Buying an English Reg car here

Gal44

Im interested in a car for sale here in ireland that has english plates, it can be sold cleared with vrt or can be sold unlceared at a cheaper price, i dont mind clearing it myself but i dont know much about that, how easy/hard is it to do? i know you only have a certain amount of time to get it cleared get irish plates etc but does that start from when the present owner brought it into the country or from when i buy it myself? thanks..

rocky

You can't legally buy a car on English plates here.

Gal44

oh no i seen loads on donedeal for sale.. crap :eek::o:o
Thats out then, thanks anyways

porsche boy

rocky wrote: »

You can't legally buy a car on English plates here.

Ive bought 2 cars on english plates in the Republic. Just had to fill in the paperwork and send it to the DVLA. Once I recieved the paperwork back went to the VRO and paid for a irish reg and recieved VLC once I taxed it. Has this changed, why do you say its illegal? I never had a problem, its done all the time by smaller garages who find value in UK auction houses. Some garages will register them others let the new owner do it.

CiniO

rocky wrote: »

You can't legally buy a car on English plates here.

What if UK resident is here visiting and decides to sell his car here?

Any Irish resident can buy UK registered car form UK resident.
I would imagine place of transaction can not determine about legality of sale.

colm_mcm

Its definitely illegal. You may get away with it by making up things about when it was imported and who you bought it from.

CiniO

colm_mcm wrote: »

Its definitely illegal. You may get away with it by making up things about when it was imported and who you bought it from.

What is probably illegal is selling a foreign registered car in Ireland by Irish resident.
But I can't imagine how buying a foreign registered car could be illegal.

DIESEL TOM

Gal44 wrote: »

Thats out then,

why .. just tell him to vrt it

porsche boy

colm_mcm wrote: »

Its definitely illegal. You may get away with it by making up things about when it was imported and who you bought it from.

As I said I have done this a couple of times before. Never had to make up any story or lie about it. Wasn't even asked to explain it in the VRO office.
Where are you getting this information from? Have you had this experience yourself?

Gal44

DIESEL TOM wrote: »

why .. just tell him to vrt it

it would be cheaper to do it myself as hes adding on extra than the cost of it actually is..

scamalert

Gal44 wrote: »

it would be cheaper to do it myself as hes adding on extra than the cost of it actually is..

dont know what car your looking at,but it might be cheaper if paperwork and owner puts it trough nct as well.
And since there are no borders in Ireland,besides customs how this can be illegal,unless car was registered somewhere as entering the country,i cant see any difference between buying it in Northern Ireland or UK and bringing it back over here.As far as i know any foreign car can be in the country for 3 months,and if seller has all the right paperwork from UK/N.I it will be shown as purchased at the day you buy it.

Chimaera

This is about the most reliable information I can find on this issue, and it doesn't make any mention of this situation: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/importing_car_into_ireland.html

That said, it refers to a requirement that the vehicle be booked for VRT assessment within 7 days of its arrival in the country and that this process must be completed within 30 days. Unless the dealer has managed a very quick sale on this, I doubt you'd be able to fulfill either of these requirements so I'd leave it to them to do the paperwork and keep yourself out of any potential hassle.

A call to the Revenue Commissioners may clarify things too.

Gal44

Chimaera wrote: »

This is about the most reliable information I can find on this issue, and it doesn't make any mention of this situation: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/importing_car_into_ireland.html

That said, it refers to a requirement that the vehicle be booked for VRT assessment within 7 days of its arrival in the country and that this process must be completed within 30 days. Unless the dealer has managed a very quick sale on this, I doubt you'd be able to fulfill either of these requirements so I'd leave it to them to do the paperwork and keep yourself out of any potential hassle.

A call to the Revenue Commissioners may clarify things too.

Will do, thanks everyone

AltAccount

VRT amount is decided on the day, AFAIK. Are you definite your sums are right and you've built in the leeway if they give you a higher than expected figure?

AltAccount

Chimaera wrote: »

This is about the most reliable information I can find on this issue, and it doesn't make any mention of this situation: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/importing_car_into_ireland.html

That said, it refers to a requirement that the vehicle be booked for VRT assessment within 7 days of its arrival in the country and that this process must be completed within 30 days. Unless the dealer has managed a very quick sale on this, I doubt you'd be able to fulfill either of these requirements so I'd leave it to them to do the paperwork and keep yourself out of any potential hassle.

A call to the Revenue Commissioners may clarify things too.

A dealer with a TAN number won't have to adhere to thise timelines, only private punters or non-TAN dealers

Guy:Incognito

porsche boy wrote: »

Ive bought 2 cars on english plates in the Republic..

People buy heroin here too. Doing something is hardly proof of it being legal.

porsche boy

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

People buy heroin here too. Doing something is hardly proof of it being legal.

Hardly comparable and a stupid post. If you dont have a constructive comment then with first hand experience why would you even bother to post?

Guy:Incognito

porsche boy wrote: »

Hardly comparable and a stupid post. If you dont have a constructive comment then with first hand experience why would you even bother to post?

Something is either illegal or not. They arent a little bit illegal. So its comparible.

If you want a motoring related comparison then people drive without insurance , that doesnt make it legal.

The fact that you bought a car on english plates here is irrelevant to the fact of whether or not is illegal.

CiniO

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

The fact that you bought a car on english plates here is irrelevant to the fact of whether or not is illegal.

OK but can you tell us exactly what is illegal when it comes to foreign registered cars being sold in Ireland?

porsche boy

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Something is either illegal or not. They arent a little bit illegal. So its comparible.
.

Eeeeh no.
I've done it. I know it can be done. I wasn't stopped or questioned by Vehicle Registration Office, Motor Tax office or the NCT. I didn't have to lie or make up excuses for anything. I was simply wanting to give the VRO office a wad of cash for a reg number. If it was illegal as you say then how was I allowed do it, TWICE. why wasn't I stopped or reported. Besides what crime did I commit?
Show me where exactly it says that buying a foreign registered car in Ireland is illegal because as far as I can see your talking rubbish.

Guy:Incognito

porsche boy wrote: »

Eeeeh no.
I've done it. I know it can be done. I wasn't stopped or questioned by Vehicle Registration Office, Motor Tax office or the NCT. I didn't have to lie or make up excuses for anything. I was simply wanting to give the VRO office a wad of cash for a reg number. If it was illegal as you say then how was I allowed do it, TWICE. why wasn't I stopped or reported. Besides what crime did I commit?
Show me where exactly it says that buying a foreign registered car in Ireland is illegal because as far as I can see your talking rubbish.

Show me where I said anything what you did was illegal? I questioned your post where you made out it cant be illegal because you did it. I was merely pointing out ( as I said) that just because you do something here doesnt mean what you did was legal. Which is exactly what I said. Maybe reading the posts might be helpful in future.

Btw , ive driven with no tax, which is illegal. I then went and paid for my tax, including the 2 months I drove for. The tax office gladly took my money and gave me my disc. Does that mean driving without tax was then legal?

mickdw

porsche boy wrote: »

Eeeeh no.
I've done it. I know it can be done. I wasn't stopped or questioned by Vehicle Registration Office, Motor Tax office or the NCT. I didn't have to lie or make up excuses for anything. I was simply wanting to give the VRO office a wad of cash for a reg number. If it was illegal as you say then how was I allowed do it, TWICE. why wasn't I stopped or reported. Besides what crime did I commit?
Show me where exactly it says that buying a foreign registered car in Ireland is illegal because as far as I can see your talking rubbish.

So you could truthfully declare the date of entry of the vehicle into the country?
If it was in the country more than 30 days, they you can have issues.
Also, was the person you bought from the actual person listed on the uk reg cert? In many cases the seller here will not be the person named on registration cert from uk. That being the case, a receipt from a random 3rd person might not hold water.
It is true that it is relatively easy to get around these things but to truthfully go in to vrt a car that was bought here from an Irish resident who would have been driving around on the uk plates for a while might not be as easy as you think.

corktina

there would be a penalty to pay if the car had been in the country longer than 30 days (with someone with no TAN number) and I don't suppose the Revenue would be too fussed who pays it.

How could you tell whether they KNOW it is already in the country? They could have ANPR at the entry ports for all we know.

quarryman

Gal44 wrote: »

Will do, thanks everyone

Let us know how you get on. In interested in a car that is in Ireland, hasn't been driven but sitting up on uk plates for about a year.

porsche boy

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Show me where I said anything what you did was illegal? I questioned your post where you made out it cant be illegal because you did it. I was merely pointing out ( as I said) that just because you do something here doesnt mean what you did was legal. Which is exactly what I said. Maybe reading the posts might be helpful in future.

Btw , ive driven with no tax, which is illegal. I then went and paid for my tax, including the 2 months I drove for. The tax office gladly took my money and gave me my disc. Does that mean driving without tax was then legal?

