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

Esel

hoganpoly wrote: »

just bought in a bmw 525d,2004 reg, vrt coming in at 9k , and tax 800 euro, would it make sense to wait until july when new vrt laws are introduced and vrt on my car according to emissions would be 28% and tax would be 600 euro, any ideas , car is garaged and not on the road thx

The road tax on this car will not change in July. The new CO2-based rates will only apply to 2008 and later cars.

The_Conductor

hoganpoly wrote: »

just bought in a bmw 525d,2004 reg, vrt coming in at 9k , and tax 800 euro, would it make sense to wait until july when new vrt laws are introduced and vrt on my car according to emissions would be 28% and tax would be 600 euro, any ideas , car is garaged and not on the road thx

Your VRT will be on the 28% rate, as you state, come July, your roadtax will however continue to be on the basis of engine size (I take it that its the 2.5ltr), not emissions, as the car was first registered pre-2008.

S.

atticus

In the original post, we are urged to avoid private sellers. What is the reasoning behind this? What are the pitfalls to look out for? I'm looking at a 3 year old VW Passat diesel from a private seller about a grand checper that the equivalent in a dealer, am I mad to be thinking of talking to a private seller? any help or advice appreciated.

The_Conductor

atticus wrote: »

In the original post, we are urged to avoid private sellers. What is the reasoning behind this? What are the pitfalls to look out for? I'm looking at a 3 year old VW Passat diesel from a private seller about a grand checper that the equivalent in a dealer, am I mad to be thinking of talking to a private seller? any help or advice appreciated.

You will be charged VAT again in a dealer- whereas a private seller would have already absorbed the VAT in the original purchase- so it should be cheaper. A private purchase will not include any warranty whatsoever- whereas a purchase from a dealership will have some sort of a guarantee (I got a 1 year warranty on a Volvo from a dealership for example). Annecdotally- private cars might have a higher possibility of being clocked.

DonalB

OK, I've just bought a 2005 A4 in UK and due to collect it next tuesday 15th April, (because I was rearended by an uninsured foreign national and my car written off, another story).
If I register the car in my sister's name in the UK (she doesn't have a car), with myself as the insured driver and drive it that way until July, then transfer ownership (buy it from her for a nominal sum) to myself and register in Ireland in July, AND have a Certificate of Conformity (CoC0 showing the emissions at 149 g/km (under the 150 band)), is there a VRT advantage for me?

I was originally under the impression there was and vrt would drop from 25% to 20% , saving about e1500 but now I'm not sure since I've read it applies to 2008 cars only but where I'm unclear is whether the CoC would be applicable.

Also I've noticed CO2 emission are on the Service Book for the crashed car, referencing the VIN. Would this do instead of the CoC, since both come from the same place?
I only have until Monday morning to decide so help appreciated.
Regards
Donal

lynchie

DonalB wrote: »

I was originally under the impression there was and vrt would drop from 25% to 20% , saving about e1500 but now I'm not sure since I've read it applies to 2008 cars only but where I'm unclear is whether the CoC would be applicable.

New VRT rates will apply to any vehicle registered for the first time in Ireland from July 1st onwards.

gary the great

I know this has been answered in the thread already, but havent got the time to trawl through all the pages.

I got the whole car document off the last owner as I remember reading here that thats the best thing to do, what do i keep and what do I send back to the UK?

Theres a new set of alloys on it, non standard, they're more expensive than the originals, will i pay extra VRT on them?

Also now is the right time to VRT it ye? Not After July? Its a 1.6 Tspark Alfa.

Thanks

blastman

Briefly, you give in the first page of the document when you pay the VRT. There's a small purple slip on the other page that you should send back to the DVLA in Wales to say the car was permanently exported (really the previous owner should do this, as it needs to show their name and address).

You probably won't be charged extra VRT for the wheels, they may not even look at the car. Doesn't matter when you pay VRT, as long as the car is registered pre-July 08, the old rules apply.

gary the great

Thanks blastman, had a look at the form and i keep parts 1-8.

Ill jsut send the little purple part to Swansea, it has the reg number on it and then just a thing to sign, im just going to sign my own name on it, dont think it will make a difference.

Cheers

atticus

Anybody used a Bank of Ireland Laser (Maestro) card to pay for a car in UK?
I've been told by my branch that there's a limit of €1500 per transaction, but not everything BOI tells me is true. Anybody got real experiences?

Thanks.

Wossack

My AIB one had ~900euro limit a day iirc, but eh, think your question's for a different thread

hot4teacher

Atticus,

yeah BOI has a 1500 limit, I've found that with two previous purchases here. Not tried to use my card in UK though, apart from ATM's and no idea what the limit is, the sterling equivalent of your normal limit I would guess

horgan_p

lads, please quick question , quick answer

if i buy a car in the u.k. and pay the vat and the rest , will mr customs man want vat again on the irish side or just vrt? if so am i right in thinking the vat is on the cars irish "book" value ?

klaus23

horgan_p wrote: »

lads, please quick question , quick answer

if i buy a car in the u.k. and pay the vat and the rest , will mr customs man want vat again on the irish side or just vrt? if so am i right in thinking the vat is on the cars irish "book" value ?

