Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

Battery99 · 12-07-2006 3:57pm

What is stopping people from making money here ?? . I asked this question to my VRO and they said that I would have to give my PPS number when re-reging a car , and the revenue would therefore spot multiple re-reg's in my name and look for income tax etc. Has anybody who does this on a regular basis being contacted by the revenue , do you have to present with a PPS number ????

pa daly · 12-07-2006 7:02pm

Ya my friend is getting letters from the revenue looking for income tax and he only brought in a couple of cars last year and a couple this year.

Suprised nobody mentined this until now!!

Moanin · 12-07-2006 9:29pm

I have already imported a car 6+ months ago for myself but am just wondering if I go over next year to buy a 05 model with MPH insted of KPH, will it affect the resale value when I do go to sell it on? I currently have a 04 1.9tdi Audi A4.It was totally worthwhile buying in the UK, but make sure that you have a good source with genuine stock!

bkehoe · 12-07-2006 10:31pm

I only had to give my PPS number because I paid by cheque. Assumed it was some kind of guarantee in case it bounced?

Battery99 · 13-07-2006 10:43am

If they wanted to guarantee a check would they not look for ID , passport , driving licence , utility bill or something like that . The fact that they are checking a PPS number means that it is been recorded somewhere. I suspect that the revenue could well start cracking down on this like they have on a lot of things lately . I'm suprised that it's all so vague , i.e there seems to be no distiction between a person importing for private use and someone importing for profit.

bkehoe · 13-07-2006 9:01pm

Well if paying by anything other than a cheque, e.g. bank draft, there was no need to supply a PPS number, which is why I assume it is for security purposes.

Kent Brockman · 13-07-2006 10:34pm

Just a quick question.. (there may be an obvious reason that I am not aware of

) but would it not be easier to purchase from N. Ireland rather than travelling to England to pick it up? I am thinking of trying this out (for the first time) and don't want to get caught out. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

Day-wanna-wonga · 14-07-2006 1:43am

Kent Brockman wrote:

Just a quick question.. (there may be an obvious reason that I am not aware of ) but would it not be easier to purchase from N. Ireland rather than travelling to England to pick it up? I am thinking of trying this out (for the first time) and don't want to get caught out. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

It would be, but I found that mainland UK have a much bigger selection at better prices.

netwhizkid · 14-07-2006 11:30am

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

It would be, but I found that mainland UK have a much bigger selection at better prices.

^^ Ditto big time, London is the place to go if you are looking for a decent reasonably priced motor, It's only three and a half hours from Swansea or four and a half from Fishguard. Massive selection and I myself was into cargiant.co.uk in White city there and they have 18 acres of motors, every sort of thing you could nearly want, I nearly bought a Jaguar there but a look on the VRT website and what Brian Cowen would charge in VRT nearly gave me a coronary. I didn't buy there as their cars were too "NEW" as I could not bring myself to pay that much mullah to the Irish Government in illegal VRT charges. I settled for a lovely 1997 BMW which will incur €1,100 VRT rather than the €12K I was quoted for the Jag. F*cking government they really are a thundering disgrace with VRT in this day and age.

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Battery99 · 15-07-2006 7:37am

bkehoe wrote:

Well if paying by anything other than a cheque, e.g. bank draft, there was no need to supply a PPS number, which is why I assume it is for security purposes.

See what you mean

http://www.revenue.ie/services/bus_cust5.htm

5. How can I Pay?

You can pay by bankdraft, money order, or laser debit card. Please note that laser debit card payments are subject to a limit of €1500. Unguaranteed cheques may also be accepted in payment subject to the following conditions:

The payer's name, the name on the cheque and the name of the owner of the vehicle being registered must be the same.

The payers PPS No. must be written on the back of the cheque.

Photographic proof of the payer's identity must be provided, (e.g. passport, driver's licence).

In the interest of you own safety and that of the staff in the VRO we would request that you not offer cash in payment, especially large sums.

