Taxing a UK car in the north

jeff lebowski

Hi,

Quick question. I have a UK car insured by an Irish company. Part of the time the car is in the Republic for work so thats the address that is used for the insurance but it will also be driven on Northern roads. As it's a UK reg, I'm going to tax it up there. Would there be a problem doing this with an IKrish insurance disc and then northern tax? The insurance company is all-ireland both north and south.

Thanks

niceirishfella

Where you reside Jeff, is the question? If you live in the republic, you should tax it here.........and pay VRT too...........and I know, i know, its mad - but its the law and if you don't like the law consider living in NI.
All of the rest of us have to pay tax and vrt in the republic........why not you too?

rigal

jeff lebowski wrote: »

Hi,

Quick question. I have a UK car insured by an Irish company. Part of the time the car is in the Republic for work so thats the address that is used for the insurance but it will also be driven on Northern roads. As it's a UK reg, I'm going to tax it up there. Would there be a problem doing this with an IKrish insurance disc and then northern tax? The insurance company is all-ireland both north and south.

Thanks

Yeah reckon that'll be a problem. AFAIK you must have a UK Policy to get taxed in the UK.

jeff lebowski

Live in NI, work in ROI.....car is insured at ROI work address cos I stay there for a certain number of days during the week but reg plate and home address is NI.

The company insures both sides of the border, just wondering if that could count as a UK policy then as it insures me to drive in the north too.

galwaytt

is it not taxed already? How was it done last time?

Either way, you should be fine - just apply for your disc as normal, and don't raise the issue unless they do. Can you do it online?

Esel

Afaik, you have to re-register the car in the North to tax it there.

DublinDilbert

I'm guessing your insured with quinn, as you said they operate both sides of the border...

They will not accept the southern policy document to tax the car... you'll need to switch the policy to a northern one with quinn.

MrPudding

galwaytt wrote: »

is it not taxed already? How was it done last time?

Either way, you should be fine - just apply for your disc as normal, and don't raise the issue unless they do. Can you do it online?

I doubt it. When you renew online, I am not even sure you can with DVLA NI, there is a check carried out against the motor insurance database. I would doubt that a Southern Irish policy would be registered on that database.

The best bet would be to just call into a post office with all the relevent paperwork and have a go.

MrP

jeff lebowski

Just bought the car so the tax is either expired or is nearly up. I'll try the PO and see how I get on.

Thanks

jeff lebowski

Was also wondering, what if you were stopped:
a) in the north with southern insurance
b) in the south with UK reg and northern tax?

Thanks

rigal

If you get pulled on either side of the border and they check your docs I would imagine it would arouse suspicion.

Could you not just insure it in the North if you live there and have the car registered there? W.r.t driving it for work in the south - just tell the (NI Branch of the) insurance company that you use the car for work/business purposes. It'll push up the premium but I can't see how else you can legitimately tax and insure it otherwise. Maybe some of the others on here will have a better soultion that doesn't involve breaking the law..:)

zzzzzzzz

rigal wrote: »

If you get pulled on either side of the border and they check your docs I would imagine it would arouse suspicion.

Could you not just insure it in the North if you live there and have the car registered there? W.r.t driving it for work in the south - just tell the (NI Branch of the) insurance company that you use the car for work/business purposes. It'll push up the premium but I can't see how else you can legitimately tax and insure it otherwise. Maybe some of the others on here will have a better soultion that doesn't involve breaking the law..:)

Tax/Insure it where you live. There should be no problem driving it across the border to work. How is that breaking the law?

craichoe

Yup, insure and tax where resident.

I'm insured with quinn and they also operate in the Netherlands but the irish policy is only good for 3 months at a time.

rigal

aidan.offbeat wrote: »

Tax/Insure it where you live. There should be no problem driving it across the border to work. How is that breaking the law?

When I referred to breaking the law I was referring to not having the car legally taxed, registered and insured in the correct jurisdiction.

If you use your car for work purposes (i.e more than just commuting to and from) you are supposed to make the insurer aware of this and it will have a bearing on your premium. It is usually a question they will ask. I'm not sure that many people answer this honestly though.

jimmycrackcorm

With a UK reg car you do not have to display the southern insurance disc. As long as you can show the tax office in the North an insurance certificate covering the registration, they won't give a damn whether or not the address is in the north or the south. I have relatives close to the border doing this.

jeff lebowski

When I referred to breaking the law I was referring to not having the car legally taxed, registered and insured in the correct jurisdiction.

If you use your car for work purposes (i.e more than just commuting to and from) you are supposed to make the insurer aware of this and it will have a bearing on your premium. It is usually a question they will ask. I'm not sure that many people answer this honestly though.

I just use it for commuting to and from work then "social, domestic and leisure". I be in the republic for part of the week, the north for the other part of the week. My tax has to go to the UK because I am on their roads and it's a UK reg. The easiest thing is prob to change my insurance to my northern address.....just thought this might cause a problem cos the car is kept overnight at a southern address when I go to work.

DublinDilbert

The problem is they will not accept a southern insurance certificate, it needs to be a UK insurance certificate...

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

With a UK reg car you do not have to display the southern insurance disc. As long as you can show the tax office in the North an insurance certificate covering the registration, they won't give a damn whether or not the address is in the north or the south. I have relatives close to the border doing this.

MercMad

It doesn't matter what address you have used, or where you "claim" to reside as this is judged by to whom you pay your taxes, the UK Gove. or the Irish Gov.

If its the latter then no matter where you work or drive the car needs to be VRT'd, thats the law as it stands.

If you pay tax to the UK then use the NI address for all your cars ownership records !

jimmycrackcorm

DublinDilbert wrote: »

The problem is they will not accept a southern insurance certificate, it needs to be a UK insurance certificate...

Brother has QD insurance from the south and it was accepted in the post office.