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

mel123 · 27-04-2006 4:11pm

Buying a Nissan Nevara up in Northern Ireland. What the hell do i actually have to pay...VRT OR VAT @ 21%. Im very confused and finding the ROS website not too helpful and CANT GET THRU ON THE PHONES :mad: If i have to pay VAT at 21% then it isnt that much cheaper to buy up there (bout 5k but then when u think if anything goes wrong with it, servicing, buying plates etc etc). HELP. If i have a VAT number does this help or not??

Edited to say it will be brand new. ps want to go up north this evening so urgent help is appreciated.

Mc-BigE · 27-04-2006 4:24pm

If your registered for vat and its a commerical Vehicle, fax your company letter head showing Irish Vat number to the NI dealer and he should give this to you UK Vat free, the VRT should be 50 euro flat rate (assuming its not a cab crew)
Ring the dealer in N.I. and explain.

There are new laws about Vat purchases outside the state , you must declare it to the Revenue i think.

best to ring the revenue again.

mel123 · 27-04-2006 4:37pm

If i could get anyone to answer the phone in the bloody revenue, its impossible!! So do u think i have to pay VAT @ 21% then when i get down here??

Mc-BigE · 27-04-2006 4:44pm

mel123 wrote:

If i could get anyone to answer the phone in the bloody revenue, its impossible!! So do u think i have to pay VAT @ 21% then when i get down here??

It's a tricky one, just checked the nissan.ie and looks like its a cab crew, which means 13.5% of OSMP (how much the VRT office thinks an irish one worth) not 50 euro flat rate.

normally if private new car with less than 6 months and 6000km you would pay irish VAT but if its commerical it should be the same as buying here ie
you can claim it back.

I suggest wait till you get in contact with revenue B4 travelling.

TheBazman · 28-04-2006 5:08pm

Thinking of importing a 2005 525d or 530d- Is the indication you get on the VRT website fairly accurate (I will ring them for definite when the time comes). The hightest spec that is on that from memory is SE or SPORT, but the one I would be getting has an M-SPORT Pack. There are obviously quite a few extras as well. Is it likely that this will increase the VRT charge significantly or would the charge as per the website for the SPORT pack be a good guide. The last think I want is expecting to pay something like 19k VRT and actually having to pay 22 or23k

Cheers

Slinky> · 08-05-2006 2:01pm

Print out all the quotes you get, I got a quote from the site and purchased a Car on the basis that thats what I would be paying, when the car landed they had doubled the VRT , I had to pay it but once I appealed they refunded it no problem,

If there is a lot of 'interest' in a particular car the VRT seems to go up,

TheBazman wrote:

Thinking of importing a 2005 525d or 530d- Is the indication you get on the VRT website fairly accurate (I will ring them for definite when the time comes). The hightest spec that is on that from memory is SE or SPORT, but the one I would be getting has an M-SPORT Pack. There are obviously quite a few extras as well. Is it likely that this will increase the VRT charge significantly or would the charge as per the website for the SPORT pack be a good guide. The last think I want is expecting to pay something like 19k VRT and actually having to pay 22 or23k

Cheers

ando · 09-05-2006 5:01pm

Hi, I should have really stayed in this topic but I wasnt really able to think straight earlier today, but anyway I'm getting a car from a dealer from the UK:

www.pr-fleet.co.uk

he says the car is going to be reported to be on HPI:

"Please note that your inspection report will highlight the car is on HPI,this is for our security .
Once sold we will remove it from HPI and give you a clear HPi report on delivery."

he says his company is a fleet company, they own all the cars and they all stay on HPI until sold. When I buy the car he says they will give me a cert that will prove its HPI clear .... is this to dodgie?

maidhc · 11-05-2006 8:11pm

Came across this:
http://www.theaa.com/whitelabel/cardatacheck/startcheck_redirect.jsp

It shows you certain details on a car by entering the Reg plate and you can go on and do a background check from there.

Probably mentioned already, but interesting nonetheless!

ando · 15-05-2006 9:51am

I went to London and came back with a new car last Saturday. Its easy enough once you stick to the first post on this thread. It just takes a lot out of you to try organise everything to happen on the one day. The worst part is the Ferry..... so sloooow !

Scotty # · 16-05-2006 11:19pm

Great first post.

Couple of Questions. I'm sure they.ve been covered before but its 14 pages of searching:eek:

1. If I import a car myself and reg it in my name, is there a time limit as to when I can resell it?

2. Do I need ZZ plates or similar?

3. Original poster said he had a link to his website in his sig. but it seems to be gone now. Does anyone know what it is?

kluivert · 17-05-2006 12:23pm

Q1 Has anyone purchased a car from a car supermarket or supersite.
What is the procedures.

