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

caesar

UpsideDown wrote:

Hi all. Just a quick question if anyonecould help. How, when you are seaching on autotrader.co.uk can you search the cars if you don't know the post codes. I am thinking of importing a car but not sure where to look... areas ect

thanks

I had this problem before but I just made up a postcode and it worked. The only problem with this is, if you search nationally you get too many results and if you don't know the post code of the particular area you want to search your looking at cars all over the UK. The post code I used was w120 ty, it was somewhere outside London afai remeber. Hope this helps

Moanin

Do a Google search on the area you are looking for?

UpsideDown

Thanks a mill. I'll give it a go

Matt Simis

Just posting to say that we followed this guide and got the Irish plates for the V5 Beetle we imported last Friday (got plates day after import). VRO were nice and friendly, no question over the VRT as I brought in the print out from the web and an email from their office. Mind you, the web quote was only put up after I questioned them about it (ie there were no V5 Beetles there at all, then the 2 specs I sent them appeared). Perhaps the only one officially driving here?



Matt

Soupi

i always google search the area i'll be starting from, so if i'm sailing in to Holyhead i always use LL65 2DF, it shows you how far you will have to travel to get to a particular car.

Lord Nikon

Can I buy a 2002 car up the North, and leave it up the North at a friends house for 6 months after purchase, and pay no VRT when I bring it down to Kildare?

Bluehair

neuromancer wrote:

Can I buy a 2002 car up the North, and leave it up the North at a friends house for 6 months after purchase, and pay no VRT when I bring it down to Kildare?

Nope, try doing a search here it's been covered to death. You'll need to prove you've been living and working up there not just the car.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

yop

Did u chance driving it around for a while Ziggy without registering it?

eurotrotter

how do i apply for one
i intend going over to get a 6 month old passat from a VW dealer
thanks lads
amazing thread by the way!

Seth Brundle

Have you owned it for 6 months whilst living abroad?

eurotrotter

kbannon wrote:

Have you owned it for 6 months whilst living abroad?

no i haven't
i just wanna get the VAT exemption
How do i go about getting this?
thanks man

yop

Not unless u own a business and have a VAT number I think you have to pay the VAT, I could be wrong on this though

Bluehair

eurotrotter wrote:

no i haven't
i just wanna get the VAT exemption
How do i go about getting this?
thanks man

If the car is 6 months old or more you don't pay VAT, you don't need an exemption you just don't pay it.

You do still have to pay VRT though.

kluivert

eurotrotter wrote:

how do i apply for one
i intend going over to get a 6 month old passat from a VW dealer
thanks lads
amazing thread by the way!

I started a thread on this lately.

Its illegal btw and you havent read into this fully.

If you want to import a car from england and pay no Vat, the car must be less than three months old (Uk Vat Law). You indicate to the dealer that you wish to export the car to Ireland, he fills out a form to state that Vat will be paid in the country of import (Ireland) When you register the car on import you will have to pay Vat and VRT.

Now i know what your saying. And this is how it works. You import a Uk car which is less than 3 months old, keep it for another 3 months and then after its 6 months old you register it here and only pay the VRT.

Is this what you refer to.

Now....I know lads that have done this and got away with it and the Indo done an article on lads with ferraris that got caught. Personally i was up for doing it as well.

OK there's a but.............

In the last weeks the new finance act has been passed, and one part indicates that you must notifiy the revenue of transactions which are deliberately set up as to not pay tax of any nature. The revenue then decide where this is tax evasion or avoidance ok.

Basicly its saying that the above transaction is now considered illegal in Ireland.

I live in Monaghan where people buy NI Reg cars and drive them in the south and never get caught. Especially in Dundalk.

Enter at your own risk but you have been warned!

cianclarke

Very quick question, would I be worth my while buying a 98 A4 (or passat) for around the GB£2000 mark, off eBay or the auto trader and bringing it in to sell on/keep or at this price is there so little in the difference between UK and Ireland that it's not worth it?
I'm looking for a car to replace my first, something a little fancier with low miles, but that I could have the option of selling on. Any other suggestions would be great.
Thanks
A broke student in need of money.

bigQ

Hello. If I import a car from the UK that was previously imported(to the uk) from japan, is VRT calculated from when it was first registered in the UK or Japan?
Hope the question is clear. Has anyone done this before?

The Prisoner

Hi, very informative thread.

I am moving back home next month and will be bringing a car that I bought in July, having lived in the UK for over 3 years.

Just wondering if I need to do anything before bringing it across, either with the V5 or whatever? Also, is there a definitive list of what I need to bring to the VRO with me when I present myself on arriving here?

