Driving NI reg car in Republic

Declan1

I'm living and working in the North, originally from the Republic. I've a ROI driving licence.

Is there any issue with me driving my NI reg car down south? I normally come down south a couple of nights a week but spend the majority of my time at my (genuine!) NI address.

Thanks.

Alanstrainor

No, you have an address in the north, nothing wrong with "visiting" the republic for a couple of days a week.

ardmacha

I'd trade in my licence for a NI one, just to avoid any misunderstandings. If you produce a document with an address on it (your licence) it would be reasonable to suppose that is where you live and so you would not be entitled to drive a vehicle from outside the State, unless you import it within 24 hours.

Also if you ever did decide to return to the South and bring a car on change of residence, having the NI licence would probably be no harm.

Declan1

Thanks.

Produced my ROI driving licence after being stopped by the gardai which led to some questions...

How would I go about swapping my licence for a NI one? I was under the impression I'd have to do a test there?

Edit - For info of anyone else, found the process for changing to a NI licence:
http://www.dvlni.gov.uk/drivers/exchange_licence.htm

ardmacha

Easy enough to do, but £45 is a cheeky fee when renewing a NI licence is only £19.

Declan1

Don't mind paying for it if it will save me hassle!

oeb

Heard about some people being hastled for this (on the radio). You should be able to avoid this by just keeping a gas bill or something similar in the glove box. That should be enough proof or residence to get you off the hook (Unless they really want to push it). But you are doing no wrong.

MercMad

The law is that if you are a resident of the South, it is illegal for you to drive a froeign registered car unless it is a rental or owned by the company you work for.

Your residence is not determined by your licence, or any bill you produce, but to whom you pay your taxes.

If you pay to the Irish Government then you are breaking the law.

ardmacha

If you pay to the Irish Government then you are breaking the law.

This is simplistic and no help whatsoever. Any person working the Republic pays tax there, but this does not determine normal residence.

But you are doing no wrong.

Is there any requirement to update the address on your licence? You may not be entitled to hold a licence with a 26 county address if you no longer live there.

Seth Brundle

I know that in Britain you must exchange it for a UK licence - don't know about NI - I presume its the same.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/DrivingInGbOnAForeignLicence/DG_4022556

Declan1

Thanks for the link. As I said before, I'm living and working in the North, hence paying taxes in the North.

Eru

MercMad wrote: »

The law is that if you are a resident of the South, it is illegal for you to drive a froeign registered car unless it is a rental or owned by the company you work for.

Your residence is not determined by your licence, or any bill you produce, but to whom you pay your taxes.

If you pay to the Irish Government then you are breaking the law.

What about the hundred of foreign nationals working in embassies in Ireland but working for and paying taxes to their respective governments? irish embassy staff all over the world also.

Gardai and soldiers on UN duty or seconded to Interpol?

Your residence is where you live the majority of the year.

OP,
Your not breaking any laws but the problem is your getting stopped and therefore there is a history of a republic of Ireland citizen with a southern license being stopped on a regular basis in the republic driving a northern reg car. Doesnt sound good does it? I would recommend utility bills with recent dates, pay slips etc too show that your actually living and working north of the border.

Changing your license is a good idea as well.

craichoe

An EU License is an EU license, bottom line, you don't have to Change it. The UK Government cannot force you to change it.

Our man in Havana

It would be more convenient if the OP were to do so.

pow wow

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

Your not breaking any laws but the problem is your getting stopped and therefore there is a history of a republic of Ireland citizen with a southern license being stopped on a regular basis in the republic driving a northern reg car. Doesnt sound good does it? I would recommend utility bills with recent dates, pay slips etc too show that your actually living and working north of the border.

Changing your license is a good idea as well.

I live in the North but spend a lot of time south of the border, and have an ROI licence. Been stopped a couple of times in the last week or so and not had a problem. I have my insurance docs in the car with my NI address on but they didn't ask...I just said I was visiting family and was waved on.

As you're doing nothing wrong you've nothing to worry about.

Our man in Havana

If you meet a customs and excise checkpoint, they may make things very awkward.

craichoe

Bond-007 wrote: »

It would be more convenient if the OP were to do so.

1. He has to pay for it
2. If he wants to move back to the Republic at any stage he'd have to do the same thing.
3. There is ZERO requirement to do so.

graduate

As you're doing nothing wrong you've nothing to worry about.

Fair enough in principle. But if they seize your car you'll have a right pain getting it back.

No matter though. You may have to walk for a week but you'll have made your point about EU driving licences.

craichoe

graduate wrote: »

Fair enough in principle. But if they seize your car you'll have a right pain getting it back.

