How can I buy a motorhome in Europe as a non resident? Learn more about RV financing and loans (and don't forget your RV insurance either). They may help you sell the motorhome, thats up to them, but theyll need to be involved. Clearly, there are pros and cons to getting behind the wheel of an RV. I'm waiting now for all the paperwork to be done before we can use it in the UK. Also in the UK the insurance is more costly and especially when you extend it to cover Europe, UK insurers are also known to put caveats on the amount of time you can spend in Europe at anyone time. Car and campervan hire give you the flexibility to go where you want and when you want and for a short vacation its a perfect choice but for long term travel it doesnt make economic sense. But, be careful, the accommodation is more expensive than you think. The high season is around April- September, so if you buy outside that you might get a great deal. This website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience, http://motorhomeseurope.motorhomerepublic.com/, www.motorhomeseurope.motorhomerepublic.com. In saying that though, you can probably pick up some bargains on Gumtree and eBay if you prefer a right-hand drive, but they are likely to be older vehicles and getting them through the UK MOT might be painful. Our bilingual contacts might prove invaluable during your motorhome trip, Our solution in France for overseas buyers, Popular examples from the 2020 BluCamp Range, Planning your arrival/collection day (password protected). The disadvantage of this scheme is you may get much less for it as opposed to trying to sell it privately. Creating a 100% legal asset holding company in France through which you can buy a motorhome, Buying a motorhome in UK using the personal export scheme, Buying in the UK using a motorhome buy back scheme, The Netherlands offer agents or middle men for vehicle registration and Insurance purposes, as well as offering buy back schemes, Having a trusted friend or loved one register the motorhome for you, Cost of the campervan between 25000 and 70000 (US $28195 $80000), Company registration, account fees and administration 1500 (US $1692), A one off vehicle registration fee 495 (US $560), New Vehicle fee (if it has not previously been registered) 275 (US $310), You will also need to get insurance for your motorhome, which again, shouldnt be any issue at all, MOT if you plan on driving in the UK before you head over the mainland Europe, you may need a MOT inspection. If you purchase from eBay, Autotrader, Gumtree etc. It's like an ever-improving circle of happiness. This is because they have the title. It is an amazing experience, one that has left us with wonderful memories, thank fully I can keep reliving them through writing blogs. Selling at the end of your trip, what are your options? 15 rue des Grahuches https://travelcarsnz.com/blog/tips-backpacking-new-zealand/. Many car hire companies charge a premium for taking the car across a border even though you are still in the EU. Oregon Trailer Do Drop. In late summer and fall, dealers sometimes offer time-limited deals. It can be costly if your vehicle doesnt pass so make sure your vehicle has had recent MOT before purchasing. You can also comprehensively insure the vehicle for use anywhere in Europe. Large cities are not RV-friendly, while remote scenic wonders might not offer many decent hotel options. We asked ourselves this question and for the most part of our trip we will be spending it on the continent, so it would make more sense for us to have a left-hand drive. This means that they own it. Electrical compliance is non-negotiable. The difficulty of purchasing a motorhome/camper is not in the actual purchase but the registration, you need to be a European resident with an address to be able to own a vehicle. That might happen occasionally (usually by prior arrangement) but most nights, there are camping fees to pay. Compared to buy back schemes or registration agents, you actually own everything outright and given the amount of money involved, that seems smart to me. The biggest challenge is probably finding reputable and reliable companies to deal with. Before buying our van, we contacted three different businesses that specialise in sell and buyback to non-EU residents, all three were based in the Netherlands. Rego and insurance can be taken out in the name of the company which means you actually have ownership of the vehicle. Eurocampingcars was established to service the growing demand from overseas visitors who wish to own a motorhome or campervan to travel in Europe. Money has a way of doing all kinds of weird things to relationships. It makes sense then, that the longer you have the motorhome, and the further you drive with it, the less youll get back at the end of the term. Hi Rob, Thank You for your message, I am happy my article was informative. Of course it is an assumption. The UKs Personal Export Scheme allows you to buy a motorhome, free of Value Added Tax (VAT, 20%) for export out of the UK, or EU. But many budget travel enthusiasts simply want an answer to the question "which way is cheaper, RVs or hotels?". The insurance company Camperfun uses covers all the countries we want to visit, even the non-EU countries. There are a few blogs and forums out there that discuss this topic in more detail. We aim to make buying and owning a Motorhome or Campervan in Europe an absolute pleasure. It isnt easy. A large family that wants to get away from the