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

I get your point, so car paid for by the initial purchaser with their money is ok then. thanks for claryfying

I am thinking of switching car, and I am considering going to NI, but this is all new to me, so I appreciate any advice.

I want to check am I missing something.

I am looking for Skoda Karoq 2020.

I am somewhat aware of the Windsor Framework.

I looked up www.usedcarsni.com, and I searched for 2020 Karoq models with 1.0 L engines.

I find a SE model with a 1.0L TSI petrol engine asking 12,800 GBP, which is equivalent to 15,100 euro approx.

I then check the Revenue VRT calculator, and the combined VRT and NoX is 3,539.

Added together, that is 18,700 approx.

When I look on DoneDeal for similar 2020 models, they are asking from 24k upwards.

Am I missing something? Is it really 5k cheaper? Is there some catch that I am missing?

Does anybody know what the story is with an ex demo car up the North? It has a Northern Irish registration but it was never privately owned. It is over 6 months old and over 6000km. Is vat and customs due on that scenario.

Oh, that's interesting, I was looking at a car but it was previously owned by a company, is that different?

The salesman says it isn't an issue when he told me this, (from a Charles Hurst dealership), has given me a copy of the spec page of the V5 but won't give me any more so I'm getting wary, but maybe unnecessarily so?

Thanks for that, much appreciated.

What year was the car? My cousin up north is looking to buy a 2021 hybrid from england and then i would buy it off him after christmas and pay vrt to bring it to the south. Wondering does it need to be older than 2020 (pre brexit) or can you do this with a 2021 car?

Firstly - apologies if this was covered earlier somewhere in the previous 168 pages.

I want to bring a car in from the UK for its engine and wheels. Basically my plan is to remove the engine, gearbox and loom at my leisure and use the wheels then scrap the rest.
However, the car has no logbook (V5C) and isn't driving. If I have a company collect this will I still be liable for customs and VAT even though it's basically scrap/salvage and a non runner?
Can it even be imported by anyone without the logbook?

I also think I'd struggle scrapping what's left afterwards without a logbook anyway…

Thanks

Just wondering how strict are the NCT centres with the "reasonable time" window that the vehicle is registered in the north before it is VRT'd? If i walk into an NCT centre a week after 3 months of "ownership" has elapsed on the log book in an NI address - will they accept this without any queries and i just pay the 200 euro VRT charge?

Did it take long to get the CoC from BMW? I am just going to look at a car to export and wondering should I have asked the seller in advance to get/provide one?

Found a car in England being sold by a dealer there (Evans Halshaw). I don't have any family or friends living in NI. To ensure I only pay VRT (& not customs & VAT also), could/should the below steps work?

If was to somehow manage to convince any NI dealer to;

1. buy the car from the UK dealer on my behalf

2. have the NI dealer import it the car to NI (& keep a record of the Customs Declaration)

3. Register the car in NI to a member of the NI dealer's staff (is it 100% true that it registering it to the NI dealer is not enough?) & get an MOT done (does it also need insurance in the registered owner's name?)

Note: Or is this Step 3 even needed at all if the NI dealer has a record of the Customs Declaration? Revenue website implies the Customs Declaration is sufficient but isn't clear.

4. Keep the car at the NI dealer's garage (or the staff member's home) for 3+ months (say 3.5 months)

5. Sell the car to me (so I can import it to Ireland, register by paying VRT)

?

Or are their company's (importers) that could so this for me somehow, bypassing the NI dealer?

I should have wrote that the scenario/approach was based on paying the NI dealer a premium for their hassle (time, paperwork, storage cost), over & above the car sale price (eg up to say a grand max) as part of convincing them.

Re the step 3 (NI registration) in my previous post, this extract from Revenue indicates that private registration isn't required & only the Customs Declaration (identifying the vehicle being registered in NI, to the dealer in this case) is needed. By extension it by not mentioning MOT it implies that neither an MOT nor insurance are required either. Do I interpret that correctly?

https://www.revenue.ie/en/vrt/registration-of-imported-used-vehicles/registering-vehicles-from-ni.aspx

Vehicles that were not previously in use in NI

Vehicles bought from NI dealers that have not previously been in use in NI (for example, vehicles that had been in use in Great Britain (GB) prior to being purchased by an NI dealer) will require proof that the vehicle has been imported to NI in accordance with the requirements of the Windsor Framework. A copy of the Customs Declaration lodged in NI, which clearly identifies the vehicle being registered, must be provided.

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The extract from this site confirms same;

https://www.completecar.ie/features/post/13050/Guide-to-importing-a-car-from-Northern-Ireland

If you’re buying the car from a dealer, then you’ll need some more paperwork, specifically a copy of the customs declaration lodged in NI (that clearly identifies the vehicle being registered there) to demonstrate that the vehicle has been imported to NI in accordance with the Windsor Framework. If you can’t show that important piece of paperwork, then Revenue will assume that the car hasn’t been properly registered in NI, and so will apply both VAT and Customs Duty.

Why ridiculous if the objective is met (ie buying the specific car I want, for which a comparible model isn't accessible on the NI market, without needlessly paying 23% VAT + 10% customs), if it the process to do so is legal/legit & all parties are happy to follow it as they either make or save money?

The NI dealer would be importing it for sale. NI dealer's can sell to private Irish buyers, even if the car was never used in NI. So is it not the case that ensuring that Revenue's guidelines quoted above are followed makes it a legitimate EU good?

https://www.revenue.ie/en/vrt/registration-of-imported-used-vehicles/registering-vehicles-from-ni.aspx

Vehicles that were not previously in use in NI

Why on earth would a dealer agree to this? Apart from the fact it’s not legal of course.