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

mmm11

Hi folks,

Have some Q about VRT.

I moved over here in late 2015 originally on a temp basis with my car that i have owned since 2013. I ended up studying here in 2017/18 and then was in employment here on fixed term contracts. Unsure how much longer I will stay so must register the car.

I'm planning to register the car here in my partner's name. We will return to UK for a week and I will transfer ownership then. Only issue is that my name would be on the (old) V5C that would be presented at NCT. Would that be looked into? Or should it be ok if all documents are in place?

Also, just wondering if there are any checks conducted to see how long the vehicle has been in the state?

Thanks in advance for the help.

paddypow123

Yes I believe it does add another owner to the car each time it's registered in a new name. For me I don't care I just want to be legally able to drive the car I bought.

PaulKK

Saw a few questions re cargiant and happy to share my experience on buying a car there recently in case it helps someone.

Firstly, I prepared the week prior to travel by getting my revolut account in order. By that I mean getting your fund source verified so that they don't restrict your account when you lodge a large sum.

Next, I booked a Ryanair flight to Gatwick for 18 quid and a flexible ticket for the ferry in fishgaurd at 23:45 that night. I also booked the train from Gatwick to Willesden junction (one change at Clapham junction). Google maps knows the platforms.

In the week leading up to the travel, I had selected 3 cars of interest in cargiant with a couple of backup options and booked a test drive on the cargiant website for the cars.

A couple of days prior I topped up revolut via my BOI visa debit - 25k transaction limit on that card and no issue with revolut. I then converted it to sterling with no problem.

24 hours prior to travel, I called cargiant and they allow you to reserve the car you booked provided no one else has booked a test drive. They also can tell you details of prior services, if they have the v5, 2 keys etc

A bus to Dublin airport at 02:20 and I was on the way.

All went well and I arrived 10 mins prior to opening at cargiant. I was approached by a salesman on the way in who asked if I was ok and said he would get keys etc for me after their morning brief.

I went ahead once they opened and looked at the cars.

Firstly - the place is massive. There is serious choice here.

Now for the bit you need to be careful of. The car I had picked was a 2016 with 42k miles. It was probably on the cheaper end of examples for that year but as soon as I viewed it I wasnt happy with it. Rusty brake calipers, sand under the bonnet, mark on the front bumper etc. I immediately dismissed it.

I probably went through 5 other cars with various issues. No service history, 1 key, no v5.

I did however end up buying one that I had initially identified on my list of 3, a 2015 with 25k miles. You get to take the car key and have a good look yourself for as long as you like. Start the car etc and also an accompanied test drive at low speed around an industrial estate.

The salesperson goes through all the details of the car. Outlines all the facts and makes sure you are happy to proceed. They do try and upsell superguard etc but I politely declined.

Upon agreement to buy they require a 200 pound deposit. I attempted to pay by revolut card but their machines do not take it. So instead I paid by bank transfer from revolut.

Cargiant require time to do a pre delivery prep and inspection so the earliest I could take the car was going to be 1.5 hours. The salesperson booked that delivery slot and went to bring the car over for me. On the way back he confirmed that the bank transfer went through and I sent the balance over again via revolut. At this point I also phoned my insurance company to update my policy and I booked a vrt appointment too.

I then headed out to get some lunch down the road as the giant diner didn't like my revolut card and I didn't bother bringing any sterling cash.

Approx 20 mins prior to my collection time I got a call to say they had discovered an issue with the reversing camera. Ultimately they fixed this problem by replacing the boot handle which I thought was good service, and they had also mentioned that if it wasn't possible to fix that day I could get it fixed in Ireland and they would pay for it. This delayed me by about an hour and 20 mins. During the handover of the documents I taxed the car using the v5 information and paid on revolut.

All good so far and I hit the road at 15:50. They don't put much diesel in the car so I lobbed 70 pounds worth into the car and headed for fishgaurd.

Traffic was a nightmare and I did the journey non stop in just under 6 hours, arriving to fishgaurd at about 21:40. I highly recommend the cabins on the ferry to get some kip.

