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

All in all

Debub wrote: »

Sorry - you are correct - they said permanent change to UK Reg, (we were a bit back n forth on the temporary/permanent bit), but all got was an email as I changed over on the morning that I was picking the car up and I needed something immediately

If you are registered for Aviva online you can print off cover letter and policy schedule which will have all the details.

deezell

Debub wrote: »

I had my current Insurance (Aviva) moved to the UK reg and all they could give me was a simple email like you - but did have a Insurance ref number on it

That's odd, I moved her Aviva policy to the UK car online, the form accepted the UK reg and identified the car, no charge, and a print out of the transaction. A few days later a new policy and disk arrived in the post. Repeated the exercise two weeks later with the new Irish reg after VRT.

Gen.Zhukov

Something that may be of interest to 1st time ferry users.

When I was boarding at Holyhead a police officer asked could he look under the car. Did his thing with the stick/mirror and all ok.

If I was doing it again, I think I'd have a more in-depth look under the car myself for added packages beforehand. He wasn't doing it for fun so it must be a thing that happens.

anacc

Gen.Zhukov wrote: »

Something that may be of interest to 1st time ferry users.

When I was boarding at Holyhead a police officer asked could he look under the car. Did his thing with the stick/mirror and all ok.

If I was doing it again, I think I'd have a more in-depth look under the car myself for added packages beforehand. He wasn't doing it for fun so it must be a thing that happens.

He must have smelt the fenian off ya.

Batesout

Debub wrote: »

I had my current Insurance (Aviva) moved to the UK reg and all they could give me was a simple email like you - but did have a Insurance ref number on it

I switched mine to Aviva online and they sent the insurance disc out with UK reg on it, then I amended it again when I got the Irish reg.

bamayang

What’s people’s thoughts on the fears that they’re going to increase VRT costs in this years budget to try and improve domestic car market.

monkeycork

Is there any way to see stats on which cars are the most popular imports?

can you see stats on which model of car is imported the most often

Stallingrad

Gen.Zhukov wrote: »

Something that may be of interest to 1st time ferry users.

When I was boarding at Holyhead a police officer asked could he look under the car. Did his thing with the stick/mirror and all ok.

If I was doing it again, I think I'd have a more in-depth look under the car myself for added packages beforehand. He wasn't doing it for fun so it must be a thing that happens.

Last two times importing a car I was pulled out of the line for additional searching, maybe the dogs like that new car smell?

aodomhnaill

bamayang wrote: »

What’s people’s thoughts on the fears that they’re going to increase VRT costs in this years budget to try and improve domestic car market.

think its inevitable that there will be some some increases based on emissions, they'll tell us its what we asked for in the elections and that we are all very concerned about the environment and this is how to best deal with it.

deezell

bamayang wrote: »

What’s people’s thoughts on the fears that they’re going to increase VRT costs in this years budget to try and improve domestic car market.

That's almost a contradiction in terms. "let's up the price of cars to encourage people to buy" If they increase VRT it will affect new cars also. Many 2-4 year old imports are already sub 100mg emissions or close, and are still current new models. They would need to create two scales, one for new cars with the new real world emissions figure and one for the old system, a bit like when they moved from c.c. to emissions in 2008, you couldn't change a 2007 high road tax c.c. based car to low road tax emissions, even though you had the data for your car. Current new cars are using engines which are identical to cars from 4-8 years ago, with maybe a few tweaks in some cases. New engines don't appear every year, they evolve.
@ds will think of something I'm sure, or any kind if Brexit will add VAT and Duty, which will kill the import trade.

dmrules

Guys, just want to dbl check, does the car need to have current MOT when you go for VRT inspection?
Thanks

deezell

dmrules wrote: »

Guys, just want to dbl check, does the car need to have current MOT when you go for VRT inspection?
Thanks

No, but if more than 4 years old it will be due an NCT as soon as you register it.

Isambard

deezell wrote: »

No, but if more than 4 years old it will be due an NCT as soon as you register it.

and if it does have an MoT you can exchange that for an NCT

deezell

Isambard wrote: »

deezell wrote: »

No, but if more than 4 years old it will be due an NCT as soon as you register it.

and if it does have an MoT you can exchange that for an NCT

Ah here, you're looking for jam on it! NCT due at 4 years old, no ifs, no buts.

