Are Gardai/Customs/Revenue entitled to impound a rented UK registered vehicle.

Did anyone hear the Gerry Ryan show during the week?

Some woman originally from Dublin now living in the north was down visiting family in Dublin. She took her Northern reg car to the shops and was stopped by customs asked for ID and that. The customs officer refused to believe that she was from the North even after seeing her UK license and insisted on seeing a utility bill or esle she would seize the car.

Gerry then got someone on from the Revenue to see the legality behind it. He apologized for the heavy handed officer in this case but then went on to state that anyone moving over from Northern Ireland to Republic of Ireland had to re-register their car the next working day yet Eastern Europeans were given a year to do this because of some European law about freedom of movement and the right to seek work in a member state or something.

That can't be right... can it?
 

I agree that this seems to discriminate against residents of UK & NI when compared to the treatment of Eastern Europeans.
 
uiop said:
I agree here too but if VRT is abolished, how would it affect income tax to compensate ?.
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This is no justification for and unfair and illegal (in the European context) tax. Sure, to raise the funds, other taxes would have to be raised, but at least the other taxes have the semblence of fairness about them, are not illegal.


Everyone who owns or runs a car is caught by VRT. Cars are hardly a luxury, especially given the great public transport system we have.
 
Noelc

I think you are on a loser here. I was listening to Gerry Ryan show and they were saying there is a fine on top of the VRT for getting caught. Have you thought about this. We all hate VRT. But if it is the law that an Irish resident can't drive a foreign car don't complain if they seize your car.

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Noel

I don't think you are sharing the full facts with readers on this forum. If you are looking for help/information/guidance/opinion, it is not unreasonable to expect you to open up with more background.

Is the a 'bona fide' rental, or just a little scam dreamt up in the pub between friends. Does the renter rent other cars, or just to you? Is your Irish insurance company aware that you are renting the car?
 
It is not illegal to have the car in ireland on uk plates, but a Irish resdient cannot drive it, It will be taken off you.
 

It is a bone fide rental. Sure; as I know someone in a senior position within the company I did get a good deal. My insurance company are not aware that I am renting the car; I just asked them to switch the insurance from my old car to this one - did not think this would be an issue. I gave them the UK reg. number and that was that.

I will be returning the car to the UK next week as it is illegal for me to be driving it. End of story. I am not into breaking the law.

However, the issue has got me annoyed and hence the research on EU law I posted here last week. From what I have ascertained I believe that the Irish government are contravening the EU law with regard to the free movement of services. A car rental is considered a service by the EU.
 

It's an interesting and new (to me) angle on how it's illegal in European terms OK. There are other angles though: just think a minute about the comment above that it's OK for a UK resident to drive a UK car here, but not an Irish resident.

As I said, though: unless and until someone takes a case, it'll persist.
 
Thanks for the clarification. I'm surprised that they didn't ask about the ownership of the car, but there you go.
 
Complainer said:
Thanks for the clarification. I'm surprised that they didn't ask about the ownership of the car, but there you go.
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Based on the OP's information they already knew he was an Irish resident and had more than likely established the provenance of the "veehickle".
 
Interesting about the Finnish EU case, but I don't think it will help you. It implies that you do have to register the car in IRL, and pay proportionate VRT. I can't imagine any UK rental company being willing to allow their cars be essentially "exported" and registered in a foreign jurisdiction.
 

They normally do this on the assumption that the vehicle will be re-registered on irish plates, so that people importing their own car could be covered but when the policy falls due for renewal it would cause you issues. They also would assume you own the car - not telling that you dont constitutes a material fact. They ask on the original proposal form whether the car is owned/registered in your name so if there is any change you are obliged to inform them. If there was a crash and the car was written off you would have to produce the VLC and this would become a problem as you are not the registered owner of the vehicle. And tbh they wouldnt pay out!
 
weejasy77 said:
Eastern Europeans were given a year to do this because of some European law about freedom of movement and the right to seek work in a member state or something.

That can't be right... can it?
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oh don't get me started!!!! The amount of eastern european cars in an estate near me is shocking and they have all been here for way more than one year and not re-registered. No tax or insurance and some have admitted they only drive locally so they don't get fined.
 

Why dont you report them - should be easy pickings for customs.
 
I mentioned it to a guard before and he said there was nothing they could do regarding registering. They say they have only been here a few months and then they could leave in the morning. Reported no nct disks on 3 irish registered cars owned by foreign nationals near me recently as they were parking outside my house blocking me for reversing from my driveway and guards wouldn't do anything about it.
 
There is a guy down the road from me driving an English reg car insured in Ireland with FBD. It has an Irish insurance disk on display. It has UK road tax and the owner is a UK national and lives in Ireland.

Customs were not interested. Guess it is who you know.
 
NoelC,

Case they would have is - if I am reading everything correctly,- you live and work in Ireland, you rent a car from a uk car hire company on a long term basis, you not the hire compnay pay for the insurance through an Irish company, the car has a Uk reg plate and on top of all that it happens to be a friend of yours that is renting you the car. Sounds to me like you have a possible hire purchase agreement with your friend!!
Put yourself in a judges position what would you think, - person in front of you is trying to pull a very fast one I would think!

I have been hiring cars for years always while on hols and I have never had to get my own insurance -that is a bit underhand. as an aside Insurance companies need to tighten up and ensure the person being insured is the owner.

Good luck with customs!
 
Ted, if you ever try to hire a car from small time operators in Ireland they will insist that you transfer your insurance over to their car. All rates quoted exclude insurance. When you tell them that you have no insurance and you want to take out theirs the rate quoted will double.
 
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