Avoiding Vehicle Registration Tax?

Ruatha

Hi folks,

I've been browsing Boards.ie for a while now....love it!

This is my first post here, so here goes!!

I'm a Dublin girl myself and I've been studying in the UK now for 3 years. I plan to come home in September (further study) and I want to take my UK car. I've been on to the VRT office in Dublin twice now to see if I am exempt from paying the tax. The first time I spoke to someone who said that as I'm a student, I will be exempt and I wouldn't even have to pay the tax on a car that I had owned for less than 6 months (an extra bonus becuse my current car is a heavily modified mini cooper that would probably be uninsurable in good old Eire, so I was thinking I'd need to change cars) Two days later, still thinking it was just too good to be true, I called the office again. This time I was told that because I was a student in the UK and not working/paying tax etc, I do not qualify for the Transfer of Residence exemption and I will have to pay the VRT I get the impression that everyone at the VRT office has their own interpretaion of the rules :dunno:
Any ideas guys? How can I get around it? Is it worth staying with my current UK insurer and just drive in Ireland with UK plates - I'll still have my partner's residential address in the UK....or is this too risky if I have a accident? Does anyone know if irish insurance companies will cover a car on UK plates??

PS I can't believe the extortionate price of insurance/tax in ireland compared to the UK:o How do they get away with?

Cheers,

R*

Dr. Dre

As far as I know, as long as you can prove you've owned the car in the UK for over 6 months (tax disks, insurance etc) then it's cushty, it's irrelevant if you've paid income tax etc..
Could be wrong, we shall see.

silverside

according to
http://www.revenue.ie/services/vrt/vrt2.htm

"A person who is normally resident in the State but who lives outside the State primarily for the purpose of attending a school or university is regarded as a State resident."

jimmycrackcorm

A few years back I moved from the south to N.Ireland so that I could buy a car there and then move back south afterwards and not have to pay the duty. My family ties were in the south as was my job.

When I moved south I applied for a transfer of residence and did not have to pay the duty but I had a job to convince the customs that all was above board.

Basically if you can prove that you were wholetime resident in the UK then you are ok (after all even my tax details were still southern) I had to give them documentary evidence such as my current a/c bank details in the North.

don't take any bull**** - and make sure you have a uk licence - after all you can simply move back to the uk if they give you ****e about it so their loss. If you have earned income there and have a PPS equivalent for the Uk the you are ok especially if you can show that you did not come back here for the summer.

You must have had the car for more than 6 months.

Also leave the change over application for as long as possible - don't bother with it until the customs track you down if they do. They can't do much if you have a uk licence.

jimmycrackcorm

Forgot to mention - yes Irish companies will cover your uk plate - remember it is the person that is insured not the car desipte what it seems which is why many policies state that you are insured to drive other cars not belonging to your or your employer.

Victor

Can you show you had other reasons to be in the UK - work, partner, etc.?

Ruatha

Thanks for all the advice chaps:D

Dr. Dre: I have owned my current car for 6 months, however I know now that I'll never reasonably insure it in Ireland because it's well modded....so I need to change cars and I won't have owned the new one 6 months by the time I come over:(

Silverside: Doomed.....

Jimmycrackcorm: I'll do what you say, use the car in Ireland on UK plates for as long as I can, then transfer it when I have to.

Victor: Yes, my partner is English, so essentially I'll still have an address in the UK.

Cheers Guys!

Ruatha

Blitzkrieger

It could be dodgy driving around Ireland on UK insurance. When I moved to London temporarily I asked my insurance company about this, and they said I would have to give them notice of when I'm going and would only be covered for a maximum of two weeks per year. Your insurance company might be different. In fact, maybe all English insurance companies would cover you here.

You can only drive with an English plate for a limited period. I think it's three months. It also has to be one of those plates with the EU flag on it. You see so many English cars over here without them (pair of Aston DB7 Vantages on the dual carrigeway today) that they really won't enforce it. Once you apply for the Irish plates they'll hit you with the VRT. You might get away with the English plates with and Irish insurance company but you'd probably be caught by tax - that is, if any Garda bothers to check the tax on a car with English plates.

You can only use an English license for one year too. After that you have to apply for an Irish one. The opposite is true too if you're going from Ireland to England. You don't have to do a test or anything; just fill out a form and pay the fee. That said, I doubt if anyone will actually catch you if you continue to use your English license. I've been considering using a friend's address in London to apply for an English license to try to avoid penalty points here. There's very little actual checking of information in the whole process.

jimmycrackcorm

I meant that irish insurance would cover driving a UK car. I had it for some time. You can drive on a UK plate until the customs stop you and if they aren't satisifed with your answers will force you to change over within three days. If you were to state that you were going back to the uk and you have your licence etc then they cannot reasonably make you transfer your car just to have to transfer it back.

But then if you have your info then you shouldn't have to pay the duty. I didn't have to and I was in shallower waters than you.

TommyK

Originally posted by Blitzkrieger
You can only use an English license for one year too. After that you have to apply for an Irish one. The opposite is true too if you're going from Ireland to England. You don't have to do a test or anything; just fill out a form and pay the fee.

That's no longer the case - if you have a Full licence from ANY E.U. member state, you can drive in any other E.U. state for the duration of the licence. You only have to change it over when the licence is about to run out (Which, on a U.K. licence, won't be until you're 70).

That said, you'll still have to find insurance co. that will cover you with a non-Irish licence. That's a whole other story!

Regards,
Tommy.

Victor

Originally posted by Blitzkrieger
You can only drive with an English plate for a limited period. I think it's three months. It also has to be one of those plates with the EU flag on it.

This sounds right the three months is the EU standard for residency.

Originally posted by Blitzkrieger
Once you apply for the Irish plates they'll hit you with the VRT.

I'm not so sure of this. As best I know you only have to pay one registration tax, ever. If a non-Irish resident has owned a car for 6 months outside Ireland (but in the EU), no Irish VRT is payable.

The problems here are Ruatha may have her UK residency comprimised by being a student and separately by wanting to buy a new car.

Ruatha, you could get a job now (assuming exams are over), buy the new car and come home for Christmas!

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by Victor
This sounds right the three months is the EU standard for residency. I'm not so sure of this. As best I know you only have to pay one registration tax, ever. If a non-Irish resident has owned a car for 6 months outside Ireland (but in the EU), no Irish VRT is payable.

tell that to the wife who *had* to pay almost IR£1000 a few years back because she brought her 5 yr old Pug 106 from her homeplace in Belfast to Dublin. She simply hadn't enought bank withdrawls, etc. to validate her claim that she lived in NI (despite working there)!
The Revenue are not going to give in easily (unless you are a crooked politician!)

Ruatha

Victor: I'm starting a new course at UCD in Setember, so I can't really not come home 'til Christmas...what a mess.

R*:rolleyes:

jimmycrackcorm

TommyK is right about the licence - you do not actually have to chagne it over until it expires. this is useful if you are fond of speeding - no penalty points.

unkel

Originally posted by TommyK
That's no longer the case - if you have a Full licence from ANY E.U. member state, you can drive in any other E.U. state for the duration of the licence. You only have to change it over when the licence is about to run out (Which, on a U.K. licence, won't be until you're 70).

Yes I can confirm that

Also to change driving license is a nice escape route to to avoid penalty points until the points system is harmonised across the EU, which will take many years to happen

unkel

Hehe crossed posts with ya, jimmycrackcorm

PBC_1966

Originally posted by Blitzkrieger
It could be dodgy driving around Ireland on UK insurance. When I moved to London temporarily I asked my insurance company about this, and they said I would have to give them notice of when I'm going and would only be covered for a maximum of two weeks per year. Your insurance company might be different. In fact, maybe all English insurance companies would cover you here.

I think you'll find that British insurance companies have pretty much always covered you for driving in Ireland anyway, but EU rules now state that they must provide the minimum legally required cover for any EC country. Maintaining fire/theft/comprehensive cover is another matter, and they might limit it to so many weeks per year or ask for a top-up premium.

You can only drive with an English plate for a limited period.

The limited period applies both ways, e.g. if becoming resident in the UK you are only allowed so many months before you are supposed to reregister here (but this is the reverse situation of the one you're describing, and probably just as unlikely for it ever to be queried so long as all your driving license, insurance and other supporting documents are Irish).

It also has to be one of those plates with the EU flag on it. You see so many English cars over here without them (pair of Aston DB7 Vantages on the dual carrigeway today) that they really won't enforce it.

Not true. The EU-band plates are not a legal requirement in the UK, thank heaven, so you don't need them to drive anywhere else either.

The only requirement in that respect is that if you don't have the EU plates then you are supposed to put a "GB" oval on the back of the car. But I would agree that this rule is very rarely enforced, and certainly here in the UK you'll see plenty of French/German/Dutch cars without the country sticker.

You can only use an English license for one year too.

I can confirm what Tommy stated. According to EU rules you can use an EC-format license for as long as it remains valid.

However:-

You only have to change it over when the licence is about to run out (Which, on a U.K. licence, won't be until you're 70).

True only for the old paper UK licenses. The photocard licenses are valid for a maximum period of 10 years. Of course, if you can supply a UK address there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to renew it anyway.....

Ruatha

Well, I got on to the VRT office again this morning.

I explained that I'll be a UK resident (partner + house in Sussex) and I'll be studying in Dublin - staying at the parents, then going home to England during holidays etc.
The guy said that as long as I have a letter from UCD to say that I'm attending the course and proof of my UK residence then I won't even need to transfer the plates!! So essentially I can use my UK car with UK plates/tax when I'm at college in Ireland.

Now to find a UK insurance company that will cover me in the UK and Dublin....I'll start with Carol Nash, at least they have offices in both Dublin and the UK :rolleyes:

I'll keep you informed...


R***

PBC_1966

You might try Norwich Union too. I've always had pretty good service with them over the years, and I think they have an office in Ireland as well.

Ruatha

Cheers PCB, I'll give them a bell!

neacy69

how about no paying the VRT..... unless you live in the border area's then you'll be fine Customs don't really pick on non-delared cars in Dublin or anywhere not on the border. Don't worry about it I got a Northern car drove it for two years NO PROBLEMS my da has one for the past 3-4 years and was asked once and he told them he works in Monaghan and Lives in Armagh NO PROBLEMS

rules are made to be broken
Resist rip-off Ireland

Seth Brundle

Originally posted by neacy69
how about no paying the VRT.....

as there is no motoring lobby in this country you will be on your own! Christ, people don't even choose cheaper petrol stations!

Victor

Originally posted by kbannon
as there is no motoring lobby in this country you will be on your own!

www.aaroadwatch.ie www.simi.ie www.irha.ie www.thepost.ie .....

Ruatha

neacy69....tha sounds like a plan.....

Mythago

Now to find a UK insurance company that will cover me in the UK and Dublin....I'll start with Carol Nash, at least they have offices in both Dublin and the UK

Try AXA in the UK, I've got my BMW insured with them and as part of the basic policy I'm allowed 3 months outside the UK(Once I inform them), and if I want more time a premium top-up is reqd. Incidentally... 600 quid fully comp on a modified 323i coupe

Ruatha

excellent Mythago, I'll give them a bell:D