Q2 Who is it that you get to have the car checked it said in the OP that get the expensive one? Who are they? AA?

digitaldr · 18-05-2006 9:58pm

Scotty # wrote:

Great first post.

Couple of Questions. I'm sure they.ve been covered before but its 14 pages of searching:eek:

1. If I import a car myself and reg it in my name, is there a time limit as to when I can resell it?

2. Do I need ZZ plates or similar?

3. Original poster said he had a link to his website in his sig. but it seems to be gone now. Does anyone know what it is?

As long as you pay the VRT I think you can sell it straight away. If the car is under 6 months old or has less than a certain mileage (9,000 k I think) you maybe liable for VAT even if you paid it in the UK.

AFAIK ZZ plates haven't been needed for years.

bringoutthegimp · 19-05-2006 5:04pm

Mate of mine just brought in a BMW 320d, and got stung for extras.

I was also stung for extras a few weeks ago on a 325.

Now, get this. The lady in the VRO said that the only brand of cars that they check for extras on are Mercs and BMW's. She said she thought it was a bit of a disgrace herself, and wondered why nobody or more people didn't complain about it!

In my case, the VRO let me glance at a fax or e-mail they received from BMw listing the extras and their 'brand new' value, which they got by sending them the VIN number. I then had to wait a few hours (ended up being a day), while the VRO sent an e-mail/fax/phone to BMW Ireland asking what extras were on car with VIN number XXXXXX when it was sold new.

So perhaps BMW and Mercedes are the only manufacturers co-operating with the VRO on this type of thing, and perhaps they are doing it in order to keep pricing on 2nd hand imports high so as not to have too much of an impact on the domestic 2nd hand market of their models..??

oscarBravo · 19-05-2006 8:05pm

Thought I'd share this: I bought a Saab 9-3 in London a couple of months ago. I had a fair bit of hassle with VRT - they had no statistical code for the vehicle (from which I deduce that I've got the only Saab 9-3 2.0t Eco Auto in the country \o/), so it took the better part of a week to get a VRT figure. When I got it, it seemed ridiculously high - much higher than I had budgeted for when I bought the car.

I did some research, and composed a polite and detailed letter to the CVO appealing the amount. Just today I got a letter from Rosslare telling me I am due a refund of almost €700, which is almost the entire amount I felt I had been overcharged.

Don't you just love it when the government gives you your money back...?

jabaroon · 19-05-2006 9:20pm

bringoutthegimp wrote:

Mate of mine just brought in a BMW 320d, and got stung for extras.

I was also stung for extras a few weeks ago on a 325.

Now, get this. The lady in the VRO said that the only brand of cars that they check for extras on are Mercs and BMW's. She said she thought it was a bit of a disgrace herself, and wondered why nobody or more people didn't complain about it!

In my case, the VRO let me glance at a fax or e-mail they received from BMw listing the extras and their 'brand new' value, which they got by sending them the VIN number. I then had to wait a few hours (ended up being a day), while the VRO sent an e-mail/fax/phone to BMW Ireland asking what extras were on car with VIN number XXXXXX when it was sold new.

So perhaps BMW and Mercedes are the only manufacturers co-operating with the VRO on this type of thing, and perhaps they are doing it in order to keep pricing on 2nd hand imports high so as not to have too much of an impact on the domestic 2nd hand market of their models..??

This is a disgrace. I was thinking of bringing in a BMW, but I dont know now. I am fuming at the discrimination and the wanton RIPOFF while bent over a barrell

chopper06 · 20-05-2006 8:18pm

I have been working on secondment in Scotland for the last few months with an irish company and will be there for another couple. Im not technically a resident of the UK, no NI number or bank account etc as still payed through Ireland but have an address. Im looking to buy a car while im over there but avoid the VRT. Ive read heard that if you own it for six months in the county where you are importing it from from you avoid paying VRT. Im willing to leave it in the UK for awhile to avoid VRT. Can anyone advise? thanks

ando · 22-05-2006 11:50am

Quick question, who do you make the Bank Draft out to when paying for the VRT?

I cant get hold of the VRO office

Moanin · 23-05-2006 11:07am

Make Draft payable to The Revenue Commissioners

spockety · 23-05-2006 11:33pm

I made mine payable to "VRO", and it was grand.

ando · 24-05-2006 5:12pm

i made out most of the money by draft, i was gona pay the rest by credit card but they dont take credit cards ....? idiots I say

drdre · 31-05-2006 1:12am

Hi guys, i wont be on this thread much so please pm me if you can help.thanks

I am looking at buying a mini cooper s from uk, could someone with experience of importing a car from uk please pmme and tellme exactly how its done eg.when i pay in the dealer what paper work is signed,what paper work is required.i will have insurance for bringing it back.

what questions if any are asked at holyhead or dun loaire port.
also whats the process eg 6000km before i get it registered in ireland.

hope someone can help or direct me in the right direction.i am thinking of getting a 05 mini cooper s.(anyone have any relevant sites of where to check out prices or used cars)

thanks in advance.

ando · 31-05-2006 11:50am

drdre wrote:

could someone with experience of importing a car from uk please pmme and tellme exactly how its done eg.when i pay in the dealer what paper work is signed,what paper work is required.i will have insurance for bringing it back.