Isambard

deezell wrote: »

Ah here, you're looking for jam on it! NCT due at 4 years old, no ifs, no buts.

it is due but as I say if the import is MoTd you can swap it for an NCT. (until Brexit of course)

dmrules

Cool thanks guys.
One more issue if the car is declared SORN will it affect VRT in any case?
Thanks

deezell

dmrules wrote: »

Cool thanks guys.
One more issue if the car is declared SORN will it affect VRT in any case?
Thanks

Sorn is just the UK off the road declaration. Theres a few dodgy closed threads here where guys try to discuss wheezes for avoiding VRT, but you'll get the thread closed if you go there. Bottom line, you have to declare date of entry into the state, and have some proof of it. As soon as you pay your VRT you can declare it off road here within 10 days, you might have brought in a fixer upper and would not want to to road tax it until it's roadworthy, but VRT has to be paid within 30 days.
BTW, you'll need the original paper MOT cert if you want to defer doing an NCT, but UK MOT is only good for a year, you can do an NCT 3 months in advance for a 2 year cert, so unless the MOT is brand new it's only putting off the NCT by a short amount. I think I'd want to get my NCT cert on a 4+ year car fairly quickly, especially if you had a dealer extended warranty that was valid here.

Valhallapt

aodomhnaill wrote: »

Valhallapt wrote: »

I just got pulled in by customs. The lads were sound, I didn't have the v5c on me, I should have had it, but I had the car insured and they check the dates I insured it from and could see that I swapped from an Irish Reg to the UK one 8 days ago, so no problems, they sent me on my way and said to carry the v5c and invoice with me until I get Irish plates on it.

What kind of proof of insurance did you get? I got temporary insurance from AA through my old policy. They said they dont provide anything and then after a lot of and forth yer one agreed to send me an email confirming my cover, its a heap of sh*te. Could've written it myself, if I get pulled over there, not a hope they will accept it.

I’m with FBD I got a new disc in the post with UK reg on it

User1998

monkeycork wrote: »

Is there any way to see stats on which cars are the most popular imports?

can you see stats on which model of car is imported the most often

Golf, Focus, 5 series, Qashqai, Passat, A4, i30, A6, E class, 3 series .. In that order

aodomhnaill

Valhallapt wrote: »

I’m with FBD I got a new disc in the post with UK reg on it

Is this all down to AA being a broker and I'm underwritten by Allianz. If you are directly insured they've no hassle issuing new certs. The email I got from AA will most likely get the car impounded vs not showing them it.

Heading over for a long day tomorrow to east midlands airport collecting in Grantham. If I get 'nicked' as they say, I'll do what stupid people do when they are in a spot of bother and set up a Go Fund Me.

Marcusm

deezell wrote: »

Ah here, you're looking for jam on it! NCT due at 4 years old, no ifs, no buts.

MoT due at 3 years and annual not biannual so May very well be a prospect of a swap of certs. Most decent auK dealers would arrange MoT for day before pick up.

Debub

Valhallapt wrote: »

I’m with FBD I got a new disc in the post with UK reg on it

Need to check this as I didn’t get any disc in the post. I am through a broker (MIG), would that make a difference - it shouldn’t logically. Will ring them on Monday, wasn’t checking here, missed ringing them yesterday.

Debub

Marcusm wrote: »

MoT due at 3 years and annual not biannual so May very well be a prospect of a swap of certs. Most decent auK dealers would arrange MoT for day before pick up.

They MOT’d the car on my request the day before handover for me. So if I am reading this correctly, I will automatically get a (almost) year of NCT in exchange for the MOT - is that right (and a 2 year NCT the next time I get the NCT done in September 2020)?

WestWicklow1

Debub wrote: »

They MOT’d the car on my request the day before handover for me. So if I am reading this correctly, I will automatically get a (almost) year of NCT in exchange for the MOT - is that right (and a 2 year NCT the next time I get the NCT done in September 2020)?

