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

aujopimur

Is the 3 hr travel time from Birmingham to Hollyhead Port as suggested on Google doable?.

marco_polo

aujopimur wrote: »

Is the 3 hr travel time from Birmingham to Hollyhead Port as suggested on Google doable?.

No reason why it shouldn't off peak, don't know what the M6 is like but I'd imagine serving a city the size of Birmingham rush hour there would probably a mean a good bit of traffic congestion. I'd suggest putting it into google maps at the same time of day you intend travelling and see what it says for the live journey time

cardinal tetra

Are there any sweet spots for vrt?

I'm looking at an Audi a5 coupe 2.0 diesel 2011 manual with 96000 on the clock and the vrt is 4100 .

That's mental.

Any way I can get the lowest vrt for max value?

Thanks

Pete123456

cardinal tetra wrote: »

Are there any sweet spots for vrt?

I'm looking at an Audi a5 coupe 2.0 diesel 2011 manual with 96000 on the clock and the vrt is 4100 .

That's mental.

Any way I can get the lowest vrt for max value?

Thanks

It depends a good bit on the spec. I just did a quick calculation of a 2011 se a5 and an equivalent s line and the difference is nearly 800!

Also make sure you add up the mileage compared to what revenue will allow as normal mileage because I lost out on a few hundred when I imported my car because I didn't realise I had to submit a claim for excess mileage.

Finally, make sure the VRT is using the correct CO2 figure for the car because sometimes it's off. If it's lower than revenues your vrt figure should fall. They will accept the CO2 figure on the log book

The_Conductor

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Quick question.

If a car was a Categoey D writeoff in the UK.

Brought into Ire and repaired is it then ok for insurance purposes in Ireland?

Thanks

Contact your insurance company for clarification- however, in general, you will experience significant difficulties in getting insurance for it- and it may be impossible to legitimately resell it down the road (i.e. in full disclosure of the vehicles record).

A Cat D- is a write for for financial purposes, that is repairable, and that someone obviously took the time and effort to repair.

Personally- I don't see how its worth your while bringing a vehicle with this on its record into the country (though there are quite literally thousands of similar vehicles on our streets every day of the week)..........

Bummer1234

Quick one hopefully for someone, Rang up nct for the vrt testing last friday, They have me on a cancellation list, Car was "Brought into state" on Saturday, Any idea when i could get a text about a test and actually getting it before the 7 days are up? Whats the consequences if I don't hear back from them before the 7 days although im on the cancellations list.

yannakis

Bummer1234 wrote: »

Quick one hopefully for someone, Rang up nct for the vrt testing last friday, They have me on a cancellation list, Car was "Brought into state" on Saturday, Any idea when i could get a text about a test and actually getting it before the 7 days are up? Whats the consequences if I don't hear back from them before the 7 days although im on the cancellations list.

It's 30 days, not 7.

Bummer1234

YanisK wrote: »

It's 30 days, not 7.

Is it not 30 days to the the vrt itself sorted but 7 days to check the "vrt check" done?

grogi

Bummer1234 wrote: »

Is it not 30 days to the the vrt itself sorted but 7 days to check the "vrt check" done?

It's 7 days to book VRT, 30 days to actually do it.

Bummer1234

Cheers YanisK and grogi

Adoolan85

Had VRT appointment last Friday.

Exact model wasn't on their database so was told Revenue will contact me with a figure.

Anybody have any experience on how long this will take?

Cheers.

bernard0368

A little help, I am looking at a car in a UK dealer with multiple outlets.
I enquired about the car. They told me that they can not sell to me as I have an Irish address.
How can I get around this.

Marcusm

Adoolan85 wrote: »

Had VRT appointment last Friday.

Exact model wasn't on their database so was told Revenue will contact me with a figure.

Anybody have any experience on how long this will take?

Cheers.

It was 2 days afterwards for me. Experience from May.

yannakis

bernard0368 wrote: »

A little help, I am looking at a car in a UK dealer with multiple outlets.
I enquired about the car. They told me that they can not sell to me as I have an Irish address.
How can I get around this.

:eek: wtf

Will parcel motel work? :rolleyes:

bazz26

Let me guess, Motorpoint?

Just buy somewhere else. There are plenty of other UK car dealers/supermarkets who are glad to sell to Irish residents, to be wasting time with muppets with silly policies.