No.

VAT has already been paid in the EU at the original point when the car was purchased. So all you pay is VRT on the car.

VAT & VRT only applies to brand new cars (with less than 6000km on the clock) or to imports from outside the EU e.g. Japan.

Hope this helps.

horgan_p

thank you kind sir

PeterMac

hello, I am living in UK and plan on taking my car back to Ireland to sell as I
a) need a new car
b) would prefer to hold euros than sterling
c) have to visit home anyway and wont need to hire a care for my time there.
d) worth a bit more in Ireland

So my plan is to drive my 99 Micra to Ireland. Pay VRT on it. My question is?

As my car is first registered in SEPT 1999......
Its first NCT was due SEPT 2003
Its second NCT was due SEPT 2005
Its Third NCT was due SEPT 2007

and as Sept 2007 has already past I will not have to NCT the car until SEPT 2009. Is this correct? Or do you have to do an NCT upon entering the country regardless???? Please only answer if you are 100% sure, I have scanned all of the 54 pages and have seen some strange answers.

Many thanks in advance!

pontovic

I think you have to get it NCT'ed, taxed and VRT'ed in the one go but I'm open to correction on this.

The_Conductor

You have to VRT and pay road tax immediately, and organise to get it NCT'ed at your first opportunity- normally this will be 4-6 weeks (which will be valid from its last NCT date- i.e. September 2007). If you drive without an NCT and are stopped without a valid cert, you face a large fine. You can drive on the strength of the test being booked- but will need to present the test details letter on-the-spot, if requested. They are enforcing it a lot more these days than they used do (as a judge in Cork found out a few weeks back )

Ps- secondhand prices have taken a big knock over here- its entirely possible that you may actually get a better price in the UK for it. I can't see there being a massive demand for a '99 Nissan Micra.......

PeterMac

smccarrick wrote: »

You have to VRT and pay road tax immediately, and organise to get it NCT'ed at your first opportunity- normally this will be 4-6 weeks (which will be valid from its last NCT date- i.e. September 2007). If you drive without an NCT and are stopped without a valid cert, you face a large fine. You can drive on the strength of the test being booked- but will need to present the test details letter on-the-spot, if requested. They are enforcing it a lot more these days than they used do (as a judge in Cork found out a few weeks back )

Ps- secondhand prices have taken a big knock over here- its entirely possible that you may actually get a better price in the UK for it. I can't see there being a massive demand for a '99 Nissan Micra.......

Hey Thanks There smccarrick.....
I take on board what you say re: Value of car. Value in England is in the region of £750 with MOT done maybe a bit more, its MOT is due in June. If I brought it to Ireland in May, paid maybe 300EURO VRT, did NCT (hopfully it will pass, its a reliable wee car) and then sold it for anything over 1700 Euro Id be happy. I need to move my sterling to Euro anyway and I need to go home and while home need rental car. I'm not looking to make loads of money.... honestly .

Its weird my sister just parted with 3500 Euro for a 2000 Micra. Its in great nick mind you...... but 3500. Anyway, I will give it a blast. The exchange rate is so poor for changing Sterling to Euro.... it is only worth a try and does not have to sell for much to give me a better return than a bank. ie if I transfer £750 to Euro, I'd be lucky to get 950 Euro...... What do u think?

Esel

Based on saving the expense of a rental, and if the car is in good condition, I can't see how you would lose money by registering it here then selling it. You might even get a family member interested!

The_Conductor

PeterMac wrote:

Its weird my sister just parted with 3500 Euro for a 2000 Micra. Its in great nick mind you...... but 3500. Anyway, I will give it a blast. The exchange rate is so poor for changing Sterling to Euro.... it is only worth a try and does not have to sell for much to give me a better return than a bank. ie if I transfer £750 to Euro, I'd be lucky to get 950 Euro...... What do u think?

Whats the mileage, engine size and trim?
If its in good condition, reasonable mileage etc- I don't see any reason that you wouldn't get your 950, or possibly even a little more.
3500 for a 2000 Micra for your sister was steep in the extreme though.......

PeterMac

smccarrick wrote: »

Whats the mileage, engine size and trim?
If its in good condition, reasonable mileage etc- I don't see any reason that you wouldn't get your 950, or possibly even a little more.
3500 for a 2000 Micra for your sister was steep in the extreme though.......

Sorry Smccarrick, I think I have confused you. . If I sell in England I will get £750. Thats if I do MOT this June. Now I currently want to hold Euros as opposed to Sterling. If I sell the car in England for £750 and convert this to Euros via a bank I will get approx 950 Euro( minus the cost of the MOT too.)

