UK Reg Car in the South.

Magna Carta 123 · 06-01-2016 8:46am #1

I have an address in both the North and South, and due to my work, means I spend plenty of time driving on both sides of the border. My Car is registered in the UK however I am not sure if I need to legally import this to the south.

Anyone have any previous experience on this?

ohnonotgmail · 06-01-2016 10:07am

where are you normally (ordinarily) resident? Where do you work, north or south of the border? If you are employed by a company in the south and have an address in the south you will have a hard time convincing customs that you are not a resident of the republic and they will expect you to pay VRT on the car.

Roosterreid · 06-01-2016 10:20am

I don't believe (although I could be wrong) that it's a matter of where you are employed. It is based on where your car spend the majority of its time. If it's mainly (51% or more) in Northern Ireland, then it should be fine to remain in the UK. If the car spends more than 50% of its time in the South, you must import it.I recently moved from Northern Ireland to Southern Ireland and I imported my car; I would recommend:1. Making sure that your insurance company is fully aware of your car movements and that it can spend a significant amount of time in Southern Ireland. 2. If you consider importing, the onus is on YOU to demonstrate that the car was mainly in the North up until the import date. This can be the likes of eFlow receipts etc showing that you travelled back up North.3. The gardai can stop and query why you are driving in Southern Ireland in a a UK registered car if you are noticed travelling on the same route on a very frequent basis- maybe unlikely to happen, but it has occured with 2 people in my work.If you are in aby doubt, contact customs... they are helpful!note that if your car is pre 2008, car tax is based on engine size and can be very expensive..... either way, importing your car will see your general motoring costs increase!best of luck

biko · 06-01-2016 10:56am

Is your driving licence Eire or UK?

R.O.R · 06-01-2016 10:56am

It's a matter of where you are resident, and where the vehicle is predominantly used.

If you are resident in ROI, but the vehicle is predominantly used in NI, there is an exemption available, but it has to be authorised by Revenue. This is usually for people who live close to the border, are employed by an NI based company and provided with a vehicle for use in connection with their business in NI.

UK Reg Car in the South.

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