Imports from Northern Ireland?

[E55BOF]

As it says, really. Is there any problem, other than physically getting the car here? I presume not, but one never knows,,,

 

[Piff]

Wouldn't think so - no different to importing a car from Scotland or Wales

 

[Rungles]

I don't think so - a friend brought a car over from NI and it was straightforward as far as I know.

 

[rk100]

Should be no problem at all. I have done it the opposite way i.e England to NI. The only difference is the MOT certificates look different but of course still valid.

 

[Rungles]

What are you hoping to buy and will you bring it back yourself on the ferry? Sounds like a great road trip!

 

[malluboy77]

I had to pay a visit to the local DVLA office to get V5 done, this was 5 1/2 years back. That is the only hassle I could remember.

 

[E55BOF]

Thanks guys; nice to know. I'm (still) looking for a car for my wife, and she's fallen in love with a very late Hyundai coupe in white with the big TS III spoiler. Limp-wristed maybe - well, definitely - and b****r-all tuning potential, but it's looks that count for her, and I must admit it looks very good.

I'm too old to go on road trips now; the plan (if the blighter gets back to me) is to fly up, pick it up, ferry Belfast to Liverpool, stay overnight with No. 1 son in Manchester, then M6/M42/M40 home.

 

[renault12ts]

Belfast Dublin Holyhead would be quicker and cheaper.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

It's very trouble free. My BMW GT is from NI. The only oddity I had is when I transferred my plate to it and re registered in the UK (they said I could leave it on an NI V5 if I wanted to) it came back missing the previous owner. So now it looks like I've owned it from new and bought it back to the mainland UK

V5 states 0 previous owners but does say registered elsewhere within the UK as a note. Can check the exact wording if anyone is interested.

 

[l5foye]

I would not recommend the Belfast/Liverpool ferry -it takes over 8 hours and is usually a crappy boat. If you are going to Manchester, I suggest Belfast-Cairnryan ( 2 hrs 20 mins) .

 

[E55BOF]

"Belfast Dublin Holyhead would be quicker and cheaper" Thanks for that; you're right of course, but the times don't suit me so well, and the driving distance would be about sixty miles or so more..

Belfast-Cairnryan doubles the total driving distance in the UK, so I think best not.

I've booked Belfast-Liverpool. It may well be a crappy boat, but it gets me in to Birkenhead at 18:30, just as the rush hour is starting to die away, with only 200 miles to go to home, virtually all motorway, and avoids the need for a night stop. None of the other possibilities worked out so well for me, so I went for that.

One tricky bit, though; the car is on SORN at the moment. I plan to keep the NI registration plate - sort of a non-age-related plate for free - but can I tax it as the new keeper at a Northern Ireland post office, and will that tax be valid for mainland UK, does anyone know?

 

[E55BOF]

PART II - I think I've found the answer... DVLA now deals with NI vehicle registrations (as of mid-2014), but not, apparently, road tax. I SHOULD be able to go to a tax-issuing post office in the UK, fill in the amended details on the V5C, and tax it on the spot. (Thinks: how will the PO clerk know how much tax to charge, since the car is not on the UK system?) Presumably the UK road tax system will not be aware, as the car is SORNed under the separate NI system, that it is not taxed; which would be just as well, since I doubt I'll find a post office open when I get off the ferry in Birkenhead some time after 18:30.

 

[renault12ts]

Since NI is a constituent part of the UK...road tax is the same.

 

[l5foye]

In mid-2014, all local DLVA offices in N. Ireland were closed down and all records (SORNs, MoTs, tax etc) are held on the central database in Swansea. You can tax your car online.

 

[E55BOF]

Thank you very much; sounds good to me. Regarding the MoT, though, I wasn't able to check the MoT history online, so I presume the historic MoT data, if any, was not transferred.

 

[l5foye]

I am not sure about checking MoT history. When you go to tax the car online, it will (should) show if there is a current Mot and insurance.

 

[E55BOF]

The DVLA system did not recognise either the NI V5C reference or the NI MoT certificate number (or both - I can't recall if it was specific to one or the other), despite the MoT being done in September 2014. I'll have the docs with me when I go to tax it, so should be OK.

 

[Spin_bowler]

In mid-2014, all local DLVA offices in N. Ireland were closed down and all records (SORNs, MoTs, tax etc) are held on the central database in Swansea. You can tax your car online.

Not just in NI. All the local offices were closed and a right pain the backside it is too.

 

[Westbarn1]

I've imported several motor cycles over the years, the process was a lot easier when the local LVRO's were open (Norwich in my case) but now everything is through the DVLA. In the case of NI its not really any different, I would imagine you would even keep the NI registration.

 

[E55BOF]

Predictably, online doesn't work... I input that I'm a new keeper with only the V5C/2 reference number, and the system says to me: "GB: enter V5C/2 reference number; NI - must be taxed at a post office". So I try again - with the correct V5C/2 ref. no. both times - and get the same result. Why is it that there is ALWAYS some problem with government computer systems?

I'll try the post office in the morning...