MMmhhhh but if I have a holiiday in Ireland (due to see folks anyhow) bring my little 1.0 litre Micra Profile, 90,000 miles, pay 300isheuro VRT, 6 months tax, NCT and hopfully sell for 1700Euro.
I really just want to achieve a descent exchange rate and have a small holiday at home. I could not sell me Micra to me sister for 3500, although tempting..... but seriously have a look at the price of Nissan Micras on Autotrader.ie.... madness:eek:

The_Conductor

You might be lucky Peter. Autotrader tends to have quite a lot of cars from trade-ins which will normally come with a 1 year garage warranty. They tend to trade at a premium to private sales (plus they have another 21% VAT whacked onto their prices, which private individuals do not have to pay). A more accurate idea of the private sales market might be buyandsell private sales

You may get the 1700 that you are suggesting- but I think you are being very optimistic.

Re: your sister- what I meant was that 3,500 for a 2000 Micra seems extremely pricey (of course if its low mileage this will obviously help the price- but it still seems to be incredibly pricey for an 8 year old Micra, even with a high spec and low mileage).

Shane

Ferris

If you have been resident and working in the UK (and can prove it) for over 6 mths you can bring in a car VRT free. Catch is that you have to keep it for a year afterwards. I did it on my car.

The_Conductor

Ferris wrote: »

If you have been resident and working in the UK (and can prove it) for over 6 mths you can bring in a car VRT free. Catch is that you have to keep it for a year afterwards. I did it on my car.

And you have to be resident here for the year afterwards. Aka- you can't bring a car over, garage it, go about your duties in London (or where-ever) for a year, and then come back and register it.

B00MSTICK

If buying from the UK how important is it to buy from a dealer?

The car in question would probably be around 20 years old so I doubt there would be any warranty for parts.

I'd definetly get it checked out by AA + HPI or similar.

Something like this seems to be well looked after...
http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page.php/carno/31768

Easier to haggle with a private seller too IMO

Nelly23

Right, I think I have got my head around this new VRT system. I am in the market for a Golf. Looking at a '05 1.9 Comfortline tdi with 20,000miles on it. Seen one on autotrader from a dealer for £6,600. Now take away maybe £400 for haggling leves you with £6200 or (6200/0.78) is €8,000. The OMSP is €16,500. CO2 emmisions is 132 putting it in the 16% bracket giving a VRT of around €2,640. Total cost so far is €10,500. Leaving €1,000 for checks, NCT, and transport, gives me the car for around €11,500!!! Am I correct in this? Looking further down the line and say 4 years and I was to sell this golf, at current rates a 7 year old golf with circa 100,000 is goin for around €7-8,000. Is this to good to be true??

The_Conductor

Nelly23 wrote: »

Is this to good to be true??

Just a bit. If you factor in the high mileage a 7 year old 1.9litre comfortline trim is more akin to 5,000-6,000 for a private sale (you can see multiple examples of this in buyandsell)

Also factor the availability of '08 models being available at low motortax rates on the secondhand market in 4 years time- which will be far more attractive for any potential purchaser than your older model which will potentially have higher motor tax (EUR290 versus EUR600)- this will depress the price your vehicle will command even further.

Ps- you need a Certificate of EU Conformity to claim the lower rate of VRT when registering the car- this can take a few weeks to organise.

Nelly23

smccarrick wrote: »

Just a bit. If you factor in the high mileage a 7 year old 1.9litre comfortline trim is more akin to 5,000-6,000 for a private sale (you can see multiple examples of this in buyandsell)

Also factor the availability of '08 models being available at low motortax rates on the secondhand market in 4 years time- which will be far more attractive for any potential purchaser than your older model which will potentially have higher motor tax (EUR290 versus EUR600)- this will depress the price your vehicle will command even further.

Ps- you need a Certificate of EU Conformity to claim the lower rate of VRT when registering the car- this can take a few weeks to organise.

I wouldnt factor in that 08 models will have lower tax as 08 and a 05 would be in a complete different market to each other.

And even at 5-6,000, it stills leaves it as very good purchase for me!

What is Certificate of EU Conformity? Where can I get one? Does everyone importing need this?

The_Conductor

Nelly23 wrote: »

I wouldnt factor in that 08 models will have lower tax as 08 and a 05 would be in a complete different market to each other.

And even at 5-6,000, it stills leaves it as very good purchase for me!

What is Certificate of EU Conformity? Where can I get one? Does everyone importing need this?

A Certificate of EU Conformity is like a birth certificate for your car. Its unique for each vehicle. You have to apply to the manufacturer for it. You can import a vehicle without one, but you will be charged VRT at the higher rate (i.e. you will not get charged the appropriate CO2 rate, you will be charged the max).