The_Conductor

YanisK wrote: »

:eek: wtf

Will parcel motel work? :rolleyes:

Use the postcode for the main postoffice in Belfast- pretend you live there- if they do insist on sending you paperwork, the guys in there send a cage down to Portlaoise twice a day- its a long running joke between Royal Mail and An Post at this stage.

bernard0368

Thanks, yes Motorpoint, I suppose I will keep looking. should easily find an alternative.

maynooth_rules

I appealed the OMSP and got a small refund.
However I was fined a couple of hundred due to not registering the car in 30 days. Garage sent off my v50 to the dvla so i had to wait ages to get a cert of export. How do i appeal the fine?

Marcusm

maynooth_rules wrote: »

I appealed the OMSP and got a small refund.
However I was fined a couple of hundred due to not registering the car in 30 days. Garage sent off my v50 to the dvla so i had to wait ages to get a cert of export. How do i appeal the fine?

Not sure you'd have any basis as it was presumably outside the 30 days. I appreciate that this was not directly as a result of your action but that's not really Revenue's issue. Whoever sold it to you caused the issue but I doubt you have a claim against them for loss either.

mjatkey

Hi, was looking at buying new from dealer in the north. Reading at the start of the thread, it says if car is new or has done less than 6000kms then VAT is also due as well as the VRT? Is this true, because VAT is already paid at point of purchase in UK, or can I then reclaim that from UK revenue and pay VAT again in south or is it the difference between the two rates charged in north and south? Thanks

bazz26

If the car is less than 6 months old or has less than 6,000 km then Revenue consider it a brand new car and is liable to VAT as well as VRT. In this case you would have to buy it in Norther Ireland minus VAT there afaik.

mjatkey

Thanks bazz, and would a dealer in North sell car ex vat, guess not so there is no gain buying new from the north? Thanks

bazz26

Not sure but there must be some process for such situations. The only thing though is that cars in southern Ireland have some of the lowest pre tax prices in the EU.

mjatkey

Thanks bazz, will look further into it. Thanks

NIMAN

I bought a car in 2010 from NI that fitted the <6 months & <6000km rule.

I bought it VAT free from the NI dealer, and then paid Irish VAT + VRT when registering it in Ireland.

mjatkey

Thanks Niman, couple of quick questions, who was the dealer, did you get UK/NI log book, what VAT rate did you pay, who did you pay the VAT to in Ireland and finally was there any issue with certificate of Conformity? Thanks

grogi

mjatkey wrote: »

Thanks bazz, and would a dealer in North sell car ex vat, guess not so there is no gain buying new from the north? Thanks

It depends. Buying cars without VAT for export is a running scam and if the car is not exported, the dealer still needs to pay the VAT to the HMRS on the sale. So they are not so keen anymore to sell the cars without...

But if you buy it the car with VAT, once the car is exported (registered in Ireland), you can claim the VAT paid to the HMRS. I don't know the exact party to contact about that though...

Marcusm

bazz26 wrote: »

If the car is less than 6 months old or has less than 6,000 km then Revenue consider it a brand new car and is liable to VAT as well as VRT. In this case you would have to buy it in Norther Ireland minus VAT there afaik.

You need to be careful as to the ability to recover VAT in the UK. It's true that despite being secondhand, it can be a "new means of transport" and liable for Irish VAT. Depending on how the car has been bought and sold in the U.K. and whether the dealer has taken it in on the margin scheme (most usually taken back from a retail customer) then he would not be able to furnish a VAT invoice and I don't think you can get the UK VAT back under the Personal Expirt Scheme. I imagine it does not arise very often as most of these cars will be ex lease or ex demo but I'd make sure before I pulled the trigger.

mjatkey

Thanks for the answers guys, food for thought. Quick question, if I brought car in January in the north and kept it off road in Republic for 6 months, could I then take it along to revenue pay VRT and pick up new log book, or would it have to be not present in Republic and in use for 6 months ? Thanks

Marcusm

mjatkey wrote: »

Thanks for the answers guys, food for thought. Quick question, if I brought car in January in the north and kept it off road in Republic for 6 months, could I then take it along to revenue pay VRT and pick up new log book, or would it have to be not present in Republic and in use for 6 months ? Thanks

This would simply attract a fine for delayed presentation. It has to be used by you at your normal place of residence outside the state and you have to present accommodation, employment and travel documents to prove this to Revenue's satisfaction. 9ne of the questions is whether it has, during your period of ownership overseas, ever been in Ireland. If you live and work here, stop thinking about it.