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Hi Declan,

Yes, you will have to pay VAT or import duty when the car is brought here, I’m afraid. VAT will be payable at the standard rate based on the OMSP (Open Market Selling Price) of the car, as defined by Revenue. 

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Hi Bartosz,

Easily done, normally, but perhaps a little less so at the moment. It will depend on the precise model you have whether or not it’s App-Connect compatible, but a trip to your local Volkswagen dealer, once they’re open again, will sort you out.

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Hi Patrick,

Sadly, with a big engine like that, it’ll be €1,080 a year. 

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Hi Lynn,

There are actually a huge number of tax breaks for disabled drivers in Ireland, including exemption from paying Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on new cars or imports, plus a repayment of any VAT spent on converting or adapting a vehicle to your needs. You’ll need to be able to provide a Primary Medical Certificate, which you may need to wait until you’ve moved here to get, as it’ll have to come from your local Health Service Executive (HSE) office - although it’s possible that a UK cert would also be acceptable.

You can claim back the VRT and VAT on a new vehicle of up to 6,000cc engine capacity, and there’s also a fuel grant of 60c per litre for petrol, and 49c per litre for diesel, which can be reclaimed at the end of each year (up to a maximum of 2,370 litres). You’ll also be exempt from annual road tax, and you can find out more on all of this by getting in touch with your local Motor Tax office.

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Hi Donie,

Yes, you can and, by taxing it as a private vehicle, you will move back to the old by-engine-capacity tax system. Assuming that your Berlingo of choice has a 1.6-litre diesel engine, then it’s going to cost you €514 per year.

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Hi Alan,

If you buy the car yourself, then there’s no BIK issue to worry about, even if you are using it for work. As for taxing it, if you’re strictly and only using it for work purposes, then it can be taxed as a commercial vehicle and will set you back a mere €333 in motor tax every year. If you are using it for personal use as well, then strictly speaking you’re supposed to tax it as a private car, which means taxing it on the engine capacity, which means an annual motor tax bill of €994. Also, you need to openly declare to your insurer what the vehicle is being used for.

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Hi TJ,

It’s pretty easy, actually. You simply contact your local motor tax office and let them know that you wish to tax the vehicle for private use. They’ll then switch it over to the old by-engine-capacity tax system (€1,080 for a year’s tax for a 2.5-litre) and that’s the job done. You should probably inform your insurers too, although there shouldn’t be any major issues with that.

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Hi Kevin,

It depends on what you mean. Are you bringing a new car into the country and then sending it straight on out again? Theoretically, if the vehicle were in the state for less than seven days, then you would not have to inform Revenue of it being here, and would therefore — yes — be exempt from paying any VRT or VAT on it.

However, to cover yourself, it would be prudent to communicate your plans with Revenue first, and possibly ask for a letter from them, stating that they know of the fact that the car is coming into the country but leaving again before VRT is due.

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Hi John,

In general, we would suggest that you’re spot on with that — you’ll be able to charge the monthly outlay as a routine business expense, but won’t be able to claim for depreciation or maintenance. Having said that, please remember that we’re not tax accountants and so we’d definitely advise checking with your own accountant before making any hard and fast decisions.

Expert answer

Hi Anthony,

Basically, if you’re taxing a commercial vehicle for private use, you revert to the old by-engine-capacity tax system, so for a Navara with a 2.5-litre engine, that’ll cost you €1,080 a year, compared to €333 a year for commercial tax.