Bringing a car into Ireland

If you bring a car or any vehicle into Ireland from another country - abroad, you must show proof of ownership of the vehicle. You will need the vehicle registration document or evidence of car insurance. You must also have a Certificate of Permanent Export (or a vehicle registration document as we mention above).

You must register your car and pay Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) by the end of the next working day following its arrival into Ireland. You must bring it to a Revenue Vehicle Registration Office (VRO) not later than the next working day following its arrival in Ireland - . You pay the VRT charged after your vehicle has been inspected at the VRO.

Once the vehicle has been registered by the Revenue Commissioners and the VRT paid, you (or your motor dealer) will receive:

• A receipt for the VRT paid showing the registration number assigned to your car
• A Form RF 100 for use when you are applying for motor tax

You must display the registration number within 3 days. Failure to display the new registration number is an offence and you can be fined You can obtain vehicle registration plates from any motor dealer. