English reg questions

fw

I heard from a classic car enthusiast last week that if you have brought a car in from England with the plates still on and have a current English tax disc in the windscreen ( say one thats paid up to 04/07) the car is essentially vrt exempt until that date and by deduction then Irish road tax exempt to that date also - needless to say the financial implications of this for having a car of around 3000cc for a years motoring is quite substantial - he still has the plates on - no problem with the guards at checkpoints - has anybody heard or availed of this loophole? I know the old system was strict enough and re-reg had to be done in 24 hrs or so - he said this exemption was introduced recently as the playing field changed with the influx of euro reged cars in Ireland and presumably european directives of sorts for freedom of movement in member states?

Also is that whole silly VRT thing on the way out or is that just rumour?

cheers

Abelloid

If it's a classic the VRT is only around e50 anyway........

corktina

i haven't heard that one, although i know loads of people who never re-reg their cars and get away with driving them on UK plates for years.....

fw

the guy I met was doing this with a 3 litre 80's 2 door so vrt and tax wud be pretty heafty - I believe he has been doing this for a couple of years - one thing
that also arises out of this is the whole parking ticket/penalty points thing - how do u get these with a car thats not registered here ? interesting no?

Citroen Guru

Here in West Cork Customs are knocking on your door within a week if you have a foreign reg.
As far as I know if you are a resident you have three days to register. If you cannot produce insurance the gards can seize your car. Happened near here recently.

Abelloid

I'm not really sure how that would work unless you are a UK resident, when I imported my Vdub a couple of years ago I was waiting
6 weeks for the DVLA in Swansea to issue the export cert, and another 4 for the VRO in Wexford to issue a code to register here (car not on computer)
all this time I was driving on UK plates and tax, for the last month or so before recieving my reg no. the car didn't officially exist

corktina

export cert? whats that?:) i dont bother usually, just take the UK V5 to the customs people.....:)

Abelloid

Yeah, I didn't know what the routine was, won't be doing that again :rolleyes:

corktina

i re-registered my Taunus using a photocopy of the documentation issued when it was imported into the UK from France!!!!

MercMad

I heard from a classic car enthusiast last week that if you have brought a car in from England with the plates still on and have a current English tax disc in the windscreen ( say one thats paid up to 04/07) the car is essentially vrt exempt until that date and by deduction then Irish road tax exempt to that date also - needless to say the financial implications of this for having a car of around 3000cc for a years motoring is quite substantial - he still has the plates on - no problem with the guards at checkpoints - has anybody heard or availed of this loophole? I know the old system was strict enough and re-reg had to be done in 24 hrs or so - he said this exemption was introduced recently as the playing field changed with the influx of euro reged cars in Ireland and presumably european directives of sorts for freedom of movement in member states?

Also is that whole silly VRT thing on the way out or is that just rumour?

.........this is not legal if you are a resident in this Country. If you have a UK address and the car is taxed then they have no way to prove anything !

People do it but they are definitely clamping down, and the influx of EU registered cars will mean they will concentrate harder on this area !

PaulOH

I enquired about importing a classic from UK and was told that the car qualifies for the cheap, flat-rate classic VRT charge once it passes its 30th birthday, so anything regd abroad before June 1976 qualifies automatically.

I also heard that if the car is younger than this but it can be proved it is of relevant historical interest, i.e. it belonged to some interesting figure like Princess Grace or Phil Lynnott, then they'll look favourably because its like repatriation of a national 'asset' - I stand to be corrected, but I think this is on a case-by-case basis.... somehow I don't think Terry Wogan's 1981 Escort would be thought of as particularly interesting.

The arrival of a load of eastern European cars here mixed with EU rules about the free movement of citizens brings an interesting dilemma regarding the re-registration of cars.

My understanding is that such cars can stay here for up to a year without interference, provided that they are documented as road legal in the country of origin, have insurance cover to be here for that length of time and that the car plus driver comply with all Irish laws regarding driving standards and condition of the car: the Guards could put such a car off the road if the tread depth on the tyres was not enough to comply with Irish law but was still legal in the country of origin.

Drivers of these cars who are caught not observing Irish rules of the road (even if these are different to what they do at home) are cautioned or prosecuted as usual.

Customs have been well used to swooping on NI or UK-reg cars. These have been popular purchases because they are cheaper and for years they stuck out like a sore thumb due to the reg-plates, particular when there weren't as many cars as there are now.

I'm not surprised west Cork customs jump in quick - you wouldn't find the same thing happening in Donegal, Louth or other border counties because there's a lot more cross-border traffic.

As MercMad says, if you have a UK or NI address and can register the car to that address, get it MOTd and taxed, plus show insurance, then the car is legal. It might be quite different tho if you're carrying an Irish driving licence with a different address on it, yet claim to be the car's owner!

I came down from Belfast in 1994 and no insurance company would quote me when I told them I had an NI licence - had to change it for an Irish one, so there could be something in the law about not being able to insure a car here unless you have a driving licence from here?

Henry Ford III

1/. VRT. When must I Register?

If you bring a vehicle into Ireland from abroad you must register it and pay VRT by the end of the next working day following its arrival in the State.

2/. Temporary importation.

I cannot find the definition of temporary anywhere.

3/. Foreign address. This is open to abuse, but my feeling is that if the revenue suspected a foreign registered car (taxed, insured*, and MOT'd abroad) was being used daily by somebody resident here, they'd act against them.

* The insurance would not be valid in the example btw.

green-blood

And if they do act against you - ACT = seizing your car.

MercMad

It might be quite different tho if you're carrying an Irish driving licence with a different address on it, yet claim to be the car's owner!

Precisely !

The key factor here is "resident". Once they prove you are a resident of this Country you have to abide by the rules ! If you are a foreigner you simply have to obey the Law !