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

bazz26 · 14-04-2019 2:25pm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Has anyone brought in a car from the uk without a v5c and successfully vrt'd it? I'll have an invoice and bill of sale from the dealer. The dealer has applied for a replacement in the meantime but it certainly won't have arrived by the time I collect.

They will not VRT it without the v5c so don't waste your time. Defer collecting until the dealer gets the new v5c.

SmartinMartin · 14-04-2019 8:23pm

Thanks folks. I'm afraid I have no choice at this stage. I'll just have to trust the dealer to forward it on to me, as the dvla no longer post outside the UK.

michellie · 14-04-2019 8:32pm

Isambard wrote: »

you'll have to wait and could incur penalties. I suppose you could book it in and turn up with no V5C They'll send you away but possibly you might avoid the penalties?

This wont avoid penalties.

Have you/ the dealer a copy of it smartinmartin? If so they can start the process with that (it just wont be completed until you have the original)

shanev13 · 14-04-2019 8:32pm

Tried to make VRT appointment at 3 locations, but nothing available.

Should I just keep trying?

Thanks!

michellie · 14-04-2019 8:34pm

shanev13 wrote: »

Tried to make VRT appointment at 3 locations, but nothing available.

Should I just keep trying?

Thanks!

Appointments will be up on the system Monday/tues for the wk starting 29th April.

Keep an eye tomorrow cancelled appointments go live as soon as they're cancelled

domrush · 14-04-2019 8:34pm

how do ye deal with warranties lads? Obviously a UK warranty is f*ck all use to a car in Ireland, do you try and knock a bit off the price in return for no warranty?

revoke12 · 14-04-2019 8:34pm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Thanks folks. I'm afraid I have no choice at this stage. I'll just have to trust the dealer to forward it on to me, as the dvla no longer post outside the UK.

Would you try getting a new invoice with date you receive new v5 I think that’s how you could avoid penalty once your invoice is within 30 days of the vrt date it would be an option

revoke12 · 14-04-2019 8:36pm

shanev13 wrote: »

Tried to make VRT appointment at 3 locations, but nothing available.

Should I just keep trying?

Thanks!

Happened me last week and I went on the next day and loads dates and times popped up keep checking every day

revoke12 · 14-04-2019 8:36pm

domrush wrote: »

how do ye deal with warranties lads? Obviously a UK warranty is f*ck all use to a car in Ireland, do you try and knock a bit off the price in return for no warranty?

If Northern Ireland most garages cover down south. But if uk would try get money off for no warranty

Marcusm · 14-04-2019 11:44pm

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Thanks folks. I'm afraid I have no choice at this stage. I'll just have to trust the dealer to forward it on to me, as the dvla no longer post outside the UK.

I’d be very wary; the V5C is never issued in a dealer’s name so I fail to understand how he could arrange for it to be issued.

wassie · 15-04-2019 9:29am

revoke12 wrote: »

Would you try getting a new invoice with date you receive new v5 I think that’s how you could avoid penalty once your invoice is within 30 days of the vrt date it would be an option

When faced with a similar situation, I considered taking the car back out of the country by ferry and 're-importing' it, resetting the clock. Again only worth while if size of the penalty justifies the time & expense to do so. Also I would suggest booking two separate one way trips as opposed to a return journey.

WolfForager · 17-04-2019 3:21pm

Question for ye gents.

Am currently living in the UK and working for an Irish company on a project basis, current project is finishing up in October/November and may or may not get moved to another project over here, could end up back home.

I'm thinking of buying a car now so that I'll have it for at least 6 months in case I do end up moving home. For all intensive purposes I am living in the UK however, while I get paid in sterling into a UK bank account and have a tenancy agreement over here, the address on my payslip is in Ireland and I pay PRSI instead of NI (PAYE is UK). Is this enough to avoid having to pay VRT if I had to bring the car home before the end of the year?

Understand it's a bit of a unique question, but if anyone has any ideas based on past experience or hearing similar accounts, would greatly appreciate it.

