VRT on imported minibus for conversion

Jolly Red Giant

Tried to find this but could find anything that answered my question.

A relative in England has a 15 seater minibus. I was looking at the possibility of buying it and bringing it here for a camper conversion.

My understanding is that the VRT on importing the minibus is €200. Is this correct?

Second question - after the conversion would the converted camper be liable for VRT?

moodrater

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

Tried to find this but could find anything that answered my question.

A relative in England has a 15 seater minibus. I was looking at the possibility of buying it and bringing it here for a camper conversion.

My understanding is that the VRT on importing the minibus is €200. Is this correct?

Second question - after the conversion would the converted camper be liable for VRT?

Some insurance companies might not cover bus conversions, Dolmen terms claim to exclude buses with more than 8 seats for example. The club may require you to replace rear windows with metal.

After conversion and SQI certification you would be liable for 13.3% of whatever revenue decide its worth minus the €200 already paid.

Don't forget the licence and insurance issue in bringing it home.

micka

Just digging up this older post..

Assuming one spots a decent minibus in UK for import - how does one go about organising the following??

a) Insurance for me to drive it to Holyhead and then to home in Ireland.

b) Road Tax for me to drive it to Holyhead and them home to Ireland.

c) When to show same to VRT inspector at the nearest NCT centre.

d) Does VRT inspector check for insurance and tax.

e) Would it be best to leave the tail lift on and the 15 / 16 seats intact for VRT purposes - or - have them removed by the dealership in the UK as i don't need them - or - indeed keep them to sell in Ireland. Is there a market for bus seats and oldish wheelchair accessible tail lift

Ta in advance

12 element

VRT on a bus is 13.5% I believe. 13.5% would be payable on conversion anyway so it makes no difference really.

micka

Thanks for the response.

Do i have to pay VRT twice. I.e. when i bring the mini bus in - and - then later again when i convert to motorhome?

I would assume the VRT on a minibus would be less - due it having less 'stuff' as opposed to when it becomes a motorhome.

Any thoughts?

CJhaughey

16 seater will be >3500kg so may fall into a different VRT category.
Also a C1 license will be necessary

micka

Just checked with VRT office,

You don't need to bring proof of licence, road tax disc or insurance for the purpose of getting the vehicle registered.

But you do need to get it inspected within 2 business days of bringing the vehicle in..

But this still leaves the following q's unanswered..

Assuming one spots a decent minibus in UK for import - how does one go about organising the following??

a) Insurance for me to drive it to Holyhead and then to home in Ireland.

b) Road Tax for me to drive it to Holyhead and them home to Ireland.

and

e) Would it be best to leave the tail lift on and the 15 / 16 seats intact for VRT purposes - or - have them removed by the dealership in the UK as i don't need them - or - indeed keep them to sell in Ireland. Is there a market for bus seats and oldish wheelchair accessible tail lift

autumnalcore

micka wrote: »

Just checked with VRT office,

You don't need to bring proof of licence, road tax disc or insurance for the purpose of getting the vehicle registered.

But you do need to get it inspected within 2 business days of bringing the vehicle in..

But this still leaves the following q's unanswered..

Assuming one spots a decent minibus in UK for import - how does one go about organising the following??

a) Insurance for me to drive it to Holyhead and then to home in Ireland.

b) Road Tax for me to drive it to Holyhead and them home to Ireland.

and

e) Would it be best to leave the tail lift on and the 15 / 16 seats intact for VRT purposes - or - have them removed by the dealership in the UK as i don't need them - or - indeed keep them to sell in Ireland. Is there a market for bus seats and oldish wheelchair accessible tail lift

You can't drive it on a B licence if its got more than 9 seats including the driver.

shaunr68

Following this thread with interest as future plans include a minibus based conversion, something like a VW Bluebird. I'm looking for something erm, "roomy", the equivalent size to a large coachbuilt, for 6 month continental trips.

