[steamship]

Originally Posted by Conan_the_Librarian

Does a mainland MOT count for you Sean? Pop over on the ferry and get one done in Holyhead?

I did think about that as a possibility, but then it would be a case of what happens if it were to fail, as I'd then be stuck in Holyhead with a car with a failed MOT.

I did some Googling to see if others had come across this issue, but could only find very old posts, so I phoned DVSA to get the real facts (about a 30 second wait and a very helpful and informative person). The good news is that yes, I could just get the car MOTed over there, which seems logical enough, but it has a downside. The MOT would be registered with the DVLA, and I would not be able to tax my car online, as they won't 'see' the MOT as my car is registered with DVLNI, and I would therefore have to tax my car at the Post Office. The same would apply if a GB registered car was MOTed in NI.

It reminds me of a story my brother told me. Years ago when we still had the tax discs and you taxed your vehicle at the Post Office, my brother was working in London. He went to the Post Office to tax his van, and was told he couldn't tax it there. He then had to phone his wife here, get here to tax the van at the Post Office, and then post the tax disc over to him in London.

I did get a suggestion from the DVSA rep which I'll be following up on, as that might be another option, both for me and my other brother as well, as he will soon be heading off to the mainland soon for a funeral, and he refuses to fly.