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

Kotek Besar

opinion guy wrote: »

2) So given that car would be older than 6 months or greater than 6000km you don't have to pay Irish VAT is my understanding. Can you still claim back British VAT (I'm assuming buying from a garage you are still paying VAT - thou perhaps I'm wrong ??)

It has to be older than six months and have more than 6,000 KMs on the clock to be exempt from Irish VAT.

UK VAT cannot be reclaimed if this is a private purchase - the vehicle is still staying within the EU so VAT must be paid somewhere.

opinion guy

Kotek Besar wrote: »

It has to be older than six months and have more than 6,000 KMs on the clock to be exempt from Irish VAT.

UK VAT cannot be reclaimed if this is a private purchase - the vehicle is still staying within the EU so VAT must be paid somewhere.

Are you sure ?
It says OR here:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/moving-country/moving-to-ireland/coming-to-live-in-ireland/importing_car_into_ireland

If you are importing a new car from another EU country you have to pay VAT (Value Added Tax), usually when registering the car. A new car means a car that has been in service for 6 months or less, or has been driven for 6,000 kilometres or less. The VAT is payable even where you have paid VAT in the other country.
If you are importing a new or second hand car from outside the EU, VAT (and customs duty) is payable - see 'How to apply' below.

Edit: No tis definitely OR.
See revenue website here:
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/leaflets/vrt1.html#section13

Edit 2: No I misread that you are right !!!! ****!!!

Eoin

It means the same thing opinion guy.

If a car is less than 6 months old OR has less than 6,000 kilometres on the clock, then it's considered new.

Even if it only matches one of those criteria, then it's new.

Kotek Besar

opinion guy wrote: »

Are you sure ?
It says OR here:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/moving-country/moving-to-ireland/coming-to-live-in-ireland/importing_car_into_ireland



Edit: No tis definitely OR.
See revenue website here:
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/leaflets/vrt1.html#section13

Your quote:

If you are importing a new car from another EU country you have to pay VAT (Value Added Tax), usually when registering the car. A new car means a car that has been in service for 6 months or less, or has been driven for 6,000 kilometres or less. The VAT is payable even where you have paid VAT in the other country.
If you are importing a new or second hand car from outside the EU, VAT (and customs duty) is payable - see 'How to apply' below.

Meaning that if a car that has been in service for 6 months or less, or has been driven for 6,000 kilometres or less it is considered "new", and VAT is payable. Therefore if both that before and that after the word "or" are not true, VAT is not payable.

opinion guy

Thanks guys. Yes you must have replied before my edit went up. I spotted the mistake by looking at the examples on the ROS site.

Motorcheck

If you're trying to determine the VRT on a car but don't know the exact specification or month of registration you could try our VRT calculator at http://www.motorcheck.ie/blog/vrt-calculator/. Works for all UK registrations - all you need is the registration number and the mileage reading.

Esel

Motorcheck wrote: »

If you're trying to determine the VRT on a car but don't know the exact specification or month of registration you could try our VRT calculator at http://www.motorcheck.ie/blog/vrt-calculator/. Works for all UK registrations - all you need is the registration number and the mileage reading.

Why don't you just give the result online? Requiring an e-mail address just looks like adress harvesting to me....

Motorcheck

The result is actually given online and sent via email afterward. It's part of our policy that any mileage readings submitted are accompanied by an email address.

Did you try a calculation? How did you find it?

Plates365.com

@opinion_guy

1. It will be inspected in the vrt office when you go to register it.

2. I believe you can only buy car ex-vat if it is less than 6 months old & has less than 6000 km

Kotek Besar

Plates365.com wrote: »

1. It will be inspected in the vrt office when you go to register it.

Not necessarily. You can pay VRT a car by post. That's what I did.

testicle

Motorcheck wrote: »

The result is actually given online and sent via email afterward. It's part of our policy that any mileage readings submitted are accompanied by an email address.

Did you try a calculation? How did you find it?

And it's also part of your policy that the email address is used:

a) to provide you with information you have requested;
b) to contact you if required in connection with your query or to respond to any communications you might send to us;
c) to send you the Motorcheck.ie Newsletter or Event Alerts.

So, there's no explicit opt in/out of that.

Plates365.com

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Not necessarily. You can pay VRT a car by post. That's what I did.

Was this recently? In the past I have vrt'd cars without inspection but within the last 12-18 months they have got a lot stricter on this.

Kotek Besar

Plates365.com wrote: »

Was this recently? In the past I have vrt'd cars without inspection but within the last 12-18 months they have got a lot stricter on this.

