Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q and A)

Brewster

salmonorcod wrote: »

Have vrt next week are the current estimates on the online calculator up to date with the 2021 changes? Thanks

Yes. Fully up to date.

User1998

Just thought I’d share this regarding logbooks and buying from the UK.

I bought a car 6 months ago without a logbook and was messed about for 5 months with promises of a new logbook.

Contacted EMK Transport in Northern Ireland last month who got me a replacement logbook for €150. Arrived a month later. Would highly recommend if anyone is stuck for a logbook

superchippy

User1998 wrote: »

Just thought I’d share this regarding logbooks and buying from the UK.

I bought a car 6 months ago without a logbook and was messed about for 5 months with promises of a new logbook.

Contacted EMK Transport in Northern Ireland last month who got me a replacement logbook for €150. Arrived a month later. Would highly recommend if anyone is stuck for a logbook

That’s good to know. I bought a car before Christmas from a dealer in the uk. He never sent the V5C with the car and he filled out the V5C as he would if he sold it to someone in the uk. Lucky enough he never sent it to the DVLA and posted it to me last week but hasn’t arrived yet. I’ve the vrt next week and might not have it on time. I have a photocopy of the V5C before he posted it with my name and address filled in. Would this be enough to get it vrt’d or am I wasting my time?

User1998

Unfortunately they won’t deal with you if you only have a photocopy

CarPark2

dollylama wrote: »

I've been told today that taking a second-hand vehicle in from the UK may be liable to an additional tariff on import based on the country of origin of the vehicle. It was summarised to me that take a VW for example, built in Germany or Belgium or elsewhere in mainland Europe and sold originally into the UK, importing this car out of the UK and into Ireland would get hit with a tariff from the country the car was built in!

Can anyone confirm if this is true? We don't mind the VAT and duties on import as it's a business purchase but a non-refundable tariff stings a little

https://www.revenue.ie/en/importing-vehicles-duty-free-allowances/guide-to-vrt/registration-of-imported-used-vehicles/vehicles-imported-from-gb-and-ni.aspx

^^ based on the revenue page, it looks like a non-UK built car will be liable for customs (10%). If you buy a Nissan, Toyota, Honda etc. that was built in the UK (with <40% of its parts from outside UK), then you should only be paying the VAT as far as i can see.

Isambard

CarPark2 wrote: »

https://www.revenue.ie/en/importing-vehicles-duty-free-allowances/guide-to-vrt/registration-of-imported-used-vehicles/vehicles-imported-from-gb-and-ni.aspx

^^ based on the revenue page, it looks like a non-UK built car will be liable for customs (10%). If you buy a Nissan, Toyota, Honda etc. that was built in the UK (with <40% of its parts from outside UK), then you should only be paying the VAT as far as i can see.

yes that was it says. To be not charged 10% import duty, the car must be built in the UK with not less than 60% UK made parts. Didn't see that coming!

Isambard

Isambard wrote: »

yes that was it says. To be not charged 10% import duty, the car must be built in the UK with not less than 60% UK made parts. Didn't see that coming!

Makes it difficult for the individual. Have to determine where a car was built. UK reg or was it in NI long enough.

Probably wouldn't really know the final bill till sat in front of the assessor.

reubenreuben

How would it have been if there had been a no deal? as this so called deal is desperate for irish importers of cars.

Are we going to see more importers setting up in ni and registering them there so no duty is paid on import in south.?

For example, if you want to buy a car in GB then you pay a garage to import it to ni and they register it there. You then purchase from them.

pale rider

hotrodder wrote: »

pale rider wrote: »

What do I need from garage to prove that to revenue

You need the car dealer to supply you with a customs form to show it was imported into NI, the two traders I spoke to in NI this week were both aware of what was required.

Isambard

Deleted User wrote: »

Makes it difficult for the individual. Have to determine where a car was built. UK reg or was it in NI long enough.

Probably wouldn't really know the final bill till sat in front of the assessor.

does it also mean that a GB car imported properly into NI would also need to be British built to qualify as duty free?

reubenreuben

Isambard wrote: »

does it also mean that a GB car imported properly into NI would also need to be British built to qualify as duty free?

No. Nothing has changed in ni with respect to that.

Originally dealers had to pay 20% vat on top of price but this has been changed and reverted to the original setup.

I can imagine more cars than ever being imported into north and registered there for export to South.

dollylama

Isambard wrote: »

yes that was it says. To be not charged 10% import duty, the car must be built in the UK with not less than 60% UK made parts. Didn't see that coming!

in our case it's a truck which I believe was manufactured in Germany.. with Chinese parts most likely! We purchased this vehicle second-hand in the UK last November but we're only getting round to getting it into the country now and it's quickly becoming cumbersome and costly.