After arriving home the following morning all was good. I did notice that one of the tyres had a slit in the sidewall, contacted cargiant about it and they have paid me for a replacement tyre (210 euro). So overall my experience was positive.


In summary on cargiant:

- do your research, have multiple options you are happy to go with
- check the car over fully, you get plenty of time, no pressure to buy
- they have LOTS of cars but some of them are in poor condition, make sure you call them and ask them lots of questions
- they are very used to Irish buyers, I didn't even have to prompt to get the full v5
- aftersales appears to be top notch, based on my tyre experience
- for Irish buyers I think the best option is revolut bank transfer, it processes in about 5 mins

Isambard

paddypow123 wrote: »

Yes I believe it does add another owner to the car each time it's registered in a new name. For me I don't care I just want to be legally able to drive the car I bought.

what else can you do? It's in limbo currently not registered anywhere.best of luck sorting it out

Marcusm

mmm11 wrote: »

Hi folks,

Have some Q about VRT.

I moved over here in late 2015 originally on a temp basis with my car that i have owned since 2013. I ended up studying here in 2017/18 and then was in employment here on fixed term contracts. Unsure how much longer I will stay so must register the car.

I'm planning to register the car here in my partner's name. We will return to UK for a week and I will transfer ownership then. Only issue is that my name would be on the (old) V5C that would be presented at NCT. Would that be looked into? Or should it be ok if all documents are in place?

Also, just wondering if there are any checks conducted to see how long the vehicle has been in the state?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Temporary = no requirement to reregister
Student = no requirement to reregister

When did you cease being a student and decide to live here full time. You may be entitled to a ToR exemption but your (presumably) Irish partner would not.

paddypow123

Can anyone answer my question above on reimporting a car from UK to ni. Is it allowed? Or who I can ask to find this out.

Mynameistom

Upon agreement to buy they require a 200 pound deposit. I attempted to pay by revolut card but their machines do not take it. So instead I paid by bank transfer from revolut.

Hi PaulKK,

in relation to the above, do you mean you had to pay using the App because the card wouldnt work ?

and is it just a standard card you have or do you have premium or metal ? is there any real advantage to having the premium or metal does anyone know ?

thanks in advance

mmm11

Marcusm wrote: »

Temporary = no requirement to reregister
Student = no requirement to reregister

When did you cease being a student and decide to live here full time. You may be entitled to a ToR exemption but your (presumably) Irish partner would not.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Below is a rough timeline. I don't think I could get TOR as I was working here before studying and didn't register the car straight away.


Came over in Sept 2015 - car was in UK for 5 weeks in 2016 but I was still employed in Ireland

Came back to ireland and worked here until I studied

Studied from sept 2017 til sept 2018

1 year fixed term post straight after until aug 2019

Now on 2 year fixed term

aodomhnaill

Here’s a bit of an aside but worth a mention, how can you register a car in ROI on 20th of Sept and tax it on 22nd of Sept yet your “annual” tax expires on August 31st? How many cars are on the road that essentially lose a months tax if taxed later in the month for the first time. How hard is it to put the day and month on it like an insurance?

Whocare

Hi picking up a car tomorrow in Birmingham it will cost 30£ to tax it can any of that be claimed back

mgn

aodomhnaill wrote: »

Here’s a bit of an aside but worth a mention, how can you register a car in ROI on 20th of Sept and tax it on 22nd of Sept yet your “annual” tax expires on August 31st? How many cars are on the road that essentially lose a months tax if taxed later in the month for the first time. How hard is it to put the day and month on it like an insurance?

That, and charge you extra if only tax it for 3 or 6 months at a time.

pablo128

Whocare wrote: »

Hi picking up a car tomorrow in Birmingham it will cost 30£ to tax it can any of that be claimed back

30 quid.:pac:

I had to pay 60 quid odd to tax a car yesterday for a 2 hour drive to the ferry and a 2 hour drive from Belfast to Dublin.

Bear in mind Gardai can check if a UK car is taxed, which it should be if you are driving it here. I tried to book an inspection today and there's no available dates. I am on a list in case a slot pops up. She said the earliest I will hear from them is next week.

