6 Months to pay VRT?

tdc

im looking at bringing in a car from the uk. when buying a car from the uk, are you allowed to drive it here for a certain period before you have to pay vrt? ive heard that you can drive it for 6 months and then you have to pay it? any info appreciated.

thanks

Anan1

You have 24 hours.

eth0_

You have six months if you have owned it in the UK for the previous six months.
Otherwise, I think 24 hours is correct.

prem_vw

tdc wrote:

im looking at bringing in a car from the uk. when buying a car from the uk, are you allowed to drive it here for a certain period before you have to pay vrt? ive heard that you can drive it for 6 months and then you have to pay it? any info appreciated.

thanks

I believe it has to be paid the next working day, but if you are stopped with it after a few days in the country the Gardai normally just tell you to get it cleared ASAP. If you are driving around in it for months though it could be seized from you by the customs

Biro

You have 24 hours to clear it officially. And they're clamping down on this big time.

tdc

Anan1 wrote:

You have 24 hours.

:eek:

thanks guys, good to know:D

pclancy

Weird i was just talking about this today. Bloke in work had a call from his mate this morning, he'd had a civic over for about 5 weeks and got caught at a checkpoint near tullamore this morning. Cops took the car and he's getting fined a percentage of the market value+ VRT :O

Apparantly you're supposed to bring em straight to the tax office off the boat...

In my opinion you would be very unlucky to get caught. I drove on uk plates for around 5 months with no hassle and still would be only for im living in the uk now. Most of my friends are driving on uk plates no hassle aswell. I even know of a guy that got warned by the customs a few months ago to reg his car and he is still on uk plates. I do think the part of the country you are driving in makes a difference though you probably wouldnt be as safe around dublin or the border counties.

TJJP

No real benefit in waiting around I've found. VRT can seek proof of import and calculate VRT back to that date.

There does seem to be a bit of leeway beyond 24 hours though.

TJJP

TJJP wrote:

No real benefit in waiting around I've found. VRT can seek proof of import and calculate VRT back to that date.

There does seem to be a bit of leeway beyond 24 hours though.

I dont think they can make you pay vrt back to a date. For a start vrt is calculated on the day you show up to vrt it so I think it cant be back dated and also it would be difficult to prove when the car was actually brought into the country espically if you can register the car at a friends/relations house in the uk. You also have the advantage of not paying irish road tax and you cant be done for speeding if caught on a camera while on uk plates.

Esel

Kira Young Self-righteousness wrote:

You also have the advantage of not paying irish road tax and you cant be done for speeding if caught on a camera while on uk plates.

This may be fine if you don't get caught. And people do get caught.

kdevitt

TJJP wrote:

No real benefit in waiting around I've found. VRT can seek proof of import and calculate VRT back to that date.

There does seem to be a bit of leeway beyond 24 hours though.

Decent benefit depending on the value of the car - I waited 6 months, the VRT went down by over 100 for each month, and the road tax would have been 120 per month too.

eth0_

esel wrote:

This may be fine if you don't get caught. And people do get caught.

Exactly. I mean, they can confiscate your car! It's not worth taking the risk.

yop

How much is the fine lads?

eth0_

iirc several thousand.
But they have the power to confiscate your vehicle, as in - get out of the car sir, we are impounding your vehicle.

galwaytt

Kira Young Self-righteousness wrote:

In my opinion you would be very unlucky to get caught. .. I do think the part of the country you are driving in makes a difference though you probably wouldnt be as safe around dublin or the border counties.

well I bought a car in NI two weeks ago - Saturday, and cleared it on the Monday. On Wed, a garda commented to me - and I had never mentioned anything about it to him - 'you didn't take long to re-reg the car'.........so, they are watching, and there's a crackdown in Galway now too.

Owen

The crackdown is huge. One thread recently here on boards had a story where there was a car transporter at a checkpoint loading impounded vehicles to be taken away!