Bike road registration guide as of March 2014

All,
 
Thought I would write up my process for registering my 2005 400 EXC. The process has changed quite a lot in the last 12 months so here is what I did, with a little advice:
 
1. Frame and engine numbers:
 
If you think you might  want to road register it sometime in the future you need to be sure its going to be easy. First thing to do is get the frame and engine numbers. Go see the bike and take the imprinted ones not just off the sticker. You will also need to photograph both and photograph the bike (side on).
 
2. Contact supplier:
 
Ring KTM UK (or whoever) and ask if the bike is an official UK import. If it is they will send out the proof of year for free. If not they will offer to sort it out for you for £100. However, if its not a UK import forget about it, you will come unstuck at the NOVA stage and could end up having to pay the VAT on your purchase price (the alternative is to try and chase down the original sales receipt from some random other country that is 5-10 years old, yep nearly impossible!) . Email KTM with the make, model, frame and engine numbers and the three photos.
 
3. Visit DVLA website:
 
Google 'DVLA new registrations'. It will lead you to the V55/5 which you will need to order (free) also order the V355/5 (guide to filling out the V55/5). Do this early on as it will take about 10 days to arrive on your door mat.
 
4. Apply for NOVA certificate:
 
Pain in the A** this one, but once through the registration went surprisingly smoothly (Mines an official UK bike, thank f**k).
Firstly visit HMRC, register to use NOVA (notification of vehicle arrival), log in and start making stuff up!
 
The form is designed for people (mainly companies) to notify HMRC of new imports therefore it requires more the type of info not easily available to private persons (or I found this to be the case) things like sales docket number?? Yep I made that up! The form also would not accept KTM AG's VAT number so I imputted that they were not VAT registered! Just do what you need to, to get to the end and hit submit. You will then get a page that says you have submitted an application to HRMC. Wait a couple of hours then give em a ring. You will be pleasantly surprised to find they a eager to help!! I was given desk numbers for the exact person I needed to get hold of, which is good for the civil service. The girl I talked to couldn't have been more helpful, she pulled up my application, told me that there was some VAT warning registered against the bike, proceeded to clear it, and sent me the certificate there and then! Bonus. All very easy if the bike is a UK import and on their system.
 
5. Tinker with the bike to get it road legal:
 
You will need a horn, e marked tyres and a not to loud silencer. No lights needed. Bike needs to be sound as well. Don't bother going to the MOT station with worn bearings, leaks etc.
 
6. Get the bike MOT'd:
 
I would recommend Bournville MOT centre in Blaina. They were bike friendly. My rear light broke off as I was loading it for the MOT. They whacked a day time only advisory on the MOT. Some centers would insist all light removed/taped up to get through on this. Cost £25.
 
7. Get insurance:
 
I used Carole Nash for frame insurance, you have one month to get the registration to them before they cancel the frame cover. Cant buy it over the internet, have to phone them.
 
8. Collate all your docs and fill in the V55/5:
 
Fill in every box it asks for and dont forget the 2nd page. However when you get to the type approval, just put EXEMPT-ENDURO in it. dont bother with all the MSVA details.
You will need:
 
V55/5
Cheque or postal order for tax and registration cost
MOT cert
NOVA cert
Insurance Cert
Proof of address (photocopy)
Photo ID (photocopy)
Proof of age (from KTM) (if you dont mind a Q plate you dont need this)
 
Send it all off and wait, wait ,wait.....resist the temptation to take your bike for a 'spin' it will end in tears.
 
Hope this helps
 
James

Hi, is anyone able to provide any further info regarding the phone numbers of the people it is necessary to speak to? Such as the girl in question that cleared the VAT warning? I'm going out of my mind trying to register my bike and have submitted a notification. Now I just need to speak to someone who can get me to the point where I have a NOVA certificate. Any help would be fantastic, thanks.

I just rang hmrc, they put me through when I told them it was about nova.

I've submitted 2 notifications now, as I filled out the first one in such a way that it required me to provide a copy of the purchase invoice. The second one I have done doesn't require me to do this, which should be a bit easier.

Nope. Not easier. I rang the NOVA number and all I got told was that I needed to email the PTU on some email address, and it will take about a week to get a reply. The guy on the phone is a bit of a gob on legs and hardly let me speak to explain my problem. All I want to do is speak to someone who can go through my notification with me at their end and get me to the point where I have a NOVA certificate, like what happened with the Admin who started this thread.

I did send the PTU an email explaining everything that has got me to this point in the registration/NOVA process. I'm just hoping they actually bother to reply so that I can talk to them about getting this sorted out.

I'm getting so frustrated getting bounced back to the beginning every time I make a call to either the HMRC, NOVA or PTU. The only ones I haven't rang are the DVLA, as they can't do anything about the NOVA notifications, but are probably the only people who would actually take their time to help me if they could.