once outside the UK, this is not the case. In some countries, vehicle tax is collected through tolls and you may need to purchase a vignette on entry to allow use of motorways and A roads.

Our experience suggests it is safe to SORN your vehicle and allow your MOT to lapse in countries outside of the EU. The UK goverment is unlikely to care and as your UK insurance is not valid outside the EU (unless you have a green card through a UK insurer, in which case you need to be road legal), there are no requirements for tax and MOT.

However, you do have a personal and moral responsibility to ensure your vehicle is roadworthy. If you did have an accident and required medical care, your travel insurance may decline to cover you if you’re travelling in a technically illegal UK registered vehicle.

truck on a twisting road through mountains in Armenia — Travelling the mountain passes of Armenia

Coming back into the EU after a year

This is the scenario we’re asked about most often. You’ve been travelling for a year or longer in Africa, the Caucasus or even the ‘Stans, and you want to travel overland back to the UK. Your MOT has expired, and you’ve SORNed the vehicle. What are your options?

If you kept your UK insurance going: You could risk it. Book an MOT in the UK (it’s legal to drive to a booked MOT without a valid MOT) and hope you don’t get stopped or have an accident. You could talk to your insurer. We did this when we got stuck in Spain during the pandemic, and our MOT lapsed. They agreed to cover us until we were back in the UK on the condition it was booked, and we went straight there from Dover. That might have been because of the pandemic, though, and any discussion with your insurer will alert them to your position, and they could cancel your cover.

If you didn’t keep your insurance going: You could get UK insurance before entering the EU without an MOT or tax, but you would be doing this knowing the insurance isn’t valid (and some insurers say you have to be in the UK at the start of the policy). You can’t buy frontier insurance at EU borders. You would also have to travel in the UK without an MOT or tax. This is a risky strategy.

Shipping: You could ship your vehicle back to the UK, insure it for the date of arrival and go straight to an MOT testing centre from the port of entry. You wouldn’t have tax because you need insurance and an MOT to tax your vehicle, but you might be able to explain the position if it is stopped.

Get international motor insurance: Use a company like TourInsure or Clements to cover you in the EU – some international motor insurers offer monthly policies, just enough to get you home. But they usually don’t cover you in your home country, so you’d need UK insurance to cover you on arrival, and then head straight to the MOT test centre.

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Other Legal Requirements for UK Registered Vehicles Abroad

You must have at least three months remaining on your passport (issued in the past ten years) at your intended date of departure.
Depending on the countries you visit, you may need a visa, and it’s likely you’ll have to import your vehicle temporarily. In some African and Middle Eastern countries, a Carnet de Passages en Douanes (international customs document which covers the temporary admission of motor vehicles) is also required.
You must carry the original V5C registration document for your vehicle. For entry into countries outside the EU, the name and address on your V5C must match your passport and driving licence or have a notarized letter giving you permission to use the vehicle.
You must display a country sticker on the rear of your vehicle unless your numberplate displays the flag or origin. For UK-registered vehicles, this needs to be a UK sticker instead of the old-style GB sticker.
Headlight beam converters must be in use unless you can adjust your headlights automatically.

overland truck on a stony desert track with views of distant snow capped mountains — Admiring the High Atlas mountains in Morocco

Vehicle Safety Equipment

As a rule, you should carry the following safety equipment wherever you decide to travel. Although it is not mandatory to carry these items in all countries it would be daft not to!

At least one warning triangle.
A high visibility vest for the driver and all passengers.
A first aid kit.
A spare tyre, the means to repair a flat, or have a run flat system.
A fire extinguisher.
A good quality torch.
Set of jump leads.

man in a blue top looking at a car tyre with a warning triangle on display — Problems can and do occur

Breakdown Insurance

In the EU

All UK breakdown insurers, such as RAC, AA and Green Flag, offer annual European cover. Coverage is usually extensive and covers the continent of Europe, to the Ural Mountains, not just the EU countries. You may find limitations and exceptions – for example, the RAC covers the Caucasus countries of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan (even though the land borders are closed!), but only the European side of Turkey (west of the Bosphorus).

Make sure you check the small print to see exactly what is covered. If you’re travelling in a motorhome or overland truck over 3,500kgs, RAC Arrival motorhome cover is the only cover where there are no weight, height or length restrictions.

Outside of the EU

There are no breakdown insurers in the UK who offer worldwide cover. ADAC used to offer international breakdown cover, but this is no restricted to German residents only.

However, people outside of Europe are resourceful, friendly and happy to help if you breakdown. Even if you stop on the road to take pictures, passersby will stop to make sure you’re ok.

With a translation app handy, you’ll be able to explain the problem and get help. And, I promise you, it will be a lot cheaper to get your vehicle fixed outside of Europe!

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

Health and travel insurance are crucial for international road trips and we would never travel without cover.

The GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) provides access to state healthcare in the EU and EEA but does not cover private medical costs and special recovery services like mountain rescue and repatriation. Find out why you should get a GHIC here!
Supplement your GHIC and get worldwide comprehensive travel insurance from our recommended insurer, True Traveller, who offers a range of short-term and backpacker policies that cover travel issues and medical emergencies and have 92 activities covered as standard.

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