(Also to note I have no dependents back home and my address is my parent's address).

Squidgy Black · 17-04-2019 7:13pm

WolfForager wrote: »

Question for ye gents.

Am currently living in the UK and working for an Irish company on a project basis, current project is finishing up in October/November and may or may not get moved to another project over here, could end up back home.

I'm thinking of buying a car now so that I'll have it for at least 6 months in case I do end up moving home. For all intensive purposes I am living in the UK however, while I get paid in sterling into a UK bank account and have a tenancy agreement over here, the address on my payslip is in Ireland and I pay PRSI instead of NI (PAYE is UK). Is this enough to avoid having to pay VRT if I had to bring the car home before the end of the year?

Understand it's a bit of a unique question, but if anyone has any ideas based on past experience or hearing similar accounts, would greatly appreciate it.

(Also to note I have no dependents back home and my address is my parent's address).

If you can prove you were a resident in the UK for more than 6 months, so utility bills, rental agreement, bank statements showing that you were paid into a UK bank and regular transactions in the UK for day to day living, you might get away with it.

The only issue is if they look for payslips/P60 and see that you were technically still an Irish resident under revenue as you were paying prsi and presumably registered as an Irish employee by your job (given the address and under Irish tax system), but once you have the rest of the information they might overlook that...

Marcusm · 17-04-2019 7:22pm

Squidgy Black wrote: »

If you can prove you were a resident in the UK for more than 6 months, so utility bills, rental agreement, bank statements showing that you were paid into a UK bank and regular transactions in the UK for day to day living, you might get away with it.

The only issue is if they look for payslips/P60 and see that you were technically still an Irish resident under revenue as you were paying prsi and presumably registered as an Irish employee by your job (given the address and under Irish tax system), but once you have the rest of the information they might overlook that...

6 months abroad is not sufficient, the OP needs to have established his normal residence abroad and have owned the car there for 6 months. The OP mentioning that he continues to pay PRSI rather than NIC implies he is on secondment to the UK for a period that was anticipated to be less than 2 years. One of the conditions for establishing normal residence abroad when on secondment is that the initial transfer was intended to be longer than 12 months. If this is the case and it actually exceeds 12 months and the OP owns the car abroad for more than 6 months then I would expect TOR relief to be available.

WolfForager · 17-04-2019 7:35pm

Thanks guys. Yes, correct I am on secondment in the UK and paid through the UK branch of the company. I've been resident in the UK with proof of address, bank statements (showing day to day use) since Dec 2017, so will be coming close to 2 years by the time I move back. I will hopefully have also owned the car for 6 months by that time too.

Uriel. · 18-04-2019 12:27am

Looking at buying a 2017 hyundai from a hyundai dealer in UK. Dealer car is just over 20k miles and has had 10k amd 20k service history and dealer has 100 point inspection and said they are happy provide copy of report for review. Also giving usual one year guarantee etc.

In those circumstances do you think it is worth spending the money on a RAC etc. Comprehensive assesment?

Dealer only willing to do a 48 hour hold on the car with a small refundable deposit.

wassie · 18-04-2019 3:25pm

Sounds like the dealer is leading you up the garden path from what you have said.

AFAIK, Hyundai has a 5 year pan-european warranty (unlimited km) that should apply to a 2017 vehicle (subject normal requirements such as servicing) sold originally through a dealership. Just check all services have been carried out as scheduled - telephone the actual dealer where it was serviced to confirm for peace of mind (if different from the selling dealership).

This also means the "1 year guarantee" is a load of bollocks as it will still be under manufacturers warranty period! I also wouldn't be too concerned with the RAC inspection given the warranty - but again, others may prefer the peace of mind to avoid hassles in the first place.

As for the "100 point inspection" - thats pretty comprehensive.....

Does it have a rear view mirror.........check
Do the doors open..........................check
Is there 4 wheels...........................check
+97 other useful items.