Is'nt it amazing that one of the FAQ is'nt ' Am I liable to income tax if I import cars and sell them in Ireland ??? ' , it's all very vague, might try and contact the revenue and find out for sure

Battery99 · 15-07-2006 7:56am

Found this

repeated registrations by a person knowing that such person is not a TAN-holder (Trader Account Number), is not authorised....................Where off-record trading is suspected, Form VRT 30 is to be completed (By the VRO) and forwarded to the Customs & Excise, Enforcement Management Branch, Shelbourne House, Dublin 4

1.18 OFF-RECORD TRADING
Off-record trading (“Black Economy”) involves dealing - in this context - in motor vehicles
by persons (authorised or otherwise) without any or adequate/proper records being
maintained, the purpose of which is to evade the payment of VRT and/or other
appropriate taxes, e.g. VAT, income tax, corporation tax, etc. Such persons may also be
in breach of VRT legislation in other areas, e.g. by failing to register within the prescribed
period or by delivering unregistered vehicles to persons not authorised by the
Commissioners etc. - to mention just two - while still remaining authorised for VRT
purposes. Off-record trading is an offence and, as such, all measures must be taken to
ensure that it is detected and appropriate sanctions imposed on the perpetrators.
In order that this can be done, staff should remain vigilant at all times for any signs of
unusual/suspicious activity on the part of persons with whom they deal, e.g.:
repeated registrations by a person knowing that such person is not a TAN-holder, i.e. is
not authorised;
registration of a vehicle/s where there is a suspicion that the vehicle/s was/were
purchased in the State whether from an authorised person or not134;
advertising unregistered vehicles for sale in newspapers/magazines, at the road-side
etc.
Where off-record trading is suspected, Form VRT 30 is to be completed and forwarded to
the Customs & Excise, Enforcement Management Branch, Shelbourne House, Dublin 4,
following numbering in a local series. A copy should be filed locally.

http://www.revenue.ie/services/foi/s16_2001/vrt_ins.pdf (This PDF file is huge, would'nt download it without broadband)

insane drummer · 23-07-2006 12:04am

right, got a micra as a present from a friend, his 10 year old son would have recked it in a field if he didnt do sumtin with it, and me starting to drive soon, he gave it to me for free, hes a good friend of the family so we know its no ****e or anytin, but the car is from the north and is on the english reg, but one problem, no tax book for the car, or proof of owner ship, the book is LONG lost, any ideas on what steps to take?

Mc-BigE · 24-07-2006 1:42pm

insane drummer wrote:

right, got a micra as a present from a friend, his 10 year old son would have recked it in a field if he didnt do sumtin with it, and me starting to drive soon, he gave it to me for free, hes a good friend of the family so we know its no ****e or anytin, but the car is from the north and is on the english reg, but one problem, no tax book for the car, or proof of owner ship, the book is LONG lost, any ideas on what steps to take?

Cant reg. the car in Ireland without the V5 document, contact the www.DVLA.gov.uk and get the previous owner to forward a duplicate V5 to you.

bbability · 24-07-2006 8:26pm

Just out of curiosity.. are cars in the uk now coming standard with kph rather mph displays?? I thought our neighbours could'nt let go of the MPH thing. They like the £ and the MPH to stay as long as they can I'd say

Tipsy Mac · 25-07-2006 7:27pm

bbability wrote:

Just out of curiosity.. are cars in the uk now coming standard with kph rather mph displays?? I thought our neighbours could'nt let go of the MPH thing. They like the £ and the MPH to stay as long as they can I'd say

No they are all mph still and there's no sign of any change in the future. Most if not all though have the old style kmh smaller within them.

thomasgerard · 27-07-2006 3:49pm

robert,
i have read your posts and found them very useful.

i am an irish student studying and living in the uk for past 2 years and have one more to do. i was considering buying a car in england when i was nearly finished next spring and bring it home to use in ireland.

would the fact that i have an english address be of any an advantage to me re tax charges. also i was considering buying a 1-2 year used car or possible a new one, which would result in greater savings?

i appreciate you may be fed up of replying to all our questions but for what its worth i would be grateful for any advice

Qwerty? · 02-08-2006 4:11pm

Hi I'm importing my brothers car from the UK, (hes giving it to me cheap), just wondering does anyone know what paperwork needs to be complete before bringing it over on the ferry? My parents are driving it home for me, will customs be looking for anything? I know I have to bring it to the VRO (and give them 1050 - almost as much as he wants for the car:mad: ) but still a good bargain as it's in great nick.

Thanks in advance.

netwhizkid · 02-08-2006 10:51pm

Qwerty? wrote:

Hi I'm importing my brothers car from the UK, (he's giving it to me cheap), just wondering does anyone know what paperwork needs to be complete before bringing it over on the ferry? My parents are driving it home for me, will customs be looking for anything? I know I have to bring it to the VRO (and give them 1050 - almost as much as he wants for the car:mad: ) but still a good bargain as it's in great nick.

Thanks in advance.

Make sure you bring the V5 (also known as Tax book or Log book) this is what it looks like, otherwise you will have to get a Certificate of Permanent export from the local Dvla office in the UK if you are over there (they will issue you one if you can go in, if per say the log book is missing)

if you have the Logbook then attach the piece with notification of permanent Export and fill it up and send it into the DVLA to the address in Swansea. This will tell them you are taking the car out of the country but they will not issue a Certificate of Permanent Export unless you fill up a different form, providing you have the log book you won't need the Certificate of Permanent Export.

You will need either the Logbook or a Certificate of Permanent Export to pay the VRT here. If you are sailing the car home yourself then you will also need something to prove to the Police/Ferry Security that you have bought the car from your brother (so they won't think you stole it!!) I was asked for this in Swansea before getting on the Cork ferry and I had to produce my passport and the receipt of the car from the car dealer from whom I bought it from in London. They waved me right on and were happy with it.

To the best of my knowledge all this advice I have given is correct having just imported my BMW 6 weeks ago from the UK. anyone who has anything to add or to correct me feel free to, This thread is an invaluable tool and has proved super handy to many people.

You can get a VRT quote for the car you are importing here

daveg · 04-08-2006 9:23am

Quick question for you all. A mate of mine's brother is working in the UK at the moment. Could he buy a car in the UK, store it in a lockup. Bring it home after 6 months (or whatever the minimum period is), register it for free and then "sell" it to my mate, his brother?

Mc-BigE · 04-08-2006 12:55pm

daveg wrote:

Quick question for you all. A mate of mine's brother is working in the UK at the moment. Could he buy a car in the UK, store it in a lockup. Bring it home after 6 months (or whatever the minimum period is), register it for free and then "sell" it to my mate, his brother?

Your Mate's brother, would need to prove to the VRT office that he owned/run/insured/taxed the car for 6 months (I think, maybe more) in the UK and be a UK resistant i.e. house/rent/elect/phone, then he must prove that he is returning to Ireland for good with the car, so ferry ticket, last UK pay slip,
Etc.
Your mate’s brother can’t sell the car to his brother for 1 year after import.

Sounds like your brothers mate needs to come home for good for it to work.

The VRT office has seen/heard it all before and would require proof of the above. Otherwise we all would be doing it:)

Rew · 04-08-2006 4:06pm

Possibly a stupid question but whats the best way to find someone to do an inspection?

Qwerty? · 06-08-2006 7:55pm

netwhizkid wrote:

Make sure you bring the V5 (also known as Tax book or Log book) this is what it looks like, otherwise you will have to get a Certificate of Permanent export from the local Dvla office in the UK if you are over there (they will issue you one if you can go in, if per say the log book is missing)

Thanks for that, Netwhizkid. Planning on bringing it over the week after next. V5 form is in the post.

Bluehair · 07-08-2006 12:23am

Rew wrote:

Possibly a stupid question but whats the best way to find someone to do an inspection?

AA or RAC, expensive but worth it and they'll phone you with a sumerised report before emailing/posting you the detailed version.

daveg · 08-08-2006 10:55am

Mc-BigE wrote:

Your Mate's brother, would need to prove to the VRT office that he owned/run/insured/taxed the car for 6 months (I think, maybe more) in the UK and be a UK resistant i.e. house/rent/elect/phone, then he must prove that he is returning to Ireland for good with the car, so ferry ticket, last UK pay slip,
Etc.
Your mate’s brother can’t sell the car to his brother for 1 year after import.