No matter though. You may have to walk for a week but you'll have made your point about EU driving licences.

My arse, a foreign resident, driving a foreign car, once you do that customs will not sieze your car.

Resident where you live and work.

Why don't all the Polish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Belgians and so on do the same ? Because they don't have to.

Irish resident with a foreign car, totally different story .

pow wow

graduate wrote: »

Fair enough in principle. But if they seize your car you'll have a right pain getting it back.

No matter though. You may have to walk for a week but you'll have made your point about EU driving licences.

The likelihood of this happening if you have docs on your person proving the car is registered to you in the North is very slim.

Fratton Fred

MercMad wrote: »

The law is that if you are a resident of the South, it is illegal for you to drive a froeign registered car unless it is a rental or owned by the company you work for.

Your residence is not determined by your licence, or any bill you produce, but to whom you pay your taxes.

If you pay to the Irish Government then you are breaking the law.

The law says if you are a permanent resident. determining what is a permanent residemnt is a grey area, but usually it is based on where your family are. If the family home is in the north, the customs people have no right to remove your car.

jimmycrackcorm

lads the answer is simple and I did it before. Send the licence to Coleraine and get a straight swap.

ardmacha

The likelihood of this happening if you have docs on your person proving the car is registered to you in the North is very slim.

Lots of people driving in the Republic with a NI/GB car have it registered and insured at some address or other.

If the family home is in the north, the customs people have no right to remove your car.

Exactly. This is the reverse case though, the OPs family live in the Republic, possibly at the very address on his driving licence, this could be considered his normal residence. He obviously has an attachment to it if he continues to use it as the address on his driving licence.

The point is, the revenue have powers to do what they like, it is unwise to give them an excuse.

ConCoBar

Ok I was in the same prediciment as you! I lived in Monaghan but moved 8 miles away from my house to Culloville! We had a northern registered car and but my licence was Southern! I worked for a northern company, paid northern taxes, paid northern bills! I didn't want to give up my licence as it was my Irish licence and a few Garda I know said I didn't have to until after maybe 3 years in the North.

I was stopped many many times in the south. The place I lived in was only 100 meters from the south! Some Garda were ok but others were not. Call me ignorant but for 2 years I refused to their face to get my Northern licence. One Garda called the customs, they arrived as they were in town that day, went over everything with me, checked all my documents I kept in the car and low and behold sent me on my way! They said I should stay in the north to avoid problems and I gave them a speech that went along the lines of this.

"How dare you tell me where I should drive? I can drive in the south every sinlge day of my life if I want in front of you and there is not a thing you can do about it. I have proven my residence to you and if try to take my car off me then you'll have problems as I file a complaint for harrassment for trying to make an example of me. Not everyone is a crook and trying to drive an NI car and live in the south. We live in the European Union and I've an EU licence and can drive any EU car without question as long as my papers are in order".

I now live in England with my Irish licence and they don't question it at all. In Ireland, all the cops are worried about it people who don't pay a few hundred in taxes and let the real criminals run free. When they do catch them they get like 3 years prison and out after 1.5 while anywhere else they'd get 10 years. In England, everything is done by computer. All the car taxes everything. All car details are online on their computers yet in Ireland they have to waste millions a year in Garda wages paying them to stand in the road to check car taxes!

Idiots!

I wish Ireland was better but I still love being Irish!

DaMonk

hmmm...IF one were to be dishonest and if you were handy with paintshop, one could use a mates address in the north, change their southern licence over, do a bit of the old paintshop on a few bills and drive a nice northern plated car without any vrt....hmmmm

Yakuza

DaMonk wrote: »

hmmm...IF one were to be dishonest and if you were handy with paintshop, one could use a mates address in the north, change their southern licence over, do a bit of the old paintshop on a few bills and drive a nice northern plated car without any vrt....hmmmm

And if shíte was cake we'd never be hungry. What's your point?
You would be proper fúcked if you were caught doing that. I'd say the Gardaí are well clued in to the likes of some home brew photoshoppery.

DaMonk

Yakuza wrote: »

And if shíte was cake we'd never be hungry. What's your point?
You would be proper fúcked if you were caught doing that. I'd say the Gardaí are well clued in to the likes of some home brew photoshoppery.

not really to be honest..if you're stopped and break out the NI licence and a bunch a few letters from the bank or gas with your name on them and say "I'm always getting stopped so I carry this stuff around, from the south and working in the north, just on a business trip to our factory in Tipperary or seeing the family". Not many gardai would get stuck into then I'd say. Even customs would be ok I'd reckon.
And photoshop can do wonderous things...all uv to do is change a name on a bill and hey presto.