It was in February of this year. Waterford VRO.

mrbright

Just read excellent thread on importing a car from the UK - does anyone know is the situation still the same or has anything changed

Esel

Your question is too vague. What situation are you referring to?

opinion guy

Question:

When importing a new car from UK and paying the VAT, how do they calculate the VAT ? Do they look at the sterling value of the car and work on the exchange rate on the day you pay the VAT ? Do they use the exchange rate for the day you paid the garage for the car? If thats spread over more than one day to they calculate different rates for different dates. Or do they accept the bank receipts for the money you changed ?

mickdw

As far as I know, you pay vat on the uk invoice price you paid. The revenue have their own conversion rates which change regularily but are freely available. The figure the customs are using for july 2010 is 82.29p. Im assuming this figure will be applicable across all revenue departments

Additionally (from uk revenue):

If you buy a new motor vehicle in the UK to take to somewhere else in the EU, you'll have to pay VAT on the vehicle in the other country when you arrive there. You won't have to pay UK VAT when you buy the car if you do all three of these things:

* you or your authorised driver personally take delivery of the new vehicle in the UK
* you export it within two months of its supply to you
* you and your supplier complete and sign form VAT 411 and send it to the address on the form

So you shouldnt pay the uk dealer VAT on a car that is being exported if it will incur vat here(i.e. less than 6 month or 6k km). If you do happen to pay uk vat at time of purchase, the uk will have to refund it upon submitting proof of payment of Irish vat. The UK garages do tend to want people to pay the vat though which is wrong from what I can see.

Tragedy

Brought over a car Saturday Morning, it has a couple of things that need doing(inlet manifold, mayhap a new backbox and a new bonnet cable) so it's off the road since yesterday and will continue to be so until I bring it up to register it.

Can I get a garda to declare it off the road to cover myself?

helimachoptor

Folks, has anyone bought from Cargiant in London? if so how did you find the service?

ro_bilco

I'm thinking of buying a new car... An might import again from the UK.

Word of warning..... Last time I bought (BMW 320 Sport) ... The VRT website quoted me €6800

When I arrived at the revenue office, the girl told me it was €8300 ... she ended up putting it through as a regular 320 for a cost of €7500

badboyblast

ro_bilco wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a new car... An might import again from the UK.

Word of warning..... Last time I bought (BMW 320 Sport) ... The VRT website quoted me €6800

When I arrived at the revenue office, the girl told me it was €8300 ... she ended up putting it through as a regular 320 for a cost of €7500

You did`nt clear your car properly , do you still have it?

I would`nt buy a car unless it was cleared properly

opinion guy

ro_bilco wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a new car... An might import again from the UK.

Word of warning..... Last time I bought (BMW 320 Sport) ... The VRT website quoted me €6800

When I arrived at the revenue office, the girl told me it was €8300 ... she ended up putting it through as a regular 320 for a cost of €7500

How and why did this happen ?

badboyblast wrote: »

You did`nt clear your car properly , do you still have it?

I would`nt buy a car unless it was cleared properly

What is this 'clearing' of which you speak ?

Esel

Tragedy wrote: »

Brought over a car Saturday Morning, it has a couple of things that need doing(inlet manifold, mayhap a new backbox and a new bonnet cable) so it's off the road since yesterday and will continue to be so until I bring it up to register it.

Can I get a garda to declare it off the road to cover myself?

Not from the VRT point of view.

Tragedy

How do people get off not registering track day cars/race cars/etc?

Esel

Tragedy wrote: »

How do people get off not registering track day cars/race cars/etc?

Contradictory opinions have been expressed here on this.

1. If the car will NEVER be on a public road, it's 'OK' not to register it.

2. You have to register it.

A search of this forum might throw up some more definitive info.

michaelsu

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Your quote:



Meaning that if a car that has been in service for 6 months or less, or has been driven for 6,000 kilometres or less it is considered "new", and VAT is payable. Therefore if both that before and that after the word "or" are not true, VAT is not payable.

See extract of HM Revenue guide for car dealers in UK:

Sending vehicles abroad

As long as you meet certain conditions, you can zero rate the supply of a new or used vehicle to any of the following:

* a customer in a country outside the EU
* someone who isn’t registered for VAT who will take a new car to another EU country
* a VAT-registered business in the EU

However, if you're selling a second-hand vehicle under the Margin Scheme to someone in the EU, then you must account for UK VAT on your margin. It doesn't matter whether or not your customer is VAT-registered.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/sectors/motors/selling-cars.htm#8

Dr Nic

Im using the calculator here to figure out how much a 2006 5series would cost.
They reckon 4keuro based on value of 25keuro.
But the price on autotrader is 10keuro to 12keuro??

How is this?
What is the huge difference?
Is this value of 4keuro to bring it in, the definite final value?
Thanks
John

copacetic

Dr Nic wrote: »

Im using the calculator here to figure out how much a 2006 5series would cost.
They reckon 4keuro based on value of 25keuro.
But the price on autotrader is 10keuro to 12keuro??

How is this?
What is the huge difference?
Is this value of 4keuro to bring it in, the definite final value?
Thanks
John

they set the value they believe it is worth here, autotrader doesn't come into it. If the car is over 4 years old then you don't have to pay anything extra for options so the 4k should be the cost of the vrt.

Esel

^ Also, you can appeal the VRT amount, but only after you have paid.

If doing this, you should search this thread for VRT appeal advice.

Dr Nic

Thanks Guys...
Just spotted a lovely '05 530d for about 8kgbp. Exactly what im after. VRT is 5keuro

Does anyone know what the best options are now in terms of haggling / getting the car inspected?

Its from a trade company in the northern half of England and they seem legit.
I was thinking of getting a bank draft made out for x amount of the car and then take the rest in cash, so that would allow haggle room.

Or would it be better for me to bring all cash? A bit dodgy doing that isnt it on a flight etc?

What about getting it checked out with an idependant mechanic? Hows best to go about that?

Sorry for my naievty here
Thanks
John