Debub

pablo128 wrote: »

30 quid.:pac:

I had to pay 60 quid odd to tax a car yesterday for a 2 hour drive to the ferry and a 2 hour drive from Belfast to Dublin.

Bear in mind Gardai can check if a UK car is taxed, which it should be if you are driving it here. I tried to book an inspection today and there's no available dates. I am on a list in case a slot pops up. She said the earliest I will hear from them is next week.

keep trying online, slots do open up - I was told 2 weeks, but got a slot the very next day 4 days away

PaulKK

Mynameistom wrote: »

Upon agreement to buy they require a 200 pound deposit. I attempted to pay by revolut card but their machines do not take it. So instead I paid by bank transfer from revolut.

Hi PaulKK,

in relation to the above, do you mean you had to pay using the App because the card wouldnt work ?

and is it just a standard card you have or do you have premium or metal ? is there any real advantage to having the premium or metal does anyone know ?

thanks in advance

Bank transfer from app. I paid for one month premium as the amount I converted was over the free limit.

Also since there is no transaction fee with premium it more than paid for itself.

pablo128

Debub wrote: »

keep trying online, slots do open up - I was told 2 weeks, but got a slot the very next day 4 days away

I'll do that. Thanks very much for the heads up.

Marcusm

mmm11 wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Below is a rough timeline. I don't think I could get TOR as I was working here before studying and didn't register the car straight away.


Came over in Sept 2015 - car was in UK for 5 weeks in 2016 but I was still employed in Ireland

Came back to ireland and worked here until I studied

Studied from sept 2017 til sept 2018

1 year fixed term post straight after until aug 2019

Now on 2 year fixed term

Your position is not that clearcut given that you were in Ireland for 2 years working prior to beginning to study. When did you get together with partner? Did you still have more personal ties in the UK prior to September 2018 meaning that you could assert temporary until then.

I wouldn't be too hopeful.

pablo128

PaulKK wrote: »

Bank transfer from app. I paid for one month premium as the amount I converted was over the free limit.

Also since there is no transaction fee with premium it more than paid for itself.

I don't know how much the premium costs but I paid a fee of 26.60 euro to buy 10k Sterling. The total was 11330 euro. That was on Tuesday evening.

PaulKK

pablo128 wrote: »

I don't know how much the premium costs but I paid a fee of 26.60 euro to buy 10k Sterling. The total was 11330 euro. That was on Tuesday evening.

It was 50-60 euro for me. One month of premium was 8 euro.

I also couldn't convert the amount I wanted to without premium.

Amouar

Don't forget to cancel premium within 14 days otherwise you'll have to pay the equivalent of 2 months fee in order to break the 12 months contract

revolut.com/help/getting-started/selecting-a-plan/downgrading-my-plan

mmm11

Marcusm wrote: »

Your position is not that clearcut given that you were in Ireland for 2 years working prior to beginning to study. When did you get together with partner? Did you still have more personal ties in the UK prior to September 2018 meaning that you could assert temporary until then.

I wouldn't be too hopeful.

I was with my partner before moving over. No other personal ties here. All family back in UK.

I don't mind paying the VRT. My main concern is paying late fees dated back to 2015.

flanzer

Amouar wrote: »

Don't forget to cancel premium within 14 days otherwise you'll have to pay the equivalent of 2 months fee in order to break the 12 months contract

revolut.com/help/getting-started/selecting-a-plan/downgrading-my-plan

Shoot! I just realised I have the standard Revolut card

Apologies for not looking back on the thread

My situation is now. I'm looking to go to the UK next week or week after and will spend c£12k.

I have a standard AIB account, but I guess will be lumped with charges if I do an international transfer. What are the best options? Transfermate maybe? Or upgrade to Revolut premium and then downgrade after?

PaulKK

flanzer wrote: »

Shoot! I just realised I have the standard Revolut card

Apologies for not looking back on the thread

My situation is now. I'm looking to go to the UK next week or week after and will spend c£12k.

