Getting a D reg on an import

bs2014

So I'm from down the country and buying an English car off a dealer. I'd like to get a D reg over my home county.

Is it just simply give an address of a friend in Dublin, then when the log book comes out, contact revenue for a change of address back to my actual home address. Would I need official proof of residing at the Dublin address ie bank statement or bills etc to change the address back.

mikeecho

Just give the address of someone you know on Dublin, and do a change of address down the line.

bs2014

I just called into vrt office and the young helpful fella actually said it can't be done and he knows why I'm wanting to do it but only way is to register the car in my friends name as would need bank statements etc....but maybe he has to follow the party line? Id like to hear from someone whose actually done it. When you change address on log book do they look for proof. Garage said they used to register cars to their dublin address for the D reg but revenue got antsy and can do audits?

Lewis_Benson

Out of interest why would you bother?

bs2014

Just easier to sell on....(well in the past). I like the anonymity of driving a D reg especially since I'm in Dublin lots. Having a home county reg feels abit like your wearing a home county Jersey in every county you drive through 🙈🤣

bazz26

The VRT person is correct if a private person is VRTing the car, they will need to provide proof of address. However as you are buying from a dealer they deal with the VRT process with Revenue differently.

So if it's been registered by a dealer then ask them to put Dublin in your address instead of your home county when they go to register it online. It should then be issued a D reg by the system. Wait a day or two later and then log onto the motortax.ie website with the registration number and last 7 digits of the VIN as the PIN. You can then update the address to your proper one in there. Wait another few days for the motor tax system to update with the correct address before taxing the car and the log book issued. I have done this for the last two imported cars bought from dealers and it worked both times.

Just remember not to tax the car for the first time until the address is changed back on motortax.ie is done and verified by you again a few days later otherwise the tax disc and registration cert will be issued to the wrong address.

peter4918

Do you seriously think when you’re driving around Dublin and people see your reg they will think oh there’s Johnny from Roscommon or Kerry or wherever your home county is? Nonsense

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121176227#Comment_121176227

There's no need to wait a few days. The day after it is registered, go in and tax it and update the address in the process. The tax disc and VLC will then issue to the correct address in due course. I did it only a month ago.

Oh, and the pin is the last 6 digits, not 7.

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121178874#Comment_121178874

Well it's 3 years since I did it last so maybe it's a bit more refined now but I did it as you described however the logbook ended up being issued to my address but with Co Dublin at the end despite me updating it online. Luckily An Post eventually routed to my correct address but it had Dublin on the logbook too. I requested another logbook which had the correct address the second time so go figure.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121179011#Comment_121179011

I did the same thing in 2016. You must be doing sumting wong. 😉

idiot4

let's say your address is 1 Main Street Thurles Co. Tipp E41 ---- (fictional)

Put your address down as this

1 Main Street

Thurles Tipperary

Co. Dublin

E41 ----.

Did it myself on a 191 NI import Passat, now on a D reg, should be a T reg!

drunkmonkey

Just change your address on a utility bill (phone bill etc) to your friends in Dublin. Use that as the proof of address in the vrt office.

Doesn't matter what county you vrt it in. The reg will be D. I'd no issue doing it a few months ago.

bs2014

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121176227#Comment_121176227

What your saying sounds right as that is what others have said. However revenue website says dealer has to provide revenue proof of owners address when they registering.. .but granted the dealer hasn't actually asked for this.....yet? My other thoughts is the garage just reluctant to start putting down say Tullamore, Co.Dublin as if they got a revenue audit, it might bring heat on them....which ironically is petty since revenue are getting paid all their vrt, and god knows what else in customs and vat etc

https://www.revenue.ie/en/vrt/vehicle-registration-tax/procedure-at-ncts-centre.aspx#:~:text=These%20must%20be%20a%20utility,in%20addition%20to%20your%20own.

Varik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121179387#Comment_121179387

Did that too for new company bought car, companies address is one place but wanted reg from home county. Neither county is Dublin, just wanted it.

bs2014

How did the dealer navigate that. If the dealer was a Dublin dealer, prob self registered. But I think if its a new car it's different to a used one

Jeremy Clarkson.

This shït is precisely why the year / county should be scraped from the plate.

Random letters / numbers which stay with the person and follow them from car to car is the most superior system.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121183104#Comment_121183104

Is there even a country anywhere in the world that does that?

Germany also, doesn't it?