Finally, as things stand the car is insured in the UK until the end of June - what happens on that front if I try to register it in Ireland the day after I come over?

Many thanks

Seth Brundle

prisoner - you need proof that you were resident in the UK for over 6 months and that you have owned the car for at lesat 6 months

bbability

This might have been asked before but I was wondering if I wanted to buy a van such as a 2 year old peugeot partner or citroen berlingo in the uk and bring it back here what is the vrt rate. I'm a bit confused someone told me you pay €50 only but on the revenue website it has something about paying a minimum of €125 or 13.3% of omsp.

Dagon

I'm just after bringing the following beast into the country:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~phoenixp...new_page_1.htm

I have to say, importing a car really isn't a big deal, especially if you enjoy driving long distances (which I definitely did in this car!)!!

Flew out from knock Thurs morn at 11.30am, arrived in Luton, trains to Oxford. Checked out car. Bought car and drove it to Holyhead (with the much needed help of an AA-Route planner!) then drove back home and straight to VRO

I've enjoyed importing the car, and met a fellow on the boat back who does this as a sideline and reckons it's a handy grand or two each month, especially taking advantage of the serious deals in the UK autotrader.

My car is a 94 Celica GT, has full FSH since import (2003), only 48,000 miles, full MOT history, full HPI check, recent service + new clutch + brake pads. Nice spec on the car too. It is a dream to drive and feels like new. Although I will probably sell it in April because I'm after a 3S-GE engine (this car has a 3S-FE, doh.. so excited [and prob combined with tiredness] when buying it I failed to check out the JDM engine codes!). So if anyone is after a car like this in April, PM me. In the meantime I'll be importing another one, identical to this with a 3S-GE engine.

Importing is fun

bigQ

Do you have to prebook your ticket for ferry at hollyhead or can you just show up and buy the ticket? How much does cost about if you do this?

Dagon

I pre-booked mine online, using Irish Ferries:
http://www.irishferries.com/
Costed me £110 sterling. They are not only the cheapest but also the fastest boats, and they go at the most suitable time for bringing a car back (gives you plenty of time to get lost on the motorways like I did!).

I don't know if you can show up and just pay. Tbh, you probably could but it's risky cos the boat could very well be fully booked by then.

The Ferry journey was nice, and it goes really fast if you get some much needed kip (obviously)!

Slinky>

Has anyone ever had any hastle getting on the ferry with a car with no Uk road tax, The car im interested has its road tax expired and I dont want to pay £93 for a spin up the motorway and onto the ferry and the dealer pointed out that I may have hastle getting onto the ferry with no road tax although I cant understand why when im exporting the car,

Great Thread Btw!

Bluehair

Shouldn't be a problem i doubt they'd care. Last time i did it while i obviously had insurance (and documentation to prove that) i had no tax or mot to show and wasn't stopped. Prob not a bad idea to phone the ferry company to check though..

Moanin

When I brought me car in from hollyhead to Dublin on Irish Ferries the tax had expired and nobody batted an eyelid.Wouldnt worry about if if I were you

The Prisoner

kbannon, thanks for the reply.

I'm bringing my car across on Wednesday. Am I right in saying you don't have to bring it to the VRT office straight away?

I ask because I have had to re-order some of the bills etc. that prove I've been living in the UK since I bought the car, and won't have them for at least another week or so.

Many thanks.

synchro

how do i apply for a VAT exemption
i intend going over to get an 8 month old car and i intend buying from a dealer
thanks lads
amazing thread by the way!

wanwarlock

guys, i've just gotten the document (no 14 in 1st thread) and gotten the reg. no. I'm a bit of a n00b actually, where do u actually go to get plates done???

also, it's been a few weeks since i got that inital document, and still haven't received the vehicle reg. cert as mentioned in 1st thread. should i wait or can i get my car taxed using that inital document.

thanks lads...

ambro25

wanwarlock wrote:

guys, i've just gotten the document (no 14 in 1st thread) and gotten the reg. no. I'm a bit of a n00b actually, where do u actually go to get plates done???

also, it's been a few weeks since i got that inital document, and still haven't received the vehicle reg. cert as mentioned in 1st thread. should i wait or can i get my car taxed using that inital document.

thanks lads...

You get your plates done in any motorist's store that makes 'em, should cost you between €10 and €20. Nothing "official" about it. And some won't even ask you for any paperwork :eek:

You get you car taxed with the RF100, you'll get your cert. shortly after that (it took me a couple of weeks to find that one out too :rolleyes: - they're not exactly a fountain of administrative procedural knowledge, at Tallaght VRO, even when you ask them the right question ).