Would there be less of a burden if we took this truck in through NI, either through ourselves or a third party?

Isambard

dollylama wrote: »

in our case it's a truck which I believe was manufactured in Germany.. with Chinese parts most likely! We purchased this vehicle second-hand in the UK last November but we're only getting round to getting it into the country now and it's quickly becoming cumbersome and costly.

Would there be less of a burden if we took this truck in through NI, either through ourselves or a third party?

who knows? my guess is they'll be looking for just that

Tiger72

I have a 1993 classic left hand drive car on UK plates that is worth now probably 40 to 50 Euro , it is on UK plates and i have it since 2007 , I am waiting for the 30 year rule so i dont have to pay the VRT as because the car is after appreciating so much the Revenue would screw me (its parked up) , so what is my situation ? ill i have to get it registered in NI to a friend ? And if i do will there be VAT payable there ????

deezell

Tiger72 wrote: »

I have a 1993 classic left hand drive car on UK plates that is worth now probably 40 to 50 Euro , it is on UK plates and i have it since 2007 , I am waiting for the 30 year rule so i dont have to pay the VRT as because the car is after appreciating so much the Revenue would screw me (its parked up) , so what is my situation ? ill i have to get it registered in NI to a friend ? And if i do will there be VAT payable there ????

You don't have to do something dodgy. if you go straight, you'll be due VRT at the pre July 2008 rate based on cc, up to 30% of its OMSP in 2007, plus late payment on this of
0.1% per day of the VRT due. Approx 5000 days, so 500% or five times. So if the car is over 1.9L, then 5 time 30% VRT is 1.5 times the OMSP of the car back in 2007. That might not be so bad if it wasn't worth much back then, it was 14 years old at that stage. What was it worth here at the time? You won't have to pay the 14 years road tax though.
Otherwise, re-export, register in NI, reimport in 2023, pay vat on the sale price, possibly duty. You'll have to have a sales receipt from someone. If the car is valuable, they may investigate the transaction, and look for a bank transfer record. I don't know what the story is if you say you owned it abroad and are now only bringing it over. You'd have to prove residency back then. It's all about money laundering these days, like if you invested offshore in somthing years ago, then cashed in. You were meant to declare your foreign assets and incomes. There's no escape!

commited

deezell wrote: »

You don't have to do something dodgy. if you go straight, you'll be due VRT at the pre July 2008 rate based on cc, up to 30% of its OMSP in 2007, plus late payment on this of
0.1% per day of the VRT due. Approx 5000 days, so 500% or five times. So if the car is over 1.9L, then 5 time 30% VRT is 1.5 times the OMSP of the car back in 2007. That might not be so bad if it wasn't worth much back then, it was 14 years old at that stage. What was it worth here at the time? You won't have to pay the 14 years road tax though.
!

Are you certain on that advice? Is it from experience?

I ask as it appears to go completely against how revenue operates i.e they don't calculate the VRT based on the regime that was in place when the car entered the state, they calculate VRT based on the regime the day that the car is presented. They will then calculate the late charge based on the invoice date if there is no evidence of when the car entered the state.

I have never seen a case of Revenue backdating a regime (excluding the current COVID related exceptions), otherwise no one would have been caught last year with the huge increases in NOX charges etc.

User1998

Tiger72 wrote: »

I have a 1993 classic left hand drive car on UK plates that is worth now probably 40 to 50 Euro , it is on UK plates and i have it since 2007 , I am waiting for the 30 year rule so i dont have to pay the VRT as because the car is after appreciating so much the Revenue would screw me (its parked up) , so what is my situation ? ill i have to get it registered in NI to a friend ? And if i do will there be VAT payable there ????

Its a shame you didn’t buy it from a private seller up North just before the year ended and got a hand written receipt from them ..

deezell

commited wrote: »

Are you certain on that advice? Is it from experience?

I ask as it appears to go completely against how revenue operates i.e they don't calculate the VRT based on the regime that was in place when the car entered the state, they calculate VRT based on the regime the day that the car is presented. They will then calculate the late charge based on the invoice date if there is no evidence of when the car entered the state.

I have never seen a case of Revenue backdating a regime (excluding the current COVID related exceptions), otherwise no one would have been caught last year with the huge increases in NOX charges etc.

