buying a car in UK and registering it under your own name there

MuffinsDa · 12-02-2008 9:20am #1

I was wondering if it is possible to buy a car in UK and use a UK address and register it in your own name, tax and MOT it there and use it here for a a limited period of time. Basically my wife's dad lives in England, so can she use his address for registration? What I'm thinking is buying a low emission car now, keep in UK reg (with MOT, tax and insurance) and then eventually register it in here when the new rates kick in in July. Do you think it would be possible?

Seth Brundle · 12-02-2008 9:33am

You could do that but when you are registering it here, they will know that you have been living and paying tax here so will still charge you full VRT!
Why not just buy & import it after July?

JohnCleary · 12-02-2008 9:38am

It doesn't matter if the car is registered to Jesus @ the WhiteHouse, it's the fact that you're an Irish resident that makes it dodgy. It could be all legit registered in the UK, but if Customs ask you for your license and you show them an Irish one (ie. Irish resident) they can lift the car afaik... it's the sad truth

MuffinsDa · 12-02-2008 9:55am

Thanks for advice guys.

The reason for buying the car now would be that a) exchange rate is good and b) we prefer to have it now rather than July (we kinda need it mostly for the winter).

Yep, I know it won't be strictly legal, but do they give you some levy? It would be my wife driving it, only occasionally and around a housing estate in Greystones to/from playground and likes of that. She is actually a British citizen as well but has Irish license unfortunately. I just though we might get away with that for a few months until the new rates kick in...

John R · 12-02-2008 10:15am

MuffinsDa wrote: »

Thanks for advice guys.

The reason for buying the car now would be that a) exchange rate is good and b) we prefer to have it now rather than July (we kinda need it mostly for the winter).

Yep, I know it won't be strictly legal, but do they give you some levy? It would be my wife driving it, only occasionally and around a housing estate in Greystones to/from playground and likes of that. She is actually a British citizen as well but has Irish license unfortunately. I just though we might get away with that for a few months until the new rates kick in...

It doesn't matter where she is a citizen of, if resident in IRL she would be breaking the law. Fact is if you do it and get caught none of the excuses you are using will do you any good, they do not give any leeway and driving a UK reg makes you far more likely to get done than for example a PL or LV. It is a risk, if you want to take it then go ahead but don't try and fool yourself that you have some loophole to use.

Wait until July to buy the car would be my advice or if you really must buy one now get it registered in the UK relative's name and leave it there until July. You can always get a cheap car here for a few months and sell it on in when you import.

kluivert · 12-02-2008 10:34am

Why dont you just import it now and park in your garage or off road somewhere declare it off road and everything. Dont drive it once declared off road till your ready to declare it back on the road and then register it.

Come July register it. There is nothing wrong with that.

MuffinsDa · 12-02-2008 10:35am

kluivert wrote: »

Why dont you just import it now and park in your garage or off road somewhere declare it off road and everything. Dont drive it once declared off road till your ready to declare it back on the road and then register it.

Come July register it. There is nothing wrong with that.

Yep that's right, I might do that. Our housing estate is actually not handed over to council yet, so the whole place is private, I wonder what laws apply to that!!!

John R, I'm not intending to break the law, I just want to make best use of situation!

JohnCleary · 12-02-2008 10:42am

MuffinsDa wrote: »

Yep that's right, I might do that. Our housing estate is actually not handed over to council yet, so the whole place is private, I wonder what laws apply to that!!!

John R, I'm not intending to break the law, I just want to make best use of situation!

Customs can enter private property without a warrant.... They can actually lift a foreign regged car without even informing you. Imagine waking up one morning and your car gone, no notice, nothing... i'd be sh1tting myself thinking it was robbed :eek:

kluivert · 12-02-2008 10:50am

JohnCleary wrote: »

Customs can enter private property without a warrant.... They can actually lift a foreign regged car without even informing you. Imagine waking up one morning and your car gone, no notice, nothing... i'd be sh1tting myself thinking it was robbed :eek:

One you cant enter property without a warrant in this country.

You cant lift personal property either without a warrant either.

If you could then every crooked cop would be walking into houses and lifting property that didnt belong to them. This is a democratic country not a socialist country.

People dont know there rights in this country at all.

Read the constitution.

If the car is parked off road and declared off road, then there is nothing illegal about this. Personally I wouldnt park it in an estate. It would be more practical for it to be parked in a garage, farm yard etc.

JohnCleary · 12-02-2008 11:27am

kluivert wrote: »

One you cant enter property without a warrant in this country.

You cant lift personal property either without a warrant either.

If you could then every crooked cop would be walking into houses and lifting property that didnt belong to them. This is a democratic country not a socialist country.

People dont know there rights in this country at all.

Read the constitution.

If the car is parked off road and declared off road, then there is nothing illegal about this. Personally I wouldnt park it in an estate. It would be more practical for it to be parked in a garage, farm yard etc.

Gardai != Customs Officers

Seth Brundle · 12-02-2008 11:34am

If the car is parked off road then it must not be driven on the road to get there, i.e. you must bring it in from the UK on a trailer.

kluivert · 12-02-2008 11:41am

JohnCleary wrote: »

Gardai != Customs Officers

Garda and Customs are too seperate departments by friend.

Garda work under the department of Juctice.

Customs work under the department of Finance ie. through the Revenue.

Garda have to assist customs is most circumstances.

By right it should come in on a trailer exactly.

There is a lad in the Autotrader who provides this service based in Louth.

Wossack · 12-02-2008 11:43am

Give the money to your wifes dad to buy it. He keeps it in the UK till July and then you buy it off him for nout.

this work?

JohnCleary · 12-02-2008 11:50am

kluivert wrote: »

Garda and Customs are too seperate departments by friend.

Do you realise that "!=" means "NOT EQUAL TO" :rolleyes:

Bill Finnerty · 12-02-2008 8:54pm

1. An estate not yet taken in charge by a council is still a public place for the purposes of road traffic laws. This is defined in the Road Traffic act, 1961. This means that customs and Garda can prosecute you for offences that occur in your estate. EG you can be prosecuted for parking an untaxed car in such a place.
2. Customs have full powers to enter onto private property in the discharge of thier duties. They only need a warrant if they wish to enter a dwelling such as a family house or a caravan. Garda can sometimes enter private dwellings without a warrant, eg in 'hit pursuit' situations.
3. Both the customs and Guards regularly seized non-rish registered cars that are driven by persons permanently living here. Gardai have the full powers and dont need customs with them. They take in around 2 or 3 cars every week in the Navan area alone. These are NI or UK reg cars being driven by locals, which is 100% illegal. They often take the car off you and leav you standing on the roadside. Many people dont realise this and get a huge shock when it happens to them. It can happen any time of day or night. A checkpoint in Duleek between 5and 6am seized 14 cars one morning.
Dont say you weren't told!!!!

Guy:Incognito · 12-02-2008 9:16pm

Wossack wrote: »

Give the money to your wifes dad to buy it. He keeps it in the UK till July and then you buy it off him for nout.

this work?

No. unless the person who will be te registered owner here has owned it(and used it, they may well ask for the tax/insurace details) for the required lenght of time in the uk, then they will have to pay the vrt.

buying a car in UK and registering it under your own name there

Comments