I have D1 on my UK licence, have looked into the implications of registration and insurance and current plan is to buy the vehicle, convert to DVLA standards and have it reregistered as motor caravan on the V5. It might be imported here, might be stored in the UK on UK plates and insurance but that's a whole other can of worms already discussed in another thread! https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=104153539

shaunr68

micka wrote: »

a) Insurance for me to drive it to Holyhead and then to home in Ireland.

b) Road Tax for me to drive it to Holyhead and them home to Ireland.

a) Most temp cover policies (eg dayinsure, tempcover.com) include EU cover as standard but on a third party basis only. You can often pay extra for a comprehensive cover. However I have found that the policies state that journeys must begin and end in the UK. I imported a car recently and judged that it was better than nothing. You can get temp cover on vans and I'm sure it would be possible on a minibus

b) You can tax online and then cancel it before the next calendar month, so you'll only pay a month's tax. Personally I wouldn't bother :eek:

micka

@shaunr68

"Im looking for something erm, "roomy", the equivalent size to a large coachbuilt"..

Same here, whats great about the minibuses (to my mind) is..

a) lots of windows pre-installed. Don't like them, cover them with dark coloured vinyl.

b) Low mileage for a diesel. They are often ex-council vans.

c) Have lots of extras like onboard diesel space heating (websato). Rooflight hatches etc

d) Loads of underfloor storage due to them being passenger based vehicles. Good for water, waste tanks etc.

e) Walls and ceiling pre-carpeted, recessed lights, speakers etc.

f) Better then a campervan or coachbuilt as loads more space and doors at the back for transporting stuff (versus coach built).

---

I've imported three bongos from Japan and had a low profile coach built so know the problems with both.

Also with this type of vehicle, you could drive to Ikea and just load up on say 3K worth of units, sinks etc and just get going on your conversion.

All Ikea measurements are on line - you could plan interior out to the millimetre before spending a penny.

shaunr68

Hi Mick, yes, all of the above! I think once you've had a coachbuilt with all the bells and whistles and living space it would be very difficult to go back to a basic camper conversion. I've done a panel van conversion before and had it reclassified so happy that I have the required skills, and with a large minibus you can build a decent sized, modern MH for a fraction of what a professional conversion would cost.

Have my eye on the type above, Bluebird conversion based on the 2.5 litre VW T5. The interior load space is fantastic, 16 ft behind the driver's seat in the tri-axle version, 14 ft on the shorter model and over 6 ft wide so transverse fixed bed easily accommodated.

On your points:

I prefer a conversion with plenty of windows. Loads of light, nice views all round. I don't want to travel the continent and sit looking at the inside of a van. The ex-local authority vehicles tend to be very well maintained too.

As well as the Bluebird, have a look at Mellor, Freedom minibus, Iris Bus and some of the coachbuilt Crafters and Sprinter minibuses. Some to whet your appetite:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2011-Fiat-DUCATO-40-MAXI-MULTIJET-MELLOR-BLUEBIRD-ORION-BUS-SEMI-AUTO/253383744685?hash=item3afed91cad:g:U4cAAOSw9Z1aZhDG

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RENAULT-MASTER-AUTOMATIC-15-SEAT-LOW-FLOOR-STEP-ENRTY-WELFARE-BUS-COIF-PSV/172888337537?hash=item2840f2ac81:g:VAAAAOSw3sRaYJsb

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-IVECO-50C15-IRIS-BUS-DAILY-18-seat-mini-bus-coach/253397439511?hash=item3affaa1417:g:J8AAAOSwmphaPUam

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-09-FIAT-DUCATO-3-0-40-MAXI-160BHP-POWER-12-SEATER-KFS-WELFARE-DISABLED-PASS/132205978743?hash=item1ec8172477:g:nmwAAOSwR29ZKMGi

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLKSWAGEN-CRAFTER-CR50-163BHP-15-SEATER-MINI-BUS-IN-WHITE-WHEEL-CHAIR-RAMP/122736313845?hash=item1c93a785f5:g:E1kAAOSwQeZZ0krI