UK registered car - reported to customs!

littlepickle

Ok so having worked in Dublin for a while now I was sick of commuting from my home across the border and so I bought a house down here and decided to permanently settle here and make my home here. Living at home to save for a mortgage was starting to take it's toll so I decided it was the best option and was sick of having no life outside of work!!

I moved into the propery in Feb of this year in a small community. I have a northern registered car and once I bought the house I looked into paying the VRT and changing the plates to ROI ones only to find out it costs a bomb - more than I paid for the car in the first place :eek:

The car was insured and taxed until the end of this month so I decided to hang on to it and sell it when these were up as I had paid the money and didnt want to see it go to waste. I don't use the car for commuting - with traffic and petrol costs it wouldnt be worth my while when there is decent public transport. I do use it, however, when I go and visit my parents up at home across the border (usually every 3-4 weeks).

On Saturday I got a call to the house, someone had reported me to customs. I was shocked. In the estate alone I counted 14 yellow reg cars belonging to people who have been there much longer than 6 months!

I have now sold the car and bought a cheap little run around and I am just wondering, now that I dont have the car anymore can I be fined?

Anan1

Do you mean that customs called to your house? If so, what did they say?

testicle

VRT wouldn't have cost you a cent as you were transferring residence. http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/vrt-guide.html#section10

MugMugs

If you were the owner of the vehicle for over six months and a full time resident of the North, why would it cost a bomb to bring your car into the Republic?

corktina

ha, you could be in trouble if you sold it within the Republic, but it sounds like you could have VRTd it for free had you looked a bit closer at it.

( i hope the other 14 cars got reported as well...)

littlepickle

The company I work for are based in the south. In order to prove I was living in the north I have receipts, statements, every day living etc but I dont have pay slips (as I was getting paid by a southern company) and I dont have social welfare claims because I wouldnt claim while I was working. I lived with my parents and while I contributed to the house that doesnt count as rental payments.

I need the latter two to apply for free transfer. They make it as difficult as possible.

Matt Simis

littlepickle wrote: »

The company I work for are based in the south. In order to prove I was living in the north I have receipts, statements, every day living etc but I dont have pay slips (as I was getting paid by a southern company) and I dont have social welfare claims because I wouldnt claim while I was working. I lived with my parents and while I contributed to the house that doesnt count as rental payments.

I need the latter two to apply for free transfer. They make it as difficult as possible.

They do make it difficult but thats to catch out people dodging VRT, which you claim not to be. Its not impossible however. The fact the company you work for is based in the South is irrelevant, you arent required to work for a foreign company.

Did you actually have this conversation with Revenue or look it up and just not bother?

littlepickle

Anan1 wrote: »

Do you mean that customs called to your house? If so, what did they say?

Yes they called right to the front door. He actually was very nice, he asked me for the address the car was registered in the north, asked would I be moving permanently to the south, asked was I paying income tax in the south etc.

He didnt seem to keen on calling to peoples houses.

He left after directing me to the website page where I could transfer the car for free but I didnt explain that I had already looked into that option as I thought they might sieze the car there as then.

littlepickle

Matt Simis wrote: »

They do make it difficult but thats to catch out people dodging VRT, which you claim not to be. Its not impossible however. The fact the company you work for is based in the South is irrelevant, you arent required to work for a foreign company.

Did you actually have this conversation with Revenue or look it up and just not bother?

I looked it up on the website and the first thing it has on the list of requirements was either pay slips or social welfare records from the country you are transfering from and the same for ROI as proof that you are transferring there (employment abroad and in the State e.g. payslips, tax records, social welfare records etc.)

As I was working for a company in the south and commuting each day I dont have pay slips for a northern company or welfare claims for the north as I was employed.

The other requirements I did have so I called the Revnue to ask and I was told the bank statements, phone bills, receipts for day to day living etc were supporting evidence to the pay slips and / or social welfare records.

I should also explain that while I have a bank account down here it is also registered to my address in the north (up until Feb) as that was where I was residing.

Dionysius2

littlepickle wrote: »

Yes they called right to the front door. He actually was very nice, he asked me for the address the car was registered in the north, asked would I be moving permanently to the south, asked was I paying income tax in the south etc.

He didnt seem to keen on calling to peoples houses.

He left after directing me to the website page where I could transfer the car for free but I didnt explain that I had already looked into that option as I thought they might sieze the car there as then.

From your own observations or what you may have heard, did he also call to others in the estate ?

littlepickle

corktina wrote: »

ha, you could be in trouble if you sold it within the Republic, but it sounds like you could have VRTd it for free had you looked a bit closer at it.

( i hope the other 14 cars got reported as well...)

I sold the car at home as all the records I have for it are northern.

That was the frustrating thing, once he left my house he left the estate. Had it been a routine check up in the area he would have gone further in and seen all the other cars.

littlepickle

Dionysius2 wrote: »

From your own observations or what you may have heard, did he also call to others in the estate ?

From my own observations.

He didnt call to anyone else in the estate and my house is one of the first as you enter, had he gone further on he would have seen the other cars in the area.

jjmcclure

Firstly, if you are not married here (in the Republic) then you did not even need to VRT it, free or otherwise. The rule states that your place of normal residence is where you family ties are i.e. if your mum or dad are living in the north, you are not married in the republic, and you return home regularly with the car you do not need to VRT it. Doee not matter where you pay tax!!

Also if you are married, owned the car for more than 6 months then moved here you are exempt from VRT, does not matter that you were working in the republic.

I have been in both these sitiatuions. Drove for years on the yellow reg and was stopped by customs several times before I was married.

When I got married down here I paid no VRT.

littlepickle

jjmcclure wrote: »

Firstly, if you are not married here (in the Republic) then you did not even need to VRT it, free or otherwise. The rule states that your place of normal residence is where you family ties are i.e. if your mum or dad are living in the north, you are not married in the republic, and you return home regularly with the car you do not need to VRT it. Doee not matter where you pay tax!!

Also if you are married, owned the car for more than 6 months then moved here you are exempt from VRT, does not matter that you were working in the republic.

I have been in both these sitiatuions. Drove for years on the yellow reg and was stopped by customs several times before I was married.

When I got married down here I paid no VRT.

Hi Jimmy

Thanks so much for your reply. It has cleared a lot up for me. Maybe customs were so ambiguous in the hope that I would just pay the VRT.

I was just panicking about the follow up as I have heard so many horror stories since the weekend about people losing their car and facing huge fines etc. To be honest the customs guy didnt seem that bothered, the minute he heard my accent and my name and address (I am a 'miss' by the way so that probably is why he didnt push the matter either if your first place of residence is where your family ties are).

Thanks again.

Soarer

littlepickle wrote: »

Yes they called right to the front door. He actually was very nice, he asked me for the address the car was registered in the north, asked would I be moving permanently to the south, asked was I paying income tax in the south etc.

He didnt seem to keen on calling to peoples houses.

He left after directing me to the website page where I could transfer the car for free but I didnt explain that I had already looked into that option as I thought they might sieze the car there as then.

So after talking to you, he told you where you could register the car for free, and you still chose to sell the car?
Don't make no sense to me.

Anan1

Soarer wrote: »

So after talking to you, he told you where you could register the car for free, and you still chose to sell the car?
Don't make no sense to me.

Read OP's post #7.

McP2011

I could never understand how people can report other people, especially for something like this, f*kin touts.

galwaytt

Anan1 wrote: »

Soarer wrote: »

So after talking to you, he told you where you could register the car for free, and you still chose to sell the car?
Don't make no sense to me.

Read OP's post #7.

OP says he was directed to website re foc transfer, by Customs.. Customs officer wouldn't have done that if there was an issue with OP's status, so I agree with soarer....

monkeypants

McP2011 wrote: »

I could never understand how people can report other people, especially for something like this, f*kin touts.

It's called paying your ****ing taxes and I have zero sympathy for people who don't. I've called Revenue several times over the years on people in my workplace who were driving cars long term on foreign plates while living here.

Having said that, it sounds like this lady could possibly have registered her car at no cost.

goz83

monkeypants wrote: »

It's called paying your ****ing taxes and I have zero sympathy for people who don't. I've called Revenue several times over the years on people in my workplace who were driving cars long term on foreign plates while living here.

Having said that, it sounds like this lady could possibly have registered her car at no cost.

So you were the guy standing by the printer, with no friends at the christmas party.

Our man in Havana

Once the car has been disposed of outside the state, customs do not care.

monkeypants

goz83 wrote: »

So you were the guy standing by the printer, with no friends at the christmas party.

No, we generally didn't bother to bring printers to our Christmas parties.

fasttalkerchat

Hopefully that should be the end of it OP. I was going to VRT my car when I was living in the south but it was too much hassle for me too. Any idea who reported you? I would look into that sooner rather than later if you plan on staying there longer.

ardmacha

I imagine that the OP would not have had any problem importing the car VRT free under the change of residence provisions.

The basic idea with Normal Residence is that it is a significant move. There are two scenarios. One is that some was resident in the State and ceased to be and is now returning. The Customs require evidence in this case that the person really transferred their normal residence elsewhere and that they are really transferring it back. There is a lot of attempted cheating in this regard. The OP is in the second situation where she started off outside the State and clearly has become resident, so it is fairly straightforward. The only problem might arise if the Customs reckoned that the OP had in fact moved previously .

Terrontress

I VRT'd a car a while ago, it was sickening. Handing over good money for something which is free in NI and then my road tax increasing fivefold.

It was just when I kept insuring it to my parents' house, handing over my premium to the insurer and wondering how much cover I'd get if I was in an accident and it transpired that I was not resident in the same country, never mind the address I had given.

I'm not even sure if the insurer would provide third-party cover in that instance.

Of course they valued my car at a level far in advance of what I paid for it and a good bit more than they were selling at online.

fasttalkerchat

ardmacha wrote: »

I imagine that the OP would not have had any problem importing the car VRT free under the change of residence provisions.

The basic idea with Normal Residence is that it is a significant move. There are two scenarios. One is that some was resident in the State and ceased to be and is now returning. The Customs require evidence in this case that the person really transferred their normal residence elsewhere and that they are not really transferring it back. There is a lot of attempted cheating in this regard. The OP is in the second situation where she started off outside the State and clearly has become resident, so it is fairly straightforward. The only problem might arise if the Customs reckoned that the OP had in fact moved previously .

He couldn't VRT it for free as he didn't have enough documents to support the application (no payslips or rent receipts showing he had moved over the border recently)

McP2011

monkeypants wrote: »

McP2011 wrote: »

I could never understand how people can report other people, especially for something like this, f*kin touts.

It's called paying your ****ing taxes and I have zero sympathy for people who don't. I've called Revenue several times over the years on people in my workplace who were driving cars long term on foreign plates while living here.
Having said that, it sounds like this lady could possibly have registered her car at no cost.

But why would you even care. Glad your not a neighbour of mine!!

goz83

monkeypants wrote: »

No, we generally didn't bother to bring printers to our Christmas parties.

Obviously didn't bring friend either

sandin

McP2011 wrote: »

I could never understand how people can report other people, especially for something like this, f*kin touts.

It could simply have been observed by customs that it had been on the roads locally for a while.

Once customs officer heard NI accent he was probably happy enough that it was genuine.

Others in the estate have probably already been checked - easy enough to get permission from customs to have your car for a year or more if you are from NI or GB (or otehr country) and that your stay here is short-term.

They normally will give you a letter to show if you get stopped.

monkeypants

McP2011 wrote: »

But why would you even care. Glad your not a neighbour of mine!!

Why would I care whether others are paying their taxes? Seriously?

galwaytt

Terrontress wrote: »

Of course they valued my car at a level far in advance of what I paid for it and a good bit more than they were selling at online.

....which is why they have an appeals process. Most appeals get something back. Gather evidence, eg ads, for similar cars to yours, showing the lower value, and send it in...

Anan1

galwaytt wrote: »

OP says he was directed to website re foc transfer, by Customs.. Customs officer wouldn't have done that if there was an issue with OP's status, so I agree with soarer....

The way I read it, OP didn't have adequate proof of prior residence in the North:

littlepickle wrote: »

but I dont have pay slips (as I was getting paid by a southern company) and I dont have social welfare claims because I wouldnt claim while I was working. I lived with my parents and while I contributed to the house that doesnt count as rental payments.

I need the latter two to apply for free transfer.