chores and simply enjoys the freedom of the road might choose hotel travel, even though it is the more expensive alternative for them. Finding information on buying a motorhome in Europe for non residents! Ill outline the different ways and give you as much information as I can to point you in the right direction but in the end the decision is yours. Sourcing, inspection and purchase on your behalf, You choose the motorhome, we inspect it for you, Chauffeured transfers from Paris to our depot, I bought a motorhome and peace of mind, our solution in France for overseas buyers, Take in the Vende Globe yacht race on your French motorhome trip, Podcast Episode #004 with Sebastien from Movera, Motorhomes, Campervans and RVs for sale in France & Europe, Popular examples from the 2020 Knaus Range, Popular examples from the 2020 Weinsberg Range, Second-hand campervans for sale in Europe, Second-hand campervans for sale in France, Sourcing, inspection and purchase of a second-hand motorhome on your behalf, Tarif for the services we offer in addition to vehicle sales. Moreover we facilitate the whole Europe motorhome rental and campervan hire booking process, providing ultra-responsive customer support and a true total rental cost you can literally count on.. Some places even have restrictions above 8m. We are interested in buying from Europe as we keep reading second hand motorhomes are cheaper abroad! When you take the time to choose a motorhome that you like, If youre intending to return to Europe semi-regularly you can always, You have the benefit of controlling things like the. Just the article Ive been looking for, as Im starting to plan a road trip from Australia. Unlike when you hire a motorhome or campervan. The main difference that the size of this vehicle offers compared to standard class B RVs is a full dry bath. Common European Motorhome Lengths: 6-7 m (~19-23 ft) are considered small to medium-sized rigs. Please NOTE the following information I am about to provide was current at the time of writing (2018/2019) pre-pandemic. As with all things, motorhomes depreciate in value over time. Be very clear on the conditions of import into your own country, otherwise itll cost you a lot of money to try to correct, If youre importing into the USA after travelling Europe, youll also need to factor in that a motorhome from the UK will be left hand drive, where as continental Europe and the USA are both right hand drive, Motorhome buy back UK you own the title to the vehicle and have full and complete ownership, Buy back schemes through agents in the Netherlands the motorhome is still titled in the companies name, and you have a contract of purchase. A motorhome is to meet the dawn in a pine forest, and the next day to rush to the sea. Delivery comes as is, warranty and checks at extra cost (package) This is not necessarily a bad thing as you know for sure the vehicle has been thoroughly checked. Our experience was based on buying though Camperfun not Europe-Roadtrip, even though we had no major problems I feel that if anything had gone wrong we would not have received good service, we were lucky. You do not pay the road tax while the vehicle is off the road. You should be able to find a reputable facilitator to help you navigate this, either in the UK or in Australia. Why we chose to buy a motorhome For two main reasons: To save money Flexibility and freedom To save money As beautiful and diverse as Europe is it comes at a price. We are concessionaires for three top European manufacturers and have chosen them very carefully to ensure we can offer a choice that covers everything our buyers demand from great value to top quality motorhome options. Obviously its a big move that requires big planning and a big savings, so only at the initial planning stages now. We did read up on extending Schengen, it can be done but its a pain so never bothered. Part of the agreement is that the vehicle will be registered in your name. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You can rent, you can lease, or you can buy one with a contract to sell it after you've used it. For all intents and purposes, if you dont have ownership, youre essentially hiring it. Some people are willing to make the sacrifices and put in the work that leads to some nice benefits. This is their area of expertise. Once you buy it, you have to try and work out how to register and insure it. Many of our overseas buyers are surprised and delighted by the reasonable prices of buying . Although paring down the business due to retirement, the owners charge a finders fee to go out and inspect any motorhome or campervan that you find online. Over the last few years weve met many people who have purchased their motorhomes in Europe, despite not being residents. Only one contact and has proven not to always be easy to get hold of straight away. Rentals run anywhere from EUR 300-4000 (~US$350-$4700) per week depending on where you rent from, what size you rent and what time of year you come, so it's definitely worth hunting around for deals. in Germany you will buy them on the border, when you enter or any petrolstation, that is the same in Austria, where we have that already for some time. These cookies do not store any personal information. They are all different and have different pros and cons. Motorhome sale and caravan sale including high-quality, personal expert advice. Obviously as a non resident, someone coming from overseas, you dont have a local address. If you are fortunate enough to have family or friends living in the country, you purchase your vehicle who can register it for you under their name or address then its all very easy. For more information please see my blog Aussies Guide to Setting up a Motorhome/Camper. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. This is about 65 (US $74). Using this method you set up a 100% legal company structure called a Sociele Civile. The idea of buying a motorhome/camper is a dream but I wont lie here, it does come at a cost. Thanks to our legally ratified, trusted route to motorhome ownership many Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and Americans are now enjoying the benefits of touring Europe in their own RVs. Before making that purchase there are few things to consider: Probably the first thing you should ask yourself is how long do you intend to travel for and would renting be better than buying. It seems a little fiddly at first but if you use Euro Camping Cars, they seem to do all the leg work for you and the outcome is ideal. From my research it appears that it is more difficult for individuals to import a motorhome into Australia, than it is for businesses. I have found a site where you are able to have ownership of the MH by setting up a company. Nothing but good words to say about them. You really need to be sure that you trust that person, and that they trust you. And that, my friend, is the catch. This may be different with. Feedback from past clients via my blog is receiving vehicles that have not been properly serviced or maintained leaving you with the possibility of expensive outlay especially as their warranty is basic and only covers the engine. In saying that, we have hired a car in Lithuania and travelled all the Baltics for a month, it was cheap with no restrictions. Bear in mind they dont cover all European Countries. Its the most expensive continent to travel, especially Western Europe and Scandinavia. I'll start with the good news: for the price, you're getting a brand new, squeaky clean RV loaded with features. As you compare costs between RV travel and hotel arrangements, keep in mind that costs vary widely, and circumstances can dictate with choice is the most cost-effective fairly quickly. Fortunately, a couple of travel blogs I did find written by other Australians and information on forums came to the rescue and gave us some pointers as to where to purchase and how. May 11, 2015 #1 Hi All, We have decided to buy a motorhome again after not having one for 2 years. The advantage of buying in the UK is there is no language barrier although we never had issues with this in the Netherlands! These guys would be my choice if we were able to buy the vehicle and put it in a friends/family name as they had a large range of vehicles. This article contains affiliate links. International Money Transfer companies fees change so its worth shopping around before choosing one. If that is their country of residence, then they can sort it out like they would their personal vehicle. To use the Personal Export Scheme youll need to meet the requirements listed on the UK Government website (listed above) for the amount of time youve spent in the UK. Most folks seem to end up renting something that costs around US$1000/week. The contracts will include clauses for good condition and normal wear and tear anything above this and youll need to have it fixed or expect to get less when you return the motorhome. AAA office with a filled-out application, US Citizens can only stay in the Schengen Area for 90 days out of every 180, https://perrysineurope.wordpress.com/2018/03/29/day-11-florence/, https://vroomdroomadventures.blogspot.com/2020/10/bellingwolde-to-zeeland-netherlands.html, Moving To Europe VII Shipping Your RV From USA to Europe Wheeling It, RVing In Europe: Blogs, Links & Useful Resources Wheeling It, Moving To Europe V - Pet Transport Options (By Sea, By Air, Pet Carriers & More), SP Campground Review - Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Jupiter, FL, RV Solar Part IV - Panel Tilting & Winter Solar Optimization, NP Campground Review - Gros Ventre Campground, Teton National Park, WY. If you think you can get a better price selling it privately, you can do it. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Loads cheaper than here. You will find everything you need for . Is extending that process an easy option. If you are reading this, the chances are that you have been looking into the options for motorhome or campervan ownership in France already and we expect you will by now be surprised at just how complicated the question of vehicle ownership here can be. A simple google search will find quite a few companies in the UK who have experience exporting to New Zealand. Read: How to travel around Europe in a campervan or motorhome. The short answer is yes, absolutely. Simply return the motorhome and collect the discussed buyback price! You are able to travel where ever you want for up to 12 months with your motorhome although you are limited to the amount of time you can spend in the UK, Once youve imported it into your country of residents you can sell it if you want, If youre importing into Australia or New Zealand, a left hand drive UK motorhome will suit you, You cannot extend your holiday, you do have to leave before the 12 months is up. 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Vehicle is off the road these cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent only the...