Importing

plastic-man

So I'm looking at a new car. Maybe a 318, C180. Upto now I was just saving, looking to spend about €10,000 it would be a few years old. Looking at pistonheads or autotrader.co.uk, the cars are obviously REMARKABLY cheaper. But then you usually get caught out on the VRT.

I heard, and I'm not sure how true this is, that if a car is bought in the UK, and held over there for 6 months, that it can be brought into ROI, and reg'd and taxed without paying VRT?

Is this true?

JimmyCrackCorn!

no

not unless you live there for x ammount of time with the car

Gumbo

plastic-man wrote: »

So I'm looking at a new car. Maybe a 318, C180. Upto now I was just saving, looking to spend about €10,000 it would be a few years old. Looking at pistonheads or autotrader.co.uk, the cars are obviously REMARKABLY cheaper. But then you usually get caught out on the VRT.

I heard, and I'm not sure how true this is, that if a car is bought in the UK, and held over there for 6 months, that it can be brought into ROI, and reg'd and taxed without paying VRT?

Is this true?

only true if you lived there for that time, and you have to privide rent reecipts, living receipts as in utility bills and anything else you can keep to to help your case, ie. shopping bills, credit card transactions etc etc then when you do get it home and VRT it for free, its stamped on the log book that it cannot be sold for at least 12 months iirc

plastic-man

I've heard about this all been carried out successfully. A friend of mine, is more than willing to take it and store in his rented house for 6 months, then provide those bills etc.

If I was to lodge the money into his account, then gets the log book in his name, keeps it for 6 months, brings it home, then 'sells' it to me. No way around that '12 months of no selling' thing?

Stephen

No. They know every scam in the book about VRT and if they catch you they can seize the car.

plastic-man

Stephen wrote: »

No. They know every scam in the book about VRT and if they catch you they can seize the car.

However if I was to buy now, wait 6 months, bring it to Ireland, wait 12 months, then buy, thats perfectly legal?

I know there is always the risk of getting your car seized with no rebate, however I remember seeing a thread somewhere a while ago, and apparently loads of people have got away with it somehow.

Gumbo

plastic-man wrote: »

I've heard about this all been carried out successfully. A friend of mine, is more than willing to take it and store in his rented house for 6 months, then provide those bills etc.

If I was to lodge the money into his account, then gets the log book in his name, keeps it for 6 months, brings it home, then 'sells' it to me. No way around that '12 months of no selling' thing?

well technically your friend cam buy the car and then VRT it but he wont be able to sell it to you for 12 months.
but bear in mind your friend has to be returnng to Ireland, he cannot continue to live in England and claim he is returning home iirc.

robtri

your friend can buy the car, keep it in the UK for 6 months, bring it over to Ireland and re-register it here, wothout paying any VRT.
As stated above, he will not be able to sell it for 12 months, if he does VRT becomes payable,
the only snag on this one is.... how does your friend produce documents to say he is living here now and not the UK??

plastic-man

Basically, he works in England, rents there, comes home every 2 weeks and has permanent residence in Ireland.

It kills me to see this illicit tax being imposed!
Surely the rules bend in some form, in my favour?

Stephen

Permanent residence in Ireland means they probably won't let him VRT it for free.

The only way you'll be able to do it is to live outside the state for at least a year, own the car for at least 6 months and then bring it home with you. You'll still be restricted from selling the car on within 12 months.

Used cars are getting very cheap here anyway if you have no trade in as so many of the dealers are stuck with stock they can't shift and a lack of cash flow. You should be able to find a dealer willing to work something out.

Gumbo

plastic-man wrote: »

Basically, he works in England, rents there, comes home every 2 weeks and has permanent residence in Ireland.

It kills me to see this illicit tax being imposed!
Surely the rules bend in some form, in my favour?

he will not get VRT exemption iirc
no rule bending either as im sure all the tricks have been tried and tested.

what car are you looking at as some irish cars are now cheaper than UK cars as i found this out while searching for my E90 320d.

plastic-man

kceire wrote: »

he will not get VRT exemption iirc
no rule bending either as im sure all the tricks have been tried and tested.

what car are you looking at as some irish cars are now cheaper than UK cars as i found this out while searching for my E90 320d.

Correction from earlier: only looking to spend about €7000. Looking preferably for a 318 coupe with leather. My budget is more realistic if I was to get away with the VRT.

WITH leather
NOT NOT NOT a compact
would love an Msport

Sesame

I just got my Irish reg VRT exempt - legit. I had to send them my full UK life history, the envelope wasn't big enough for all the proof of living in the UK that they needed! Its not just utility bills either, its job proof, proof you've left (in my case, a closing council bill statment), 12 months of UK bank statements, proof it was insured in the UK, even the boat ticket. I really don't think there's a way around it.

PauloMN

plastic-man wrote: »

It kills me to see this illicit tax being imposed!
Surely the rules bend in some form, in my favour?

Why? Are you special?

Pay the VRT like everyone else does ffs.

-Chris-

Probably better off bending the rules the other way and working out how to evade income tax, at least then everything would be cheaper, not just cars.

:rolleyes: