Process for importing motor vehicles from outside the EU

GerryFog

Hi guys,

I have friends moving to Ireland permanently from Joburg, South Africa.

They have a Hayabusa motorbike that's worth a bit of money and they want to bring it with them. Unfortunately they are unlikely to find a buyer in SA and they really don't want to sell it for RAND.

Does anyone know the process for importing a motor vehicle into Ireland that is registered in another country?

How difficult is the whole process?

zilog_jones

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/importing_car_into_ireland.html

If they have owned the vehicle for more than 6 months they may be eligible for VRT relief: https://www.revenue.ie/en/importing-vehicles-duty-free-allowances/guide-to-vrt/reliefs-and-exemptions/transfer-of-residence.aspx

Thousands of used cars are imported from the UK and Japan every year. This situation is a bit different as it's a transfer of residence, but the main difference is they may have to pay less tax if they've owned it long enough, the procedure is mostly the same.

bazz26

If they don't qualify for an exemption then they could be stung for VAT on top of VRT if it's coming from outside the EU.