Is CRiS Registration Worth It?

Written by Jack Mitchell in Uncategorized

After purchasing my first caravan, I noticed a few people talking about CRiS registration; discussing whether or not you should CRiS register your caravan. I went away and researched CRiS registration to find out what it was and determine whether it’s worthwhile, leading to the writing of this blog post.

All caravan owners should CRiS register their caravan. There are numerous reasons that you should CRiS register your tourer:

  • Provides proof of ownership when selling your tourer
  • Provides a record of whether the caravan has been reported stolen
  • As a potential buyer, it enables you to check if a tourer has outstanding finance
  • Acts as a deterrent to potential thieves, as the windows are etched

CRiS registration is certainly worth it, particularly when you consider how small a price it is to pay for peace of mind and additional security.

In this blog post, I’m going to explain a bit more about what CRiS registration actually is, how you can find out if your caravan is CRiS registered, how much it actually costs, and what it means to be CRiS registered. If you want to skip ahead, please pick the section you’re interested in from the table of contents below.

Table of Contents:

What is CRiS registration?

CRiS stands for Central Registration & Identification Scheme. But what is CRiS?

According to CRiS.co.uk, ‘CRiS is the national register of UK touring caravan keepers, similar to the DVLA.’

In simple terms, by CRiS registering your caravan, you’re logging all the details of your tourer on a register that is recognised by insurance companies and government organisations alike.

CRiS registration is recognised by regulatory bodies, insurance companies, and government organisations.

CRiS contains lots of information about caravans and their owners. If you CRiS register your caravan and you are its registered owner, this can act as proof of ownership should you ever need it. It’s also worth mentioning that insurers like it when their customers CRiS register their tourer, as it can help to process claims faster and actually acts as a deterrence to potential thieves.

“When a caravan owner takes out an insurance policy they must provide the caravan’s unique CRiS number as it links a caravan to its keeper.” Liz Harrison, PR & Communications Manager at Caravan Guard said.

“It doesn’t affect the insurance premium but the CRiS number or VINChip identification system helps the police to identify a caravan if it was stolen and then recovered. A total loss claim would also not be processed until the CRiS documentation was provided to Caravan Guard.“

CRiS is beneficial for caravan owners in numerous ways.

First and foremost, CRiS makes it easier for you to verify that you own your caravan. If you ever need to prove ownership of your tourer, you can immediately prove you own it with your CRiS documentation. Furthermore, a CRiS check can be performed within mere minutes, giving an alternate method of proving you own your tourer.

Secondly, some insurance companies will only pay out on CRiS registered caravans. This isn’t true of every insurance company, but it’s something you may have missed when signing up for your policy. It’s worth finding out if this is the case and, if so, CRiS register your caravan ASAP.

Lastly, having the caravan registered to you can make it easier to sell in the future. Unfortunately, a large number (around 1,200) of caravans are stolen every single year. As a result, caravan dealers and even private buyers are exhibiting greater awareness when it comes to purchasing caravans. If you’re CRiS registered as the owner of your tourer, it’s a way to quickly and easily prove beyond doubt that you own your ‘van.

How can you find out if a caravan you’re buying is CRiS registered?

If you’re looking into purchasing a second-hand caravan, it’s important to check if it’s CRiS registered. By performing a ‘CRiS Check‘, you can find out if:

  • The caravan has been reported as stolen
  • The caravan was recorded with outstanding finance
  • The caravan has been written off by the insurer
  • The caravan is actually registered to the person you’re purchasing it from

As well as all of the above, a CRiS Check will reveal how many previous keepers of the caravan there have been, the current registered keeper of the vehicle, and the make, model, and age of the tourer.

It’s simple for you to find out if the caravan you’re buying is CRiS registered.

  1. Go to CRiS.co.uk/cris-check/
  2. Select ‘start your CRiS check’
  3. Fill out the form

Once you fill out all the information required on the form, you will be told all the information you need about the ‘van. This is an essential step, particularly when you’re purchasing a second-hand caravan privately.

If you’re purchasing a second-hand caravan from a reputable caravan dealer, you won’t need to get a CRiS check. The dealer will have done all the necessary background checks prior to purchasing the caravan from the previous owner. However, this really is essential if you’re purchasing a second-hand caravan privately.

It’s worth noting here that you will have to pay a small fee for a CRiS Check. At the time of writing, a CRiS Check costs £14.95. For the peace of mind it will provide, however, it’s probably well worth the investment.

How much does CRiS registration cost?

CRiS registration isn’t something that’s free, although most would agree it is worth the money. How much does CRiS registration cost?

CRiS registration costs £15.00. CRiS registration is a one-off fee for the lifetime that you are the keeper of the caravan.

CRiS registration is relatively cheap, especially when you consider the peace of mind that registration offers. On the other hand, some argue that CRiS registration is just a waste of money.

Personally, I think that CRiS registration is something that every caravan owner should complete for their caravan. The cost is a one-off, small fee, offering you a great deal of peace of mind.

I think a big thing to point out here is that some caravan insurers require your tourer to be CRiS registered. If it isn’t, they may not pay out on claims that you make. For the sake of £15.00, this is probably a big enough reason to justify CRiS registering your caravan.

What does it mean to be CRiS registered?

CRiS registration offers additional security for your caravan, protecting your investment and giving you peace of mind.

CRiS is the national register of UK touring caravans and their keepers. As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, it’s very similar to the DVLA; CRiS is the equivalent in the caravan world.

Becoming CRiS registered is advantageous for a multitude of reasons:

  • It’s an easy way of verifying that you own your caravan
  • It aids recovery if your caravan is stolen, because the thief will struggle to sell your caravan and as it’s registered to you, it’s easier to track it down
  • Caravan insurers are more likely to pay out if you make a claim. Some caravan insurers will not pay out at all if your caravan isn’t CRiS registered
  • If you keep your CRiS documents with you, you can verify that you own your caravan no matter where you are in the world. CRiS is recognised Europe-wide

At the end of the day, CRiS registration is very cost-effective and offers an element of security that you wouldn’t have otherwise. For a small, one-off fee of £15.00, you can enjoy all of the benefits listed above.

If you would like to find out more about CRiS, you can visit CRiS.co.uk. Feel free to ask a question in the comments and I’ll happily respond too!

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