Where in Europe can I purchase a car without residency?
I am not a resident anywhere and plan to travel for the foreseeable future, mostly in Europe. My country has good visa-free access to most of Europe, so it is conceivable I could remain without any residency for quite some time.
I enjoy driving, and maintaining cars, and I would like to purchase a car somewhere in Europe.
Where, if anywhere, in Europe (or outside of Europe, but with the ability to drive the car in Europe) can I legally purchase and insure a car as a non-resident? I am open to creative solutions like setting up a company to own the car, if the capital and ongoing paperwork requirements for the company are not too onerous.
I am aware that I could save money, get places quicker, etc, by taking trains or flying. I have a passion for cars and driving. Suggesting that I not buy a car is out of scope of this question.
Best Answer
As already mentioned, buying the car is not the problem, but registering in your name is, if you do not have residency. If getting residency is not an option, an alternative could be setting up a company and registering the car on the company.
This seems to be possible in Bulgaria. You can drive around in the whole European Union with Bulgarian license plates. You can even buy the car in another European country and then get Bulgarian license plates for it. There are providers offering this as a service (this is just an example, there might be others offering this; I'm not affiliated with them): they will set up a company for you for around 250€. It will then cost another 500-600€ (depending on the car) for license plates, insurance, eco tax and fees.
I'm sure you can get this done cheaper if you don't rely on someone else doing it for you. However, I guess this might be difficult without some Bulgarian language skills.
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Answer 2
The U.K. is not as easy as the People here describe ! I was in England last Year to buy and register a Car, but it is NOT possible without a RESIDENTIAL Address, both for Registration AND Insurance; a Mailbox-Address will not suffice.
I am now in Spain, where my Car expired, and here too Requirements are higher and more complicated than the Information found on the Internet would indicate. One needs an N.I.E. (Numero de Idenditat de Estranjero), which also requires a RESIDENTIAL Address, AND Health Insurance, AND an Appointment at the Policia Nacional, which can take up to 6 Weeks! The whole Process is completely absurd and frustrating.
Now I'm considering using this Company in Bulgaria mentioned above by Bob. I have been in Contact with them to clarify some Questions.
Here are some Problems I see with Registration in Bulgaria:
- The Car has to be driven to Bulgaria to register it, and it's a long Way from Central Europe or Spain, and requiring driving through Areas that are not the most desirable.
- The Car has to be driven back to Bulgaria EVERY Year for the M.O.T., not something I would want to do.
- Then You are driving around with Bulgarian Plates, which is a potential Magnet for the Police in central and northern Europe, and could attract some discriminatory Law Enforcement. Not something I wish to deal with.
It could and should be relatively easy to register a Car as a Foreigner in Europe, especially now with the E.U. in Place, but it is not thanks to Pencil-pushing Bureaucrats of the respective Countries that need Job Security and make our Lives difficult.
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