I wouldn't be paying a deposit either. Chances are the car will still be available and if you pay a deposit you are in a weaker position to negotiate. Remember negotiating isnt just on price - with a late model car probably not much wriggle room for the dealer, so look for extras to get value such as a full tank of fuel or a service if its due in the book.

And any notion that a deposit is fully refundable is laughable. When they have your few quid, especially knowing your from over the sea, they know they have got you. No one 'lawyers up' over a couple hundred quid. You either don't buy the car and lose your dough, or you feel obligated to go through with the sale.

Unless its a spectacular deal, there will always be another one available. Dealers love to suggest the notion of scarcity of cars. Reality - in 2017 Hyundai sold 93,403 in UK!

Tread your own path!

Uriel. · 18-04-2019 7:25pm

wassie wrote: »

Sounds like the dealer is leading you up the garden path from what you have said.

AFAIK, Hyundai has a 5 year pan-european warranty (unlimited km) that should apply to a 2017 vehicle (subject normal requirements such as servicing) sold originally through a dealership. Just check all services have been carried out as scheduled - telephone the actual dealer where it was serviced to confirm for peace of mind (if different from the selling dealership).

This also means the "1 year guarantee" is a load of bollocks as it will still be under manufacturers warranty period! I also wouldn't be too concerned with the RAC inspection given the warranty - but again, others may prefer the peace of mind to avoid hassles in the first place.

As for the "100 point inspection" - thats pretty comprehensive.....

Does it have a rear view mirror.........check
Do the doors open..........................check
Is there 4 wheels...........................check
+97 other useful items.

I wouldn't be paying a deposit either. Chances are the car will still be available and if you pay a deposit you are in a weaker position to negotiate. Remember negotiating isnt just on price - with a late model car probably not much wriggle room for the dealer, so look for extras to get value such as a full tank of fuel or a service if its due in the book.

And any notion that a deposit is fully refundable is laughable. When they have your few quid, especially knowing your from over the sea, they know they have got you. No one 'lawyers up' over a couple hundred quid. You either don't buy the car and lose your dough, or you feel obligated to go through with the sale.

Unless its a spectacular deal, there will always be another one available. Dealers love to suggest the notion of scarcity of cars. Reality - in 2017 Hyundai sold 93,403 in UK!

Tread your own path!

Thanks for that feedback much appreciated. Much of it is as I was thinking myself.

I'll be asking dealer for a copy of the service history at the 10k and 20k mark. Think I will do RAC inspection anyway for peace of mind.

Will specifically ask about the manufacturer warranty. Good heads up on that.

While he wouldn't move on price, he did say a full tank of fuel would be provided..

Youre right there's another 10 of the particular speced vehicle for sale in UK at the moment from other dealers and generally they're are all within 700quid for for same year and varying mileage.

Uriel. · 22-04-2019 12:02pm

Quick one for anyone who has used transferwise.

Need to do two possibly three transfers over next 3 days due to Irish Bank daily transfer limits.

Never used transferwise before so just wanted to check this very basic question:
In my transferwise account I have a GB pound account which has its own sort code and bank account number etc.

When transferring from my own Irish bank do I transfer, for example, 10k euro to that GBP TW account using account number etc.

Or

Do I first setup a Euro TW account on my profile and transfer from Irish bank to TW euro account and then transfer the amount from my TW euro account to my TW GPB account?

Thanks.

bfa1509 · 22-04-2019 5:47pm

Uriel. wrote: »

Quick one for anyone who has used transferwise.

Need to do two possibly three transfers over next 3 days due to Irish Bank daily transfer limits.

Never used transferwise before so just wanted to check this very basic question:
In my transferwise account I have a GB pound account which has its own sort code and bank account number etc.

When transferring from my own Irish bank do I transfer, for example, 10k euro to that GBP TW account using account number etc.

Or

Do I first setup a Euro TW account on my profile and transfer from Irish bank to TW euro account and then transfer the amount from my TW euro account to my TW GPB account?

Thanks.

