Your car to Ireland: the VRT, the exemption and the seven days

The Irish car rules are strictly worded and mild in outcome — provided you know the clocks. This article sets out the exemption, the deadlines and the journey.

The VRT, and why the exemption matters

Every car registered in Ireland carries the Vehicle Registration Tax: a percentage of the market value, rising with CO₂ emissions (from 7% for the most economical category), plus a NOx levy. For an ordinary petrol car that quickly runs into thousands of euros without an exemption. VAT doesn't come into play for a used car from the EU — only a "new" car (younger than six months or under 6,000 kilometres) carries Irish VAT.

The Transfer of Residence exemption makes the VRT nil, under three conditions: the car was in your possession and use for at least six months before the move (prior possession in Ireland doesn't count), it enters the country within twelve months of your move, and you don't sell it for twelve months after registration — otherwise the exempted tax becomes payable in full after all.

The series of clocks on arrival

Revenue itself puts it in days, and the step-by-step plan counts them along: within seven days of entry you claim the exemption and book the appointment at the NCTS (the inspection centre that also registers); within thirty days the registration must be complete — late means penalties and in the extreme case seizure; and within three days of registration you fit the Irish plates.

The evidence file: registration certificate, proof of insurance, proof of purchase, the ferry ticket (Revenue names it literally as proof of the arrival date — keep it) and the maintenance history as proof of your use in the Netherlands. Your valid Dutch APK (MOT) is recognised until its expiry date; after that the car enters the ordinary NCT inspection cycle. And on the Dutch side don't forget the RDW export, otherwise the road tax carries on.

The journey: no direct boat

No direct ferry sails from the Netherlands to Ireland. The options: drive to Dunkirk (± 290 kilometres) and sail almost 24 hours to Rosslare, or to Cherbourg (± 700 kilometres) for the crossings to Dublin or Rosslare. The land bridge through Great Britain is shorter on the boat but longer at the counter: since Brexit, removal goods in transit require customs paperwork. For a move with your own car the direct France route wins on simplicity; book a cabin and book early.

Driving on the left, same steering wheel

Ireland drives on the left, and unlike in Malta or Cyprus there's no reason here to leave the car at home: left-hand-drive cars are simply permitted, the roads are full of them (the whole of tourist Ireland drives around in European hire cars), and the exemption makes taking it cheap. The real cost item is the insurance: Irish insurers are sparing in recognising Dutch no-claims years — ask your Dutch insurer for an English-language no-claims statement and compare widely. Count on a premium you get used to, but not right away.