Studying/Motoring in NI

Pat Barrett

This is the current situation. Full time studying in Northern Ireland University and will be for the next 4 years. I have National insurance number, 9 months signed lease on a house there. I am from the south. I have bought a car in the UK, getting it registered in NI, have insurance got there also.At what point do I have to pay the VRT, I don't intend to bring the car to the south" until I finish my studying.

biko

You pay VRT only if you bring the car to the south to use it here.
If you have car more than 6 months in UK there should not be a cost involved to re-register it here (keep all receipts of everything!)

If you drive down here on your weekends off or Christmas remember to have proof of NI address with you in case you're stopped at a checkpoint.
You want to be able to explain why you are driving a UK car.

SmartinMartin

you are resident in the UK for the next 4 years (180 days continuously in residence in the north), so no need to pay vrt at all.

coylemj

biko wrote: »

You pay VRT only if you bring the car to the south to use it here.
If you have car more than 6 months in UK there should not be a cost involved to re-register it here (keep all receipts of everything!)

+1 when you eventually bring the car south, you will need to show that you have lived in the UK/NI for at least 6 months so be especially careful about keeping receipts for the last year or so of your stay - lease agreements are very good because they prove residency. So I'd maintain a collection of the last 12 months correspondence that has your name and NI address on it.

biko wrote: »

If you drive down here on your weekends off or Christmas remember to have proof of NI address with you in case you're stopped at a checkpoint.
You want to be able to explain why you are driving a UK car.

+1 would be no harm to have something with your NI address on it like an electricity bill or motor insurance renewal.

Marcusm

biko wrote: »

You pay VRT only if you bring the car to the south to use it here.
If you have car more than 6 months in UK there should not be a cost involved to re-register it here (keep all receipts of everything!)

If you drive down here on your weekends off or Christmas remember to have proof of NI address with you in case you're stopped at a checkpoint.
You want to be able to explain why you are driving a UK car.

SmartinMartin wrote: »

you are resident in the UK for the next 4 years (180 days continuously in residence in the north), so no need to pay vrt at all.

I think you guys missed the"student" part; VRT exemption will not be available on his return as he is treated, for VRT purposes, as if he remains resident there. For similar reasons, technically he is it allowed to drive the car in ROI. The rules was designed (Europe wide) to allow students to bring their home country's cars abroad with the. For their studies. In this case, the opposite applies and he'll not be blue to drive it here while U.K. Registered nor be able to benefit from transfer of residence exemptions - the former will probably be overlooked but he'll not have the paperwork for the latter.

Charles Babbage

Despite the posts above, being a student for any amount of time does not make you normally resident in NI, and you will not be allowed import a car or indeed drive a NI car in the ROI (during holidays etc).

Basically, students are not considered to have moved.

Ryath

You can't claim exemption if you were abroad for studies.

From revenue.ie
Please note that you do not qualify for relief from VRT:
if you went to live abroad mainly for the purpose of pursuing a course of studies

SmartinMartin

My apologies, You learn something new every day.
I wonder why that clause?

CiniO

It's EU wide rule, that if you move to other country for purpose of studies, then it doesn't change your residency, so you are still resident in your home country.

So what OP should do, is to buy ROI car, have it taxed and insured here at his home ROI address, and use it in NI.

Technically as he is not resident in UK, he should not be allowed to register car in NI in his name.
As pointed out above, he also won't be able to avail of importing VRT free on returning here, as he won't be changing residence.

Things can be different, if on top of studying, OP would be also working in NI (even part time).