Declaring car off the road- local Garda Station

projectgtr

Hi guys my girlfriends car has been off the road for the last couple of months, the car hasnt been declared as off the road so it needs to done, what does she need to bring to the station with her.

Thanks in advance

Mycroft H

There is a convenient little section on the motor tax renewal form for declaring a car off the road.

Local garda station should have them

slimjimmc

It wouldn't be possible for her to previously declare the car as currently off the road, there is no mechanism for that. The only thing she can do is declare that the car was off the road whenever she goes to tax it again. All she needs for that is to fill out the tax form RF100a and sign it in the presence of a Garda who will then sign it as a witness to you making the declaration. Nothing else required.

projectgtr

thank you for the help guys much appreciated, ill pass it on to her.

I used to bring proof (ish) that the car had been off the road i the form of insurance details for whatever else I had been driving at the time. Never needed it, all you need is as mentioned the motor tax renewal form (can download that from Motortax.ie) filled in, it should be the person declaring the car off road that goes to the station as it is a declaration the Garda is witnessing. No need to do it until herself intends to start using the car and needs to tax it again. It's a retrospective declaration.

corktina

yeah correct.The gard is only witnessing your signature on the declaration.You dont need any documentation for this purpose.

Esel

Remember that 'off the road' means 'not used in a public place'. Parked on a public road does not qualify.

Just saying.

El Camino

Does anyone know whether the tax authorities check things such as whether the car has actually been used during such a period i.e. do they have access to Toll road use where car registrations are captured etc.

bmstuff

The tax office does not check if a car was off the road of not. If it is stamped by the Gardai, that is good enough for them.

Now if your car was not off the road and you walk in a garda station to declare the car as such, you would get into troubles.
Usually they do check on their system if they have any record for the car for the "off the road period". If they find out it was caught speeding or even seen parked in a public road, you will be in troubles.

Most of the time they check, but sometimes they don't do it and just sign the form.

The gardai also sometimes writes down reg and car models found in the streets, by just walking around, with no specific reason.

So if your car was not off the road during the period you claim it was, really you should not declare it as such.

I was almost arrested when I came to the garda station to declare a car off the road. They contacted the gardai that registered in their system that my car was seen at a specific date in a specific place. My car was not obvisouly, never even been to that place, and it turned out the gardai in question made a mistake by copying the reg on his block note. It was tough enough to get away from it as it was a white bimmer too...

Padraig Mor

bmstuff wrote: »

Now if your car was not off the road and you walk in a garda station to declare the car as such, you would get into troubles.
Usually they do check on their system if they have any record for the car for the "off the road period". If they find out it was caught speeding or even seen parked in a public road, you will be in troubles.

Most of the time they check, but sometimes they don't do it and just sign the form.

The gardai also sometimes writes down reg and car models found in the streets, by just walking around, with no specific reason.
...

OK I get that they would have info on their system re fines etc, but is that actually true that they have records of just general use on public roads?!

CharlieCroker

The tax office CAN/DO check to see if a car has been observed being used while it's been declared off the road and the owner can be prosecuted for making a false declaration.

Padraig Mor

CharlieCroker wrote: »

The tax office CAN/DO check to see if a car has been observed being used while it's been declared off the road and the owner can be prosecuted for making a false declaration.

How can they check that? Toll records etc? (Just wondering........I've never actually declared a car off the road.).

bryaner

bmstuff wrote: »

The tax office does not check if a car was off the road of not. If it is stamped by the Gardai, that is good enough for them.

Now if your car was not off the road and you walk in a garda station to declare the car as such, you would get into troubles.
Usually they do check on their system if they have any record for the car for the "off the road period". If they find out it was caught speeding or even seen parked in a public road, you will be in troubles.

Most of the time they check, but sometimes they don't do it and just sign the form.

The gardai also sometimes writes down reg and car models found in the streets, by just walking around, with no specific reason.

So if your car was not off the road during the period you claim it was, really you should not declare it as such.

