Importing vehicle from ROI to NI - tips

[clarkeg]

Hi guys,

Having just literally finished this wonderful process I thought it would be good to put up an easy to read summary of what is needed if you intend on buying a vehicle in ROI and bringing it up north. It's a bit more awkward now everything is done through DVLA in Swansea.

- Get your insurance cover based on the chassis number of the new vehicle

- Once you have brought the vehicle to NI you must within 14 days go onto the DVLA's NOVA website (Notification of Vehicle Arrival) and register an imported vehicle

- You must contact your vehicle manufacture and get a certificate of conformity (COC) - for my motorbike I contacted BMW and they sent me this out FOC.

- You must contact DVLA and request a V55/5 form - this can only be posted to you and not downloaded or available in your local post office

- You must book an MOT for the vehicle based on the chassis number and get the vehicle MOT'd

- You must get a postal order (or cheque) for the vehicle registration fee (£55) plus the vehicle tax amount - this can be one postal order to the total value of both of these items made out to DVLA

- You need a copy of your driving license (this is enough for proof of name and address). If you cannot supply a copy of your driving license you can send a copy of your passport and a recent utility bill

- You need to supply the ROI's equivalent to our tax book so ensure the seller from ROI provides you with this and you have both completed the new owners details part and signed it

- Send all the above documents to DVLA in Swansea and when it is processed you will receive your new Vehicle Tax book. In my case from the day DVLA received all my completed paperwork it took 1.5 weeks for me to receive my new tax book and therefore I could get my new UK plates made up.

Quite a lot of paperwork to be completed but no real cost apart from the £55 registration fee, BMW didn't charge me one penny for the certificate of conformity (not even a P&P charge and it came next day) but I have heard of some manufactures (Land Rover for example) charging £100 for this certificate lol!

Cheers
Clarke.

 

[Gaz]

Handy guide alright. Halfway through it myself at moment, waiting on a certificate of conformity to arrive!

@Cooper might be worth making this a sticky in Legal section

 

[jimc]

Good guide, should be a sticky , I searched this subject last week, on a side note someone once told me you can claim back the vrt any truth in that?

 

['96dc2]

I got a nice some back from vrt, the seller claimed it and we split 50/50.

 

[AMG]

Yeah VRT can be claimed back, but have to have an address in south, household bills and PPS number, which really means the seller will have to claim it back 99% of the time. Takes between 3-6 months for it all to come through though!

Also if you are registering the car to an english address you don't need any insurance at all, so saves the hassle of trying to find somewhere that will insure on a chassis number.

 

[Eager]

Few extra bits of info

You don't need a certificate of conformity if it's over 10 years old, just mot on chassis code

Trade policy is easiest thing to have if you want to register a few, no specific car chassis number needs insured then

You don't need to pay registration fee if it was originally already registered in the U.K. At a point previous.

You can request it's U.K. Number plate be issued again, so it matches old service paperwork, etc

Complete the NOVA process on hmrc government gateway, print confirmation of no duty due and run a highlighter through it

I run the Irish book through photocopier before sending it all away, for the records in case someone gets curious where it was, and in case they loose it

Do not send anything signed for delivery to Swansea thinking it will be safely delivered. They lost my m3 logbook even though I know it got delivered and was signed for, I think someone has to physically sign for it so it maybe goes to reception or something, out of normal incoming mail routes, the book is likely still someone's coffee coaster.


Expect a turn around time of 2/3 weeks, if you do everything right, nice we cover letter helps to explain the situation if you want a old plate issued again etc.

 

[AMG]

Also one one of the Discoveries I imported I was asked for a certificate of mutual consent which cost £120, and had to have an engineers letter stating that the clock, lights and something else were OK for UK roads. I rang to explain that the car had a full NI MOT, and wouldn't have passed without this, but they insisted on it.
Out of the 5 I imported I was only asked for this once, no real reason behind it?

 

[Eager]

Never been asked for it and have done quite a few now including jdm imports.

 

[AMG]

Never been asked for it and have done quite a few now including jdm imports.

I have imported a few others and was only asked for this once, and no one could explain why I was asked for it.

 

[Gaz]

Few extra bits of info

You don't need a certificate of conformity if it's over 10 years old, just mot on chassis code

You sure this is correct?

 

[AMG]

You sure this is correct?

Yeah no cert if over 10 years old, works well on high emissions cars - you are able to tax them as PLG, so avoiding the high tax bracket!
If it is low emission you can use the certificate to prove the low emissions.

 

[Eager]

You sure this is correct?

Done it enough times now mot and off ya go.
Only one younger car I done was Chris L's Lexus, it was less than 10 years old and a bit more hassle, nothing to much though, lexus supplied a build spec/certificate.

 

[clarkeg]

Importing vehicles into the UK - GOV.UK

 

[BEARDYBABY]

Apologies for reviving an old thread - i have read through and now understand the requirements for this process. I guess I am trying to make extra sure I don't get hit with any unexpected fee. Is there definitely no import tax fee applied (in this case a car over 10yrs old). Also the taxing as 'plg' - would this now avoid our big tax rate on cars post March '06? Many thanks and sorry for failing to comprehend it all fully!

 

[scub]

that guide is still pretty much valid as I did it a few months ago..
but you don't need the cert of conformity if your exact make & model is on the dvla's database..
i was told its only for the likes of vauxhall being badged as opel down south for eg.
can't answer the question re fuel tax tho?

 

[BEARDYBABY]

I appreciate replying Scub - so only fees were the £55 DVA fee then plus mot? I'm guessing it's not a big issue to swap the dials over from kph to mph either?

 

[scub]

I appreciate replying Scub - so only fees were the £55 DVA fee then plus mot? I'm guessing it's not a big issue to swap the dials over from kph to mph either?

I've yet to find out the legality of kph dials..mine had a limerick plate but had been mot'd in boucher till Nov so I assume it went through with the kph speedo..
but it also has an actual speed read out in mph so dunno the crack there at all..
but yes 55 quid & a years tax was all I paid .both on the same payment which was handy

 

[DWDarkWheels]

I missed this the first time around. Good guide. I can stand a bit of red tape as long as there's no huge import duty slapped on.

I often wondered if bringing enthusiast cars up from the Republic would be more convenient than crossing the shuugh.

 

[andy_b]

Is there anywhere to find out if a vehicle was previously registered in the north before it was exported to the south?

 

[scub]

Cardiff should have those details .seems everything goes through there now. also were fairly easy to deal with on the phone..

 

[AMG]

Is there anywhere to find out if a vehicle was previously registered in the north before it was exported to the south?

Southern log book will tell you the reg in any country it was registered before.