# registering uk car in ireland



## siobhanclare (20 Feb 2006)

hiya,

We are moving to Mayo shortly and will be taking our car with us, will we have to notify the dvla in uk before we go or can we just register the car when we move.

Also, will my husband and I have to change our licenses?

Thanks

sc


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## CCOVICH (20 Feb 2006)

See  for more info on importing a car to Ireland.

See this link for  requirements.

On the DVLA issue, this recent thread might be worth a read, although I would make sure to square the circle so to speak before leaving the UK in case you ever want to return.


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## therushman (24 Feb 2006)

Advice from some one who moved form England in 2000 
1. keep hold of your UK licence at all cost they are valid in Ireland
2. The police/garda can not put points on it  for speeding ect (yet)
3. get you present insurer to give you a copy of your no clams bonus as it will speed it up when renewing here 
4. you will need to pay to register you car here 25% of current value depending on how long you have had it for see revenue.ie VRT   

Good Luck


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## Tubbs (24 Feb 2006)

I brought my UK car over in 1999. I qualified to import it for free (have to have owned it in UK for a period of time and then agree not to sell the car in Ireland for a year unless you want to pay VRT.

I didn't inform DVLA but things seem to have changed since. Would you be fined for not having road tax if they dont know you have exported the car ? (Something to do with SORN form ?)

Anyway I agree with therushman, hang onto your UK licence.
Irish licences expire after (I think) 10 years and cost money to renew. Mrs Tubbs changed her UK one to Irish and regrets it.

My current UK one is valid until 2047.

The Garda/police tried to tell me that I was illegal for driving around on a UK licence and must convert it as soon as possible. I politely asked them which law I was breaking and pointed out that it was a valid EU licence. 'On your way sonny' was the reply...


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## bacchus (24 Feb 2006)

therushman said:
			
		

> 2. The police/garda can not put points on it for speeding ect (yet)


Has to be the worse reason for keeping a foreign driving livence while resident in Ireland...
Having a foreign driving livence does not grant you the right to speed, does it?? 
You could have done better for your first post.... 




			
				therushman said:
			
		

> 4. you will need to pay to register you car here 25% of current value depending on how long you have had it for see revenue.ie VRT


 
Percentage you pay depends on engine size...
As pointed out by CCOVICH , see here for ful details http://oasis.gov.ie/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/importing_car_into_ireland.html 

and you will be exempt if you have owned you car for more than 6 months and move permanently to Eire.


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## helenemercer (3 Mar 2009)

i also have a problem registering a car.my husband brought a car in 6 months ago for my use and is the owner.we have had the car some years in the uk.my daughters partner took the car to be registered when i was on a short visit to the uk.[i am a pensioner and did not wish to drive such a long way]there seems to be some problem because he is owner and i am resident in ireland but he is not as he is still working in uk and we are amicably separated so he is not likely to become a permanent resident here.for some reason everything is possible if we pay 700 euros vrt.i do not understand this as it clearly states on web that a car owned abroad more than 6 months is exempted.he would still be the owner so does anyone know why.


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## sse (4 Mar 2009)

helenemercer said:


> i also have a problem registering a car.my husband brought a car in 6 months ago for my use and is the owner.we have had the car some years in the uk.my daughters partner took the car to be registered when i was on a short visit to the uk.[i am a pensioner and did not wish to drive such a long way]there seems to be some problem because he is owner and i am resident in ireland but he is not as he is still working in uk and we are amicably separated so he is not likely to become a permanent resident here.for some reason everything is possible if we pay 700 euros vrt.i do not understand this as it clearly states on web that a car owned abroad more than 6 months is exempted.he would still be the owner so does anyone know why.


 
There is no valid transfer of residence therefore the VRT exemption does not apply in this case. He owns the car and is staying in the UK. You have not owned the car at any stage and are already resident by the sounds of it, not transferring to Ireland.

Also, you're supposed to register the vehicle within one working day, not six months after the event. If you're still driving it on UK plates you're driving it illegally.

SSE


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## sse (4 Mar 2009)

therushman said:


> Advice from some one who moved form England in 2000
> 1. keep hold of your UK licence at all cost they are valid in Ireland
> 2. The police/garda can not put points on it for speeding ect (yet)
> 3. get you present insurer to give you a copy of your no clams bonus as it will speed it up when renewing here
> ...


 
I appear to be immune to traffic offences for another 30 years - in theory. If you have one of the old style non-photocard UK licences they only expire when you are 70. I believe there is no legal requirement to exchange this for an Irish licence, but you should put your Irish address in the "change of address" section but *do not send it off*. If you have a new UK 10-year photocard licence you cannot renew this on expiry in the UK if you are resident in Ireland and, at this point, you have to apply for an Irish licence.

The way this works for speeding tickets is that you will get a "shadow" Irish licence and the points applied to that. When you renew any points etc. become active at that time so you could end up banned on day one. This happens in the UK too.

Furthermore, because many traffic police have been replaced by speed cameras, I appear to be immune while driving in the UK because the DVLA cannot trace an Irish vehicle to put points on my UK licence for an offence committed in the UK and in Ireland I cannot have points put on to my UK licence even though they can trace the vehicle for an offence committed in Ireland. Interesting loophole eh?

This is one reason why many countries - e.g. France and Switzerland, apply swinging on the spot fines for speeding. If you are more than a specified amount over the limit in France you're banned on the spot.

I believe there are moves afoot to enable penalties incurred in one EU country to be applied to a licence in another. The sooner the better IMHO.

BTW - I don't speed, it's antisocial.

SSE


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