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Start by confirming where the vehicle is being held
When a vehicle is seized in the UK, the police or council pound becomes the sole point of contact. If you were stopped at the roadside you will normally have been given a seizure notice with the pound’s details. If not, call the non-emergency police line for the area where the stop happened. Pound staff work strictly to their own timetable, and the usual pattern applies whether you are a UK resident or a visitor: the vehicle normally must be claimed within around seven days and collected within roughly fourteen.
What a pound normally checks for overseas drivers
Holding a foreign licence does not prevent release, but it usually leads to tighter verification. Staff need to confirm three things before anything else happens:
- Your identity, using photographic ID.
- Your link to the vehicle, usually through the V5C or purchase documents.
- That you are entitled to collect the vehicle, either as the registered keeper or someone the keeper has formally authorised.
If the registered keeper is not present, pounds often apply stricter checks. A simple permission note is rarely enough unless the keeper has already spoken to staff and confirmed the arrangement directly.
Your foreign licence and whether you can drive the car away
A foreign licence is normally valid for driving in the UK for a fixed period, but the pound does not decide whether you can use it to drive the car away. That decision sits with the insurer, and a policy suitable for impound release must be issued by an insurer authorised for UK use.
If the insurer will not cover you on your foreign licence, the pound normally cannot allow a road release, even if the licence itself is valid under UK driving rules. This is one of the most common stumbling blocks for visitors.
Why normal temporary insurance usually isn’t enough
Many visitors assume that short-term insurance or international cover from home will be accepted. It usually isn’t. Impound-release insurance is a specific product, and most temporary UK policies exclude seized vehicles entirely. Even where an insurer accepts overseas licences for everyday driving, they may decline cover for a vehicle linked to an impound.
If you are not the registered keeper, the restrictions tighten further. Insurers who provide impound-compatible cover often require the policyholder to be the keeper or someone who can show day-to-day control of the vehicle.
If the vehicle has no MOT or tax
Foreign visitors face the same MOT and tax rules as UK residents. If the vehicle has no MOT, some pounds usually allow a direct drive to a pre booked test if the insurer agrees and you can show the booking. Others insist on recovery instead, especially where the MOT expired long ago.
If the vehicle is untaxed, some sites ask for a tax deposit before a road release. Temporary insurance does not replace tax or give any special exemption for visitors, so the usual UK rules apply.
When a recovery truck becomes the practical option
If insurers decline to issue cover in your name, or the pound is unsure about your licence validity for the intended journey, recovery is normally the simplest route. Pounds usually allow release to a professional recovery operator once the registered keeper has been identified and the fees have been paid.
This avoids the road-use restrictions that apply to driving a seized vehicle away. Once the car is at home or at a workshop, you can arrange MOT work, tax and a more conventional insurance policy if you plan to continue using the vehicle in the UK.
What to do if the vehicle is not registered to you
Many overseas drivers borrow a friend’s or relative’s vehicle, and this creates complications. If the car is not registered in your name, the keeper normally has to attend the pound in person with identification. Pounds do not relax this rule for visitors because confirming who controls the vehicle is a key part of the release process.
If the keeper is abroad or cannot attend, staff may refuse release until they have confirmed the keeper’s identity directly. Procedures vary, but they are generally strict.
Taking a sensible, time-focused approach
Start by confirming the vehicle’s location, gather identification and speak to the pound about what they need from an overseas driver. Then contact a specialist insurer to check whether your licence is acceptable for impound-release cover.
If cover cannot be arranged quickly, arrange recovery so you do not risk missing the usual collection deadline. Once the vehicle is off-site, all other paperwork becomes easier to manage.
Impound processes, time limits and costs vary widely across the UK, and authorities can amend their rules at any time. Information on this site is intended as a general overview and should not be relied on as definitive for any specific impound location.