If you are moving to Ireland or are already living here and you are importing a car or other vehicle, you will need to do three things before you can drive your vehicle in Ireland:

    - Pay Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) (unless you are exempt)
    - Have Motor Insurance
    - Pay Motor Tax

What are all these?

All new motor vehicles and vehicles brought into Ireland are subject to Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners (The Revenue Commissioners are responsible for the collection of taxes in Ireland on behalf of the Irish Government). Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) is a tax you must pay when you first register a motor vehicle in Ireland.

It is a legal requirement in Ireland to have motor insurance if you want to drive a motor vehicle in a public place. Please note that insurances of any kind in Ireland are notoriously expensive. There is a public campaign currently ongoing against rip off insurance companies.

Motor tax in Ireland is a charge imposed by the Irish Government on motor vehicles. Revenue from motor tax is used to maintain and upgrade the road network. Charges for motor tax are proportionate to the size of the vehicle engine.

For more information on these, please visit: importing car into ireland