Ah-Watch

I didn't know that the Co reg thing was still a thing until I changed my car about 2.5 years ago. The dealer asked me did I have a Dublin address which I did (Mon-Fri rental) but all my bills, statements etc were for down the country. He just asked me to text him the address- I didn't give him any proofs even though I had the broadband bill- and the reg came back as D but my logbook arrived down the country....

bs2014

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121184717#Comment_121184717

Was this a brand new car?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121183422#Comment_121183422

The UK and northern Irish number plate system which is unfathomable is literally the 1 thing they do right that we dont lol

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121178840#Comment_121178840

I'm Dublin born and bred, live there currently. Have an L reg at the moment and had a LH previously. Never gave it any consideration nor when I see any other reg in Dublin (bar mild curiosity for a foreign reg, or coming behind a TN reg knowing I'll be stuck at 20kmph below the speed limit for as long as they are in front)

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121185188#Comment_121185188

I was referring to the part where they said random letters/numbers which stay with the person and follow them from car to car. The UK definitely do not do that.

Ah-Watch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121185188#Comment_121185188

No a UK import

Miscreant

Wasn't there a way to "reserve" a specific registration number at one point? You had to pay for the pleasure, of course, but I am not sure if this can still be availed of. Might be worth a look to see if it is still being done.

Personally, I have had Dublin, Kildare, Cork and Galway registered vehicles (I live in Dublin) and what is on the plate has never bothered me one bit. Not had any effect on a trade in either, that I am aware of.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187777#Comment_121187777

You can still reserve plates on brand new cars

R.O.R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187793#Comment_121187793

But only for the county you live in. Can get a special D reg put on a car if you live in Louth (or know one of the ways around it, as have been posted above).

Yeah Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121187793#Comment_121187793

I imported a car from the North in 2018. You could select whatever number you wanted, once it hadn't already been given out, for a price of €1,000.

EG If you had a 2007 Aston Martin, and the last car registered in your County was 07-D-12345, then you could pick any number higher than 12345, excluding any that had already been selected by people doing what you're doing.

goochy

in your county - op wants another county

Arnout

Belgium has a system where the plate stays with the owner rather than with the car, without geographical coding (as opposed to Germany).

Regarding choosing a reg on an import: last year I was told several times (through MyAccount correspondence as well as at the desk in two different VRT centres) that this isn't possible, only for new cars.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121176136#Comment_121176136

It can be done, easily. Just got 2 plates for new imports this a.m., both on D, neither car in D. Both are imports.

Your garage can reg it to them.

Arnout

I should have known this / thought of this last year when I imported my car. Except the other way around, I live in D and now have a 04-D-12.... reg, would rather have had something shorter. Maybe from W (still 4 digits I think even on an import).

"Just" would have needed somebody there to use their address.

goochy

too late now , 1st world problems

Clay_Bill Clay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121282076#Comment_121282076

When swapping it over to the OPs name would it not then show up as having an extra owner?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284755#Comment_121284755

Not if a garage does it, it a regular person off the street does it then yes it's an extra owner

littlevillage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121176185#Comment_121176185

You are completely over thinking this.... Do you really think anybody gives a flying fig what county your car was registered in?

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284904#Comment_121284904

I know it's a bit of a trope, but if you want to check what your car will be worth 'down the road', D plates get better money. It's been that way as long as Methuselah.

A good while back now, but I remember a friend of mine trading in a 1999 Honda Accord for a new 320d, and on the value of the Accord, the salesman without going outside to check asked if it had a D plate or (local). The D got him an extra €1k.

GTTDI GOD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121183422#Comment_121183422

The USA do it, they do have the state on the plate, but each state have different letter/number requirements. On the plate then is a month (that the plate was first registered/will expire) and a sticker for the year that the reg expires, so the sticker changes annually (different colour for each year). That is essentially your car tax, no need for windscreen discs. So new car, plate goes with you.

Avon8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121178840#Comment_121178840

Any semi experienced car salesman will tell you that its much easier to sell a car with a D reg than a country one, and I say that as someone from the country. Dublin people in general are reluctant to buy certain types of cars with country reg's, as they assume the bag has been drove of them.

Ive imported my last 3 cars, all of the 'sporty' variety, and it was a lot easier sell on the second one with a D plate than it was the first with a country plate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121285165#Comment_121285165

Methuselah must be relatively young, because it used to be the opposite way around. D reg's (or SI I think) were looked down upon 30-40 years ago because they were just driven in cities for short journeys.

John_Rambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121285308#Comment_121285308

Same here. Sales guy always asks if it's a D reg when inquiring about trade-ins and I've a good few rural friends using Dublin addresses & registering their cars in the Capital.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121285533#Comment_121285533

Dublin reg's have always been preferable. Least preferable are DL, G, WX and CN reg's for obvious reasons.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121285703#Comment_121285703

Otoh, if you're buying and don't give a monkey's (that'd be me), those are the counties I'd go shopping in.......add: LM, MO, KY, RN etc