I was almost arrested when I came to the garda station to declare a car off the road. They contacted the gardai that registered in their system that my car was seen at a specific date in a specific place. My car was not obvisouly, never even been to that place, and it turned out the gardai in question made a mistake by copying the reg on his block note. It was tough enough to get away from it as it was a white bimmer too...

The Guards in my local station have never once checked their files to see if my car was on the road while stamping the declaration on non use section, and thats after 20 years motoring..

CharlieCroker

They check with the gardai, local councils etc to check tickets, parking permits etc.

It's not up to the gardai to check, they're only witnessing your signature on the form, they're not confirming that the car was off the road. It's up to the council to prove that

bmstuff

bmstuff wrote: »

The tax office does not check if a car was off the road of not. If it is stamped by the Gardai, that is good enough for them.

Now if your car was not off the road and you walk in a garda station to declare the car as such, you would get into troubles.
Usually they do check on their system if they have any record for the car for the "off the road period". If they find out it was caught speeding or even seen parked in a public road, you will be in troubles.

Most of the time they check, but sometimes they don't do it and just sign the form.

The gardai also sometimes writes down reg and car models found in the streets, by just walking around, with no specific reason.

So if your car was not off the road during the period you claim it was, really you should not declare it as such.

I was almost arrested when I came to the garda station to declare a car off the road. They contacted the gardai that registered in their system that my car was seen at a specific date in a specific place. My car was not obvisouly, never even been to that place, and it turned out the gardai in question made a mistake by copying the reg on his block note. It was tough enough to get away from it as it was a white bimmer too...

I've signed the car off plenty of times and it was driven all the time during the "off the road" period and never had any problems.

bmstuff

Padraig Mor wrote: »

OK I get that they would have info on their system re fines etc, but is that actually true that they have records of just general use on public roads?!

Apparently so, that is what they told me and even called the gardai who entered my car in the system. When I asked was it badly parked or suspicious, the guy told me no, they just took down the reg and entered it in the system as being there and that time. I was told this an exercise they do regularly.

bmstuff

bryaner wrote: »

The Guards in my local station have never once checked their files to see if my car was on the road while stamping the declaration on non use section, and thats after 20 years motoring..

Lucky you :-)
Over the past couple of years I had this particular car maybe 4-5 times off the road, and they checked it every single time.

bmstuff

CharlieCroker wrote: »

They check with the gardai, local councils etc to check tickets, parking permits etc.

It's not up to the gardai to check, they're only witnessing your signature on the form, they're not confirming that the car was off the road. It's up to the council to prove that

Not in my experience, so it seems we have a different experiences anyway.
The Revenue in my case, once the form was stamped by the gardai never ever checked any of those things, took my money promptly and let me off.
But I suppose depends who you speak to/which motortax office you are, some people don't bother.

Matt Simis

bmstuff wrote: »

Lucky you :-)
Over the past couple of years I had this particular car maybe 4-5 times off the road, and they checked it every single time.

You must live in a place with zero crime of any sort that the Gardai have consistently had time to do such trivial admin work.

znv6i3h7kqf9ys

bryaner wrote: »

The Guards in my local station have never once checked their files to see if my car was on the road while stamping the declaration on non use section, and thats after 20 years motoring..

Any other crimes you want to admit over the internet?:D

bmstuff

Matt Simis wrote: »

You must live in a place with zero crime of any sort that the Gardai have consistently had time to do such trivial admin work.

Let's not blame them, for once they were working

mazp123

Mycroft H wrote: »

There is a convenient little section on the motor tax renewal form for declaring a car off the road.

Local garda station should have them

hows it goen , my car has been off the road 3 months, it was in the sprayshop and tax out 3 months, i never new you had to declare it off the road, will i still have to back tax or can i stil get it stamped like before

corktina

This is why you shouldn't open up old threads.

Esel

mazp123 wrote: »

hows it goen , my car has been off the road 3 months, it was in the sprayshop and tax out 3 months, i never new you had to declare it off the road, will i still have to back tax or can i stil get it stamped like before

A 'new' owner does not have to pay tax arrears. So, you know what to do...