I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference but I think it would be safer to setup a euro account and transfer it to this then convert it to sterling. It's quicker to transfer to another euro account and the conversion on transferwise is instant.

shanev13 · 23-04-2019 12:23am

Think I asked here about changing Speedometer from Miles to KM, for a car brought across from UK?

Any ideas please?

(This is an honest question. I do NOT want to "clock" the car)

wassie · 23-04-2019 11:07am

Have you already imported it - AFAIK when I last looked into doing this it is cheaper to get it done in the UK, but there are a couple of places.
also here in Dublin. Google Speedo Dial Conversions. I never went ahead as I ended up investing in a top end satnav, as I preferred the accurate speedo readings from it.

Uriel. · 23-04-2019 11:34am

shanev13 wrote: »

Think I asked here about changing Speedometer from Miles to KM, for a car brought across from UK?

Any ideas please?

(This is an honest question. I do NOT want to "clock" the car)

If its an electronic dash you'd need to speak with manufacturer dealer to see if a firmware change is doable. Experience seems to suggest that there's a reluctance, possibly even a complete barrier to doing so.

If it's mechanical then the post from wassie should lead you in the right direction

cpoh1 · 23-04-2019 5:12pm

Quick one RE: NCT.

Imported a car for my sister a while back which was off the road and she NCT'd the other day. Car was first registered in Jan 2011 and imported from the UK in Aug 2018 with VRT paid.

When she got her NCT cert is expires in Aug 2020. Surely the cert should go to Jan 2021 to match the original registration date of the car rather than the date of import?

SD7792 · 23-04-2019 6:12pm

bazz26 wrote: »

It's very difficult to get an insurance company here to start a policy on a UK registered car you are importing. They will have no problem transferring an existing policy over to a UK plate until you have it re-registered but when you don't already have a policy of your own they tend to shoot you down. Try ringing insurance companies but expect to be met with resistance.

Options maybe to get the car transported over from the UK to your door (costs about €500), then pay VRT, put Irish plates on it and then insure it.
or
Get somebody with an existing insurance policy to travel with you, transfer their policy temporarily over to the UK car and drive it home for you.

Hi all,

Having the same issue as the above. If I got somebody else who has the 'Driving Other Cars' cover to drive the car back would this be sufficient? Obviously would have to read the small print to be sure but just wondering if anyone has any experience doing this?

Cheers

bazz26 · 23-04-2019 7:23pm

Driving other cars or third party extension may not be sufficient cover on a foreign reg car especially driving it back through the UK. The other person would need to check with their insurance company but they may need to transfer their current policy over onto the UK car temporarily until it is driven back home.

The alternative would be to have a transport company collect it in the UK and deliver it to your door.

michellie · 23-04-2019 8:37pm

cpoh1 wrote: »

Quick one RE: NCT.

Imported a car for my sister a while back which was off the road and she NCT'd the other day. Car was first registered in Jan 2011 and imported from the UK in Aug 2018 with VRT paid.

When she got her NCT cert is expires in Aug 2020. Surely the cert should go to Jan 2021 to match the original registration date of the car rather than the date of import?

So it was tested August 2018 and she got 2 years from then? That's correct.

wassie · 23-04-2019 11:38pm

bazz26 wrote: »

The alternative would be to have a transport company collect it in the UK and deliver it to your door.

By far a much easier solution I would have thought also.

RIALTO1 · 24-04-2019 8:40am

Sorry if already asked (multiple times I expect), but besides Revolut, what options are available for transferring GBP on a Saturday. I have been onto Currencyfair, and while I can send in EUR and raise the GBP in advance, they are saying it takes one day to transfer GBP, and they don't "cover" weekends, whereas I would be looking to do it same day, on a Saturday.

Many thanks

cpoh1 · 24-04-2019 10:11am

michellie wrote: »

So it was tested August 2018 and she got 2 years from then? That's correct.

Imported, registered and VRT'd in Aug 2018, off the road until recently and tested april 2019 and NCT cert valid until Aug 2020.

My question: Shouldnt the NCT valid and due daten run from original date of registration/manufacture and not the import date? Thats how its worked on my previous imports.

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

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