I've just gone through the whole procedure of buying a second hand car, bar pay the tax, I have to say it was so much easier than I taught it would be. Basically I went over, bought the car, got the V5 cert from the dealer and signed a form confirming he sold the car to me (not sure of the name, I'll get it if you want). I then brought the car over on the ferry, nothing is really said when importing the car at the docks, my car was stopped and the guy at the docks looked in my boot and checked my story out, that was it...

I went to the VRO office in Santry and paid the VRT this morning, all they needed was the V5 cert, and now I have a receipt saying I have an Irish reg, now I just have to pay tax and get insurance transferred onto the new reg

jabaroon · 31-05-2006 8:15pm

drdre wrote:

Hi guys, i wont be on this thread much so please pm me if you can help.thanks

I am looking at buying a mini cooper s from uk, could someone with experience of importing a car from uk please pmme and tellme exactly how its done eg.when i pay in the dealer what paper work is signed,what paper work is required.i will have insurance for bringing it back.

what questions if any are asked at holyhead or dun loaire port.
also whats the process eg 6000km before i get it registered in ireland.

hope someone can help or direct me in the right direction.i am thinking of getting a 05 mini cooper s.(anyone have any relevant sites of where to check out prices or used cars)

thanks in advance.

Are you for real?....

Your too lazy to read the thread and want someone to pick out the key snippets of information that pertain to your situation and summarise for you.

And then when they have summarised it for you, you are too busy to come back to this forum an look for summarised version, you want it PM'd directly to you?

drdre · 31-05-2006 9:39pm

jabaroon wrote:

Are you for real?....

Your too lazy to read the thread and want someone to pick out the key snippets of information that pertain to your situation and summarise for you.

And then when they have summarised it for you, you are too busy to come back to this forum an look for summarised version, you want it PM'd directly to you?

yes some people are kind enough to do that.and i said i hopefully will look back but its SO big that i get lost easily.;)

so come on guys get the pm's coming:p

Santa Claus · 31-05-2006 10:08pm

drdre wrote:

yes some people are kind enough to do that.and i said i hopefully will look back but its SO big that i get lost easily.;)

so come on guys get the pm's coming:p

Just read the first page, most of it is covered in Robertr's post !!!

drdre wrote:

could someone with experience of importing a car from uk please pmme and tellme exactly how its done eg.when i pay in the dealer what paper work is signed,what paper work is required.i will have insurance for bringing it back.

Didn't you mention on another thread that your cousin was a car dealer in the UK and had a few cars for sale ?:rolleyes:

jabaroon · 31-05-2006 10:11pm

drdre wrote:

yes some people are kind enough to do that.and i said i hopefully will look back but its SO big that i get lost easily.;)

so come on guys get the pm's coming:p

</speechless>

Moanin · 31-05-2006 11:13pm

As already said read the first page.Its very simple and a good day out.I did it in Jan imported an A4 and had no hastle.Will do it again its well worth it!

drdre · 02-06-2006 12:17am

McBigE was a great help, also guys anyone recommend any car sites to search cars and get some more info.
thanks

Mc-BigE · 02-06-2006 8:59am

drdre wrote:

McBigE was a great help, also guys anyone recommend any car sites to search cars and get some more info.
thanks

Your welcome Drdre, but nearly everything i told you is in this thread.

I don't understand why you wanted people to PM you, surely the information is relavent to everyone? was surprised someone said that a cousin of yours is a car dealer in the UK, surely he would be the perfect person to help you import a car from the UK?

anyway best of luck.

Mc.

drdre · 02-06-2006 2:05pm

Mc-BigE wrote:

Your welcome Drdre, but nearly everything i told you is in this thread.

I don't understand why you wanted people to PM you, surely the information is relavent to everyone? was surprised someone said that a cousin of yours is a car dealer in the UK, surely he would be the perfect person to help you import a car from the UK?

anyway best of luck.

Mc.

thanks, i said pm me cause i could not find what i wanted on the thread as it was so long.;)

and my cousin does buy and rents cars in uk but he has never exported or imported cars so i donot know.

anyway thanks for the info and i will research more.thanks

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

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