So you have no experience in this matter, nor can you say with any degree of certainty what law if any is being broken. Really your first and subsequent posts should habe been prefixed with "I dont have any experience in the matter or know anything about it but..."
Good to know. Thanks for your input.

00833827

I imported a car about 5 years ago, was going to pay VRT and re-reg it on Irish Plates and drive away as normal. I was probably going to leave it a few weeks before i got around to doing it, probably waiting for payday, cant remember exactly - anyway - 1 day after i arrived into the country I was driving the car (it was a Monday so hadnt a chance to get to relevant office to pay VRT), went out from work at lunch time to get some grub, came back, customs were at the car, so i said Hi, just got back yesterday bought the car, gonna VRT it as soon as i get a chance etc. Customs Officer took all my details, he was a bit of a d1ck to be honest even though i was completely cooperating and being helpful - so that was that - do it asap or we will seize it was his parting comment - grand - so on the Friday i took a half day and went and paid the vrt and got my plates and paid motor tax. Alls good.

About 6 weeks later the Customs guy calls my fone, leaves a message saying that he wants to check have i cleared the car - think he didn't take down the UK number plate correctly (or else there is no way for him to check on the system what the UK number has changed to in the Irish system - wouldnt surprise me to be honest) - since he was ignorant to me originally, i wasn't too bothered about calling him back, had he have been polite, it would have been a different story. Anyway he called me every week for 4 weeks, finally i answered and I told him i didnt have it anymore, I sold it to a fella - he started ranting about how this wasn't permitted, only authorized dealers can sell UK reged cars in the state etc. I strung him along for min or so then i just called out the new reg number - a bit of typing and silence and he said thanks very much and hung up :-)

Long story short, you are not permitted to sell out of state registered cars in Rep. of Ireland - this is the line from Customs. Of course people give examples of what they have or havent done and thats up to them - sure lads have UK reged cars on Donedeal and they are not being chased by customs about it- again thats an enforcement matter. I would think its to do with the fact that private sellers dont pay tax on the profit of the car being sold unlike a registered dealer does - but thats just a guess on my part.

Matt Simis

There are hundreds of private individuals and small car sellers along the border laughing at the (typical) black and white, high horsey scaremongering of "its illegal to sell UK Reg here".

While I dont think Ive sold a UK Reg car here, I did buy them (as do family members, frequently), you dont "get in trouble" when down at the NCTS writing them a cheque I assure you. They want your money, you get a regplate, everyone is happy.

Ive also spoke, face to face, to Revenue about this (unlike I assume everyone else on the thread?), during an "investigation". They did tell me it was "illegal to trade in foreign reg vehicles within the state" however they were more interested in the seller and at that, not interested enough to actually follow it up once they heard he was just a private individual, like me.

00833827

yeah one or two cars, im sure revenue wouldn't have (in the past) bothered with the paper work, but im sure they way things are with them now, if you have a few on the front driveway, they might well take an interest if it were a regular earner for a fella.

mathepac

AltAccount wrote: »

A dealer with a TAN number won't have to adhere to thise timelines, only private punters or non-TAN dealers

Thanks again. You have re-clarified and re-iterated the clarification that has been posted and re-posted 194,372 times here. And clarified. And re-posted. And re-clarified. And re-iterated.

There used to be a "search" facility. I wonder has it seized up through lack of use...

CiniO

Which law exactly prohibits to sell foreign registered car in Ireland?
Does this law also prohibits to buy one?

Guy:Incognito

porsche boy wrote: »

So you have no experience in this matter, nor can you say with any degree of certainty what law if any is being broken. Really your first and subsequent posts should habe been prefixed with "I dont have any experience in the matter or know anything about it but..."
Good to know. Thanks for your input.

Ive vrtd a few cars actually. But again your not reading what I wrote. The fact that the law regarding vrt is whats being discussed is irrelevant to what I said. Hence I used other examples. Ill state it again, just because you do something ( and get away with it) doesnt mean its legal. And to give one more example, if your caught speeding and the gard lets ypu away with it, does that make speeding legal?

AltAccount

mathepac wrote: »

Thanks again. You have re-clarified and re-iterated the clarification that has been posted and re-posted 194,372 times here. And clarified. And re-posted. And re-clarified. And re-iterated.

There used to be a "search" facility. I wonder has it seized up through lack of use...

You're welcome?

colm_mcm

From revenue.ie

If you decide that you do not wish to register the vehicle, and pay the VRT due, you must ensure that the vehicle is taken out of the State immediately, but at the latest within 30 days of its initial entry into the State.

Seems pretty clear cut, register it or send it back.