Afaik, cars imported beforr 2021 but not inspected yet through no fault of the owners should be due assssment under the 2020 rules, probably on appeal. You could be right too, though in that case you can just sit it out till 2023, and your car is a classic. Under your interpretation, you'd only be asked for trivial classic VRT, of €200 and late payment of 16 years, 5.8 times that, which would be €1360 in total, assuming you owned up the having it here that long. Seems odd that they would use a present system, and then charge arrears over a previous system period, especially if the car wasn't a classic for most of the 16 years. Indeed, how could you incur more than a months arrears on the new system, when it wasn't in place before 2021. Aside from which, you could be liable to seizure of the car for admitting you never declared it. A minefield. Keep it off the road till 2023 anyway, or you'll lose it altogether.

deezell

User1998 wrote: »

Its a shame you didn’t buy it from a private seller up North just before the year ended and got a hand written receipt from them ..

Hint, hint!

BorneTobyWilde

Ireland and UK need a treaty added to brexit deal regarding vat and vehicle imports.

deezell

For those interested, a little historical article which brought in a brave new world, relatively, for importing. The old cc based sysyem, with three bands at 22.5%, 25%, and 30% (anything over 1900cc), seemed punitive compared to the enlightened emissions based sysyem. See attachment below.
30% now seems attractive given the new WLTP rates, Nox, VAT, and Duty. We've definitely regressed, revenue the only winner, but the law of diminishing returns applys, as they'll probably find out as losers. Contrary to what this article states, there was huge resistance from SIMI when VRT was first introduced, as they suspected (rightly), it would lead to a surge of quality affordable private import cars, undermining prices of their inflated used bangers, and reducing trade in prices on new. They supported the severest version of VRT, instead of campaigning for a clean sweep of excise, duty, whatever, with just a new Vat rate. Revenue were so afraid of losing their cash cow on the feeble new car sales we had, it didn't occur to them that a transparent market, even with say 30-35% VAT, no VRT, would have doubled new car sales instantly, we might even have become self sustaining in the used market. They could have reduced VAT over time and not lost out. Win win. Alas, we were f***ed as usual, front back and centre.

reubenreuben

deezell wrote: »

For those interested, a little historical article which brought in a brave new world, relatively, for importing. The old cc based sysyem, with three bands at 22.5%, 25%, and 30% (anything over 1900cc), seemed punitive compared to the enlightened emissions based sysyem. See attachment below.
30% now seems attractive given the new WLTP rates, Nox, VAT, and Duty. We've definitely regressed, revenue the only winner, but the law of diminishing returns applys, as they'll probably find out as losers. Contrary to what this article states, there was huge resistance from SIMI when VRT was first introduced, as they suspected (rightly), it would lead to a surge of quality affordable private import cars, undermining prices of their inflated used bangers, and reducing trade in prices on new. They supported the severest version of VRT, instead of campaigning for a clean sweep of excise, duty, whatever, with just a new Vat rate. Revenue were so afraid of losing their cash cow on the feeble new car sales we had, it didn't occur to them that a transparent market, even with say 30-35% VAT, no VRT, would have doubled new car sales instantly, we might even have become self sustaining in the used market. They could have reduced VAT over time and not lost out. Win win. Alas, we were f***ed as usual, front back and centre.

I would buy a car in Ireland if the price was comparable to abroad.
Irish revenue does seem to make things a pita for car buyers. Miserable gits.

Isambard

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Ireland and UK need a treaty added to brexit deal regarding vat and vehicle imports.

I'm not sure they can do that. It would have to be a EU/UK agreement and , well, much more and they might as well not have left.

LillySV

Is the figures quoted on the vrt calculator updated to the new rates?

pale rider

LillySV wrote: »

Is the figures quoted on the vrt calculator updated to the new rates?

Yes indeed.

68deville

How would you calculate Vrt on a used vehicle that is in Germany and RHD and German registered on the current
Revenue website assuming the vehicle wouldn't be liable for duty and vat?

User1998

Just use the VRT calculator as normal

ironictoaster

I just read the last 15 pages of this thread . Thanks to all for their input, helping me decipher this mess.

Is there a way to know if a used car sold in NI was originally registered for use in NI and not imported from the UK to avoid duties? I'm still interested in purchasing a car in NI.

trellheim

Ireland and UK need a treaty added to brexit deal regarding vat and vehicle imports

trade is an exclusive competence of the EU, we can't do side bilaterals/treaties unless they were on the books before we joined the EU

On a side query : dont' insurers levy a premium for LHD cars ? Any of the web insurers wouldn't quote when I looked a while back

lomb

Not to be a downer but there are too many used cars in Ireland many are scrapped even if there is nothing wrong with them. Any 2008 car which is less than 5k is better than the best car in 1980. No one needs year old mercs ,bmws and if they do they can pay for it etc