No tax, due to change of ownership

Paulj

Just wondering how strict the gardai are with tax. I just bought a 2nd hand car whose tax expired at the end of march. Now currently i'm waiting for the ownership of the vehicle to change and for them to send on the Vehicle Licencing Certificate. Until that happens i can't renew the tax easily. So would ye wrecken the cops would leave me off if i was stopped? Or are they very strict about this sort of thing? I would have a photocopy of the change of ownership form in the car to show them as proof.

kmick

Yes depending on the Garda you will get done for this. A friend of mine did for the exact same situation.

Saruman

as long as it does not go over 3 months you will be fine. Just explain it and show them the photocopy. You will probably have to show present it at a station though when you get it.

A quick tip... once you have ownership of the car and have the licensing cert etc then logon to motortax.ie and email them with the details of the new car. You should get a pin number by the next day (i did) and you can get your tax online. You could even try it now and just give them the reg number.

how old are you and what do you drive? Gardai are usually fine about that sort of thing, as long as it's not months out etc, they are fully aware that you can't tax the car until it's in your name and the most they might do is ask you to show your tax disc at a garda station when you get it. HOWEVER, if you are 19 and drive a suped up punto, they might not be so forgiving, they don't like young guys driving these cars so they like to give them a hard time when possible. you should be ok though, just keep that photocopy and make sure you don't park on a public road without tax (after 10th April - you have 10 days grace) or you will get a hefty fine...

Paulj

I'm 23, and its definatly not a 'boy-racer' type car so hopefully i won't have any problems there.

i contacted the motor tax crowd via email and they said it would take 5 days to get the new pin. So i think i'll just wait for that. I called to the Nutgrove tax office this morning and there was a massive queue (around 80 people) so i think the internet is definatly the way to go!

Marcus.Aurelius

3 months out and you'd be in trouble. ignore the "my friend got done" posters.

GB15

I thought the first taxing of a car under new ownership had to be in person. After that it can be done online. Unless they've changed this in the last year?

Kimbot

Make sure your back tax the car and it will be ok!! YOu can tax it online now using your reg and the last 6 digits from your chassis code as the pin afaik!!

Saruman

GB15 wrote:

I thought the first taxing of a car under new ownership had to be in person. After that it can be done online. Unless they've changed this in the last year?

Was fine for me, i just emailed them asking if i had to do it in person and i got a response later that day asking for my reg number... next day i got an email with my pin number happy days.

BrandonBlock

Don't worry about it - I mean how can they fine you for not doing something that's impossible to do at the moment (like you need the ownership cert to tax the car for the 1st time anyway afaik). Be polite if they stop you, unless you get a right prick of a gardai (they do exist) you'll be grand.

TheNog

The tax expired last month so you have a one month grace to get it taxed. After one month you can be fined,after three months ( of tax expiring) they can take the car off you there and then.

Unless someone really takes the p**s they could ask you to present the new tax disc at a station of your choice within a certain time period. They have no legal right to demand someone do this but they are giving you a chance.

steveland?

I was in the same position as you. Log book sent to Shannon the day I got the car and no tax on it (no disc either, must've been out months).

I rang Shannon and explained it and they had the log book there. The girl processed it there and then and posted it out. Took about 4 working days to get back to me because I rang them and asked them to send it out.

You'll probably be grand without tax until then if stopped by a Garda but parking wardens will have no problem with sticking you with a 60-odd euro fine if it's parked anywhere and there's no reasoning there.

So ring them and ask them to process it, if they have the book then there's no problem and then pop down to the MTO and get it taxed. Until then just try not to park anywhere too conspicuous

bo-bo

TheNog wrote:

The tax expired last month so you have a one month grace to get it taxed. After one month you can be fined,after three months ( of tax expiring) they can take the car off you there and then.

Unless someone really takes the p**s they could ask you to present the new tax disc at a station of your choice within a certain time period. They have no legal right to demand someone do this but they are giving you a chance.

i think you may have been given some misinformation at some point dude

if tax is out 2 months the car can be impounded.

you have no period of grace to tax a car - if the tax is out you can be prosecuted straight away.

Del2005

bo-bo wrote:

i think you may have been given some misinformation at some point dude

if tax is out 2 months the car can be impounded.

you have no period of grace to tax a car - if the tax is out you can be prosecuted straight away.

True my brother in law was just telling that the other day. His van was out of tax a week and stopped at a checkpoint. Garda asked where was tax and he said he'd applied. Treaten to take van off him there and then, he said about 3 months. They said they can take whenever tax is out and 3 months is just a figure they use.

TheNog

bo-bo wrote:

i think you may have been given some misinformation at some point dude

if tax is out 2 months the car can be impounded.

you have no period of grace to tax a car - if the tax is out you can be prosecuted straight away.

sorry but that is not true. car can only be impounded if tax is out for three months or more. also if your tax is out in march u can tax anytime in april. doesn't have to be early april, just so long u tax it in april.

i know this cos i have studied the law on this.

NBar

Its down to 2 months now

bo-bo

TheNog wrote:

sorry but that is not true. car can only be impounded if tax is out for three months or more. also if your tax is out in march u can tax anytime in april. doesn't have to be early april, just so long u tax it in april.

i know this cos i have studied the law on this.

im not trying to be smart but have a look at the ammendments to the rta - all will be revealed

Tony255

i was stopped yesterday for tax and insurance, only bought the car last week so i dont have tax and the guard just asked when i bought the car and waved me on

Tony H

jonny24ie wrote:

YOu can tax it online now using your reg and the last 6 digits from your chassis code as the pin afaik!!

that only applys with a new car taxing it for the first time , after the first time they give you the pin

rebel.ranter

Look the nub of the issue is the OP can drive his car without tax until he gets is VLC back. Technically he is driving without tax but any sensible Garda, and there are plenty of them, will wave him on through any check point. I wouldn't let it go too long though, sounds like you are not to either. The parking thing is probably the cae, after all how is the parking warden to know you just bought it? Just park in a Multi storey, or other private parking area.

el diablo

can anyone please tell me how long it takes the tax office to process the change of ownership?

hope someone can let me know, thanks;)

Paulj

Ok, i have things sorted out now. It took just under 3 weeks in total for me to get the thing in the post indicating change of ownership. I emailed motor-tax office asking what to do and they said they'd issure a motor tax reminder to me, this has the pin printed on it so that i can buy the tax disc online. I bought the tax online over the weekend and it came yesterday. So the whole thing took about 4 weeks from start to finish. :rolleyes: