Importing a converted van from the uk?

steven.blanc

Hi All

I found this online,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160518960841#ht_960wt_1045

It could suit fine with some tidying up and would make a good starter camper on a tight budget. I have just been told that you can now no longer import a converted van and register it as a camper into Ireland, is this correct?

cormac_byrne

I don't see any reason why not so long as it meets the criteria for a motorcaravan (1.8m height inside + cooker + sink)

here's the form you need to fill out

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/forms/vrt6-gen.pdf

stevire

Note that the flat rate of €50 for vehicles over 3,000kg will be gone in Jan 1st so you'll have to pay 13.3% of the OMSP. If you plan on classifying it as a camper the OMSP will be quite high so you could spend another grand on clearing it.

paddyp

make sure its not over 3500kg gvw unless you have a licence to cover the daily vans can be 4000, 5000 or 6500.

merc camper

You might want to check with your insurance company as dolmen insist on there being a walk way between the front seats and the back. Atleast that was what they told me when i converted my van.

cormac_byrne

stevire wrote: »

Note that the flat rate of €50 for vehicles over 3,000kg will be gone in Jan 1st so you'll have to pay 13.3% of the OMSP. If you plan on classifying it as a camper the OMSP will be quite high so you could spend another grand on clearing it.

it appears the €50 is still valid and rises to €200 in May

---

Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT)
The following package of measures will be introduced:

Car scrappage scheme is being extended for the period 1 January
to 30 June 2011. VRT relief of up to €1,250 will be provided
where a car of 10 years or older is scrapped in accordance with
certain criteria and a new car of emissions bands A or B (i.e. with
CO2 emissions of 140g/kg or less) is purchased.

The VRT relief for series production hybrid and flexible fuel
vehicles, due to expire on 31 December 2010, is being extended
for two years until 31 December 2012, with the rate of relief
provided being up to €1,500.

The current VRT flat-rate of €50 for Commercial (Category C)
vehicles is being increased to €200, to take effect from 1 May
2011


...

Category C:
This category includes:

* all large commercial vehicles not falling into Category B;
* crew cabs with a cargo area length exceeding 45% of the wheelbase and a GVW exceeding 3,500 kilograms;
* motor caravans exceeding 3,000 kilograms unladen weight;
* "listed vehicles";
* vehicles (excluding motor-cycles) which are more then 30 years old at the time of registration. (Actually this covered by the "listed vehicle" definition, but they spell it out in the VRT manual.)

And "listed vehicles" are defined by S.130 of the Finance Act, 1992.

"listed vehicle" means one of the following vehicles, namely, an ambulance, a hearse, a bus, a special purpose vehicle, an agricultural tractor, a two-wheeled tractor, a fire engine, a fire-escape, a road sweeper, an invalid carriage, an armoured fighting vehicle, or a vehicle (not including a motor-cycle) which is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners to be more than 30 years old at the time of registration;

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taken from http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056112832

Pat McGet

The Finance Bill 2010 recategorized all campers into category M, they will no longer be category C from January 1st 2011 and will indeed attract vrt of 13.3%. See this thread where it was discussed

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056053690

There was no clear mention of it in the budget and no announcement to the public, but it is happening - it is all hush hush and hidden deeply in the small print!

steven.blanc

Thanks Guys

Where can I get clarification on same? Would make a big difference in buying now or before xmas.

cormac_byrne

Finance Act 2010

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2010/en/act/pub/0005/print.html

(k) by substituting the following for the definition of “motor caravan”:

“ ‘motor caravan’ has the same meaning as in paragraph 5.1 of Annex II of Directive 2007/46/EC;”,

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:263:0001:0160:en:PDF

5.1. ‘Motor Caravan’ means a special purpose M category vehicle constructed to include living accommodation which
contains at least the following equipment:

— seats and table,
— sleeping accommodation which may be converted from the seats,
— cooking facilities, and
— storage facilities.
This equipment shall be rigidly fixed to the living compartment; however, the table may be designed to be easily
removable.

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Note the word 'constructed' in the definition, the old Irish definition was something like 'constructed or adapted'

so that change in wording may be the issue.

Also obviously the above is just a quick google and not any kind of legal statement.

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It's not clear to me if you could just import it as a van then do a change of use conversion

here's the form for that process

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/forms/vrt6-gen.pdf

But maybe that process will disappear after Jan1, you would really need to ask Revenue to be sure.

N.B. if you change a vehicle to one with a higher VRT, as far as I know you have to pay the difference on changeover.

Edit: just to add, the companies that do camper insurance generally exclude 'race vans' from those policies. Would be wise to check in advance it's not gonna be caught out by that rule.