I have a standard AIB account, but I guess will be lumped with charges if I do an international transfer. What are the best options? Transfermate maybe? Or upgrade to Revolut premium and then downgrade after?

You don't need the card itself. Once your account is premium that's all that's needed. Make sure you verify source of funds asap. Then top up revolut via visa debit.

Just sign up for a month of premium and cancel it after you get back.

flanzer

PaulKK wrote: »

You don't need the card itself. Once your account is premium that's all that's needed. Make sure you verify source of funds asap. Then top up revolut via visa debit.

Just sign up for a month of premium and cancel it after you get back.

Thanks. I just had a look at the AIB schedule, while difficult to work out, I'm 99% sure, any amount £GBP transferred will cost me €22.50. I still will upgrade to Revolut Premium though

ErinGoBrath

flanzer wrote: »

Thanks. I just had a look at the AIB schedule, while difficult to work out, I'm 99% sure, any amount £GBP transferred will cost me €22.50. I still will upgrade to Revolut Premium though

Or just pay the small revolut fee and avail of their great exchange rate

flanzer

ErinGoBrath wrote: »

Or just pay the small revolut fee and avail of their great exchange rate

The first £5k is free per month. So £7k at 0.5% is £35. I assume I get a better interbank rate with Revolut than AIB

Still think the upgrade/downgrade may be easier with Revolut. The AIB debit card is linked already, so 1 less thing to do

squirrel6767

I am looking to travel to UK next week to pick up a car @ £16k. Did an urgent Bank of ireland Sepa transfer over phone to Revolut euro account today (€25 fee but needed to be sure it would get there - I was having problems with daily limits in transferring from my BOI debit card and would not have had all money transferred in time for travelling on monday). Transfer has shown up in Revolut euro account this evening so I can at least confirm that works.
Per recommendation here I will upgrade to premium account before converting to Sterling to avoid 0.5% fee over 6k and avail of turbo transfer - not sure if turbo makes a difference for UK to UK transfer (and cancel premium when car purchased)

Can someone please confirm the exact process on the day with the car dealer. Once you are happy with what you see do you just get the dealers bank details (I am using carshop) add them as UK benificary in app and send the ££? I think there are a few examples in this thread that it can happen within minutes or at most an hour. Anyone had any gotchas to be aware of ? Eager to do the deal and head to get the last ferry so don't want to be waiting for a transfer to come through. I presume it's not possible to pay with the Revolut virtual MasterCard?

Thanks

PaulKK

My transfer went through in about five minutes. The UK transfer is just an account and sort code, no IBAN etc. They asked me to add the reg of the car as reference. You get an email from revolut a few mins after transfer and then a couple of minutes later another to say it's been executed.

TL17

I didnt get origonal MOT and seller doesnt have it. I did download on line and it says this ok if gardai certify. However garda wouldn't as he said he has no proof it genuine though I showed him the UK site. Is there any way round this. Still 8 months on MOT

Marcusm

mmm11 wrote: »

I was with my partner before moving over. No other personal ties here. All family back in UK.

I don't mind paying the VRT. My main concern is paying late fees dated back to 2015.

It’s not just the late fees; the VRT would be based on the 2015 value if they apply the procedures properly. By the sounds of things you may be able to argue that you transferred residence in 2015 and would have been entitled to the exemption then. It’s going to be non-standard for Revenue and you’d have to gather evidence. If they grant it then no VRT and no penalties for late payment. Be prepared to answer questions as to whether you paid UK motor tax, it’s not technically relevant but is often asked.

mmm11

Marcusm wrote: »

It’s not just the late fees; the VRT would be based on the 2015 value if they apply the procedures properly. By the sounds of things you may be able to argue that you transferred residence in 2015 and would have been entitled to the exemption then. It’s going to be non-standard for Revenue and you’d have to gather evidence. If they grant it then no VRT and no penalties for late payment. Be prepared to answer questions as to whether you paid UK motor tax, it’s not technically relevant but is often asked.

Hi again,

Thanks for the info. If I was to take car back to UK and sell it to my partner, then it would be based on today's value?

Surely they wouldn't be able to tell that the car has already been in the state?