Make sure you get the original MOT cert, not a photo copy. NCT would not accept the one I got as it was "obviously a photo copy". I had to pay £10.00 for a "copy" from the www.gov.uk/dvsa and had to have it posted to me with a note from DVSA saying it was a "copy" of the original. NCT would not accept me printing out a PDF from DVSA.

aodomhnaill

just back...had a bit of a strange one today. travel and payment fine and dealership great. It was all paid for and we were just at the V5 stage and he tears the 'new owner' green portion of the v5 off and hands it to me and says, it could take up to 6 weeks for the logbook to be sent back to the DVLA and the new log book with your details sent back to us and then give us a few days for the new V5 to be sent off to you :eek: this is my third UK car purchase, any other time they just handed me the V5. I am not exaggerating here, but after roughly an hour and half of negotiations I got the V5, which has bits filled in that shouldn't be and as mentioned the ownership part detached. have to say, based on the below which is on the V5 itself, they were totally correct not to give it to me. Apparently, between the salesperson and the manager I was their first Irish sale, again, not faulting them in any way.

https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk

I explained it was my third car, I've only thirty days etc...went on for ages and they were very reluctant. (On a sidenote there wasn't a hope I was leaving without taxing it for 6 months either, not that I was looking for it but it was brought up before I even discussed the direct debit of installements, when I mentioned it as an option it was a point blank no revolut direct debit for one month, my mistake. they run a seriously tight ship, and in a way it gives me a bit more confidence in what I bought.)

Has anyone got any idea what the story is with all this? They were seriously reluctant to hand it over, even citing the now getting old GDPR sh*te as it has the previous owners details, which unfortunately for me at the time, it was in a way also understandable not to hand it over to me.

I am a novice with this craic so I don't know exactly how the process should have been carried out, I've just always been handed the V5, no questions asked. Only reason they gave it to me was that the car was fully paid for at that stage, I was getting very agitated as I had a 4 hour journey to the ferry to now make in 3 and half. They made colour copies of everything, awkward goodbyes and thanks and then numerous speed limits broken for a very long journey in a car I was just 'breaking in'...not pleasant. last car on the ferry.

off to bed, not the best experience, will enjoy the car tomorrow.

deezell

At this point we should make the a sticky. It's last paragraph if section 3 and section4 of form INS160, which explains new V5C rules.



Full download here.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/167212/response/411848/attach/4/INS160.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj4yabxlcHkAhVqQxUIHQcICGgQFjALegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw3bBesXMZy24Qzmz6yTnvVi&cshid=1567943958769

bazz26

It's a pity UK dealers don't read it too and educate themselves on how to deal with selling a car to somebody for permanent export.

Isambard

i'd have printed it out and carried with me in the first place.

CountingCrows

Flew to East Midlands first thing Saturday morning, €9.99 flight. Got a taxi to the dealer in Derby. Quick review of the car and I was happy to proceed. The brilliant Revolut did the transfer in 3 minutes and I was out of the dealer just after 10am. Drove straight to Holyhead and made the 2pm sailing. Quick word of warning

Turn off your data roaming on the boat!

They connect you to a satellite based service and I got a text saying I'd used €50 worth of data withot doing anything bar sending and receveing messages!

Was home before 6pm and the entrire process went as smoothly as possible. Delighted with the car (2014 VW Golf) and a couple of grand saved.

aodomhnaill

CountingCrows wrote: »

Flew to East Midlands first thing Saturday morning, €9.99 flight. Got a taxi to the dealer in Derby. Quick review of the car and I was happy to proceed. The brilliant Revolut did the transfer in 3 minutes and I was out of the dealer just after 10am. Drove straight to Holyhead and made the 2pm sailing. Quick word of warning

Turn off your data roaming on the boat!

They connect you to a satellite based service and I got a text saying I'd used €50 worth of data withot doing anything bar sending and receveing messages!

Was home before 6pm and the entrire process went as smoothly as possible. Delighted with the car (2014 VW Golf) and a couple of grand saved.

was on the same flight and boat there are tiny notices up here and there about this warning passengers, was lucky enough to see them as I had intended to do a bit of work tethering with my laptop that would've been data heavy enough. As the 'wifi' is completely non existent there really should be some kind of public announcement about this. I'd say tons of people get stung. €50 for a few texts is nuts, can only imagine what it would be if you were streaming video.

anyway, enjoy the new car