3. There shall be inserted after regulation 10—
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(1) and in Article 2 of Council Directive 92/61/EEC relating to the type-approval of two or three-wheeled motor vehicles(2).
(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(3) 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.”.
OJ No. L 42, 32.2.1970, p. 1; the Directive was last amended by Commission Directive 98/14/EC (OJ No. L 91, 25.3.1998, p. 1).
OJ No. L 225, 10.8.92, p. 72.
OJ No. L 138, 1.6.1999, p. 60.