Regulation 3 Registration document

There shall be inserted after regulation 10—

“Registration document

10A.

(1)

This regulation applies to vehicles falling within the definition of “vehicle” in Article 2 of Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type approval of motor vehicles and their trailers^f1 and in Article 2 of Council Directive 92/61/EEC relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheeled motor vehicles^f2.

(2)

The Secretary of State shall not issue a new registration document on or after 31st January 2004 unless it complies with Annex I of Council Directive 1999/37/EC on the registration documents for vehicles^f3 as regards—

(a)

dimensions;

(b)

composition; and

(c)

information contained within it;

except that in relation to a new registration document, the information contained may be limited to that available to the Secretary of State.

(3)

Any registration document which does not comply with Council Directive 1999/37/EC on the registration documents for vehicles shall cease to have effect on the earlier of—

(a)

the date on which the Secretary of State issues a new registration document under these Regulations; or

(b)

1st July 2005.

(4)

In registering for the first time on or after 1st June 2004 a vehicle, which has been registered in another member State or Gibraltar, the Secretary of State shall recognise as a registration document a document which has been issued in respect of that vehicle by that other member State or Gibraltar if it complies with Annex I or Annexes I and II of Council Directive 1999/37/EC.

(5)

Where the Secretary of State registers a vehicle in accordance with paragraph (4) he shall—

(a)

retain the former registration document for not less than 6 months; and

(b)

within 2 months of registration in the United Kingdom, notify the authorities in the member State or in Gibraltar where the vehicle was previously registered of his act of registration.”.