Selling a UK Registered Car in IRL.

Magna Carta 123

Hi folks,

Currently selling my 2003 Ford Focus Zetec 1.8TDCi (3DR). It is advertised in the north, and I am curious to know what would I need to do to sell this in Ireland? E.g. will I need to legally import it first before selling, or will this responsibility lay with new owner?

Has anyone got previous experience, in a similar situation?

Thanks.

colm_mcm

depends on whether you're a resident or not AFAIK. You can't sell a uk reg car here If you're a resident. doesn't stop loads of people doing it though.
In practice there's no need to register it before selling.

Atlantic Dawn

You need to legally import and reregister it first, you can't legally sell a UK reg car here.

Magna Carta 123

Resident in the north, but car frequently visits Dublin for work.

bazz26

Legally, if you are an Irish resident then you cannot sell it here on foreign plates. You are supposed to register it here and pay the Vehicle Registration Tax before selling it on.

Realistically, have a look at the amount of foreign registered cars being offered for sale on the likes of Donedeal, the majority of them are not being sold by non residents and there is a very low chance of being prosecuted for doing it.

CiniO

colm_mcm wrote: »

depends on whether you're a resident or not AFAIK. You can't sell a uk reg car here If you're a resident. doesn't stop loads of people doing it though.
In practice there's no need to register it before selling.

Does that mean, that if you are not resident in Ireland, you can sell foreign registered car here?

coylemj

CiniO wrote: »

Does that mean, that if you are not resident in Ireland, you can sell foreign registered car here?

I believe you can, that would be no different to an Irish person going over on the ferry, buying a car in Manchester and bringing it back here but it has to be registered immediately and the VRT paid.

Some dealers in the south have UK registered cars on the forecourt but the same applies to those, they have to be registered here and the VRT paid the minute they are sold. The revenue appear to allow (or turn a blind eye to) the fact that the cars have been landed here but the VRT not yet paid, in certain respects similar to how a bonded warehouse works for liquor importers.

armaghlad

There is nothing stopping you advertising the car for sale on donedeal.ie or wherever. You don't have to do anything. If you find a buyer it's up to them to reg vrt nct etc.

CiniO

coylemj wrote: »

I believe you can, that would be no different to an Irish person going over on the ferry, buying a car in Manchester and bringing it back here but it has to be registered immediately and the VRT paid.

Well, that's what I wonder if that would really be no different, or does the place of transaction matters.

F.e. I was recently selling Irish registered car in Poland (I'm resident in Ireland not Poland, but I brought the car there from Ireland), and I couldn't legally sell it in Poland without paying excise duty.
It didn't matter that I was non-resident. If I brought the car there with intention to sell, I was the one obliged to pay excise duty.

We get around that by making the transaction abroad (signing contract of sale abroad).

But I wonder if that's the same case in Ireland or not.

Some dealers in the south have UK registered cars on the forecourt but the same applies to those, they have to be registered here and the VRT paid the minute they are sold. The revenue appear to allow (or turn a blind eye to) the fact that the cars have been landed here but the VRT not yet paid, in certain respects similar to how a bonded warehouse works for liquor importers.

I think there is an exemption for car dealers from paying VRT until car is sold to customer.

coylemj

Cinio, there's nothing to stop someone from the UK coming over here with a car that they own, advertising it for sale and as another poster has said, it's then up to the buyer to register it and pay the VRT. The authorities here will only step in and get involved if an Irish resident tries to drive it on the road here with UK Plates.

Marcusm

coylemj wrote: »

I believe you can, that would be no different to an Irish person going over on the ferry, buying a car in Manchester and bringing it back here but it has to be registered immediately and the VRT paid.

Some dealers in the south have UK registered cars on the forecourt but the same applies to those, they have to be registered here and the VRT paid the minute they are sold. The revenue appear to allow (or turn a blind eye to) the fact that the cars have been landed here but the VRT not yet paid, in certain respects similar to how a bonded warehouse works for liquor importers.

Authorised dealers with a TAN number are allowed to have unregistered cars (which includes foreign registered) cars for sale.