Sounds like your brothers mate needs to come home for good for it to work.

The VRT office has seen/heard it all before and would require proof of the above. Otherwise we all would be doing it:)

Thanks for the info. Will pass it on...

Kent Brockman · 15-09-2006 6:00pm

Kent Brockman wrote:

Just a quick question.. (there may be an obvious reason that I am not aware of ) but would it not be easier to purchase from N. Ireland rather than travelling to England to pick it up? I am thinking of trying this out (for the first time) and don't want to get caught out. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

Bought an Audi A4, top condition with all the bells and whistles. Sold the wifes Punto, happy as pig in sh1t.
Thanks to all posters here who gave advice etc. Have 27.5k worth of car for 22k (all in)and got 6k for punto:D

kelzer · 17-09-2006 10:27pm

Hi, have a question about reregistering my car that I can't seem to get any info on.

I'll be moving down to Dublin soon from Belfast and plan to reregister my car and avail of the 6 months VRT exemption rule. Have been looking at form C&E 1077 (Exemption from VRT form) I've noticed theres a part at the end of the form (Official use only) where there is a tick box to show evidence for disposal of property abroad.

Does this mean that VRT exemption doesn't apply if you move to ireland permanently but still have a property abroad? Or is that box there just as an option for the VRO office to tick? I probably wont have my house sold before I reregister my car in Dublin and wondering will the VRO not accept my application?

ian5229 · 09-10-2006 7:28pm

I have a slightly different question:

I am currently resident in Ireland but will move to the UK in the next 6 months. I don't have a UK address. I want to buy a car over there now, drive it around here for the next 6 months and then bring the car over with me when I move.

I rang the tax office and they said there is no way of paying the VRT now and then reclaiming it when I leave again with my car.

Would I risk impounding if I just ignore VRT and drive around on english reg for the 6 months ?
If I buy the car for export in the UK how will I get it back on the English system when I move back ?
I have a friend with a UK address, would it be better to get the car registered in the UK under her name and then just take it abroad ? If I did that, would I be able to insure it here ?

I know that the easy answer to all this is to just wait until I move but my current car just doesn't compare to the BMW 318i 2.0 coupe I've got my eye on. Paying the 8000+ euro VRT for 6 months use just isn't sensible !

any ideas ?

macplaxton · 09-10-2006 11:16pm

If you can't wait, you'd really have to bend the rules. You won't be buying it for export as such because you'd be miles better off paying 17.5% UK VAT on it than paying IRL VRT & VAT. Keep it UK registered. You could register it in your own name, but under her address. If you use her name, you'd start complicating things with the insurance, even being a named driver. All the V5 shows is the registered keeper (not necessarily the legal owner - the UK government doesn't give a monkeys who owns the car, just who to send the bills to). You won't be able to insure it in the Republic as it'll be on UK plates. If you are planning on returning to Ireland, in at least six months after you bought it, you'd be exempt from paying VRT if you keep it for at least a year.

It would have to be registered in the UK under a UK address.

You would need to get it taxed and insured in the UK under that address

You'll have to find an insurer prepared to accept an EU licence without loading too much

Will give you more than 30 days EU cover (e.g. 180 days) without fleecing you lots If you're the type of driver who can keep your nose clean and keep your head down, I'd doubt the Revenue would come looking for you. Start rubbing it in their face and they'll be after you!

Disclaimer - the above does not constitute definite advice, do your own homework and weigh-up the pros and cons. Best sit and wait, as six months isn't all that long in the grand scheme of things.

MacP

Mc-BigE · 10-10-2006 9:10am

Would you be better off buying a 1 or 2 year old car in the UK, some deprecation will already be done, and you don't have to worry about the VAT problem over here. Because if a garda stops you and you have no UK address, then you are an Irish Resident (assuming you don't have a British accent!) and would have to pay VRT probably within 7 days of getting caught, and if your driving a say 4 month old car at the time, you'll also have to pay VAT, and you won't be able to claim it back.

Maybe if you're caught, it will be a lot cheaper than 8000VRT to book a ferry to UK, store the car in your friends address and fly home.
you could get a private Taxi for the remainder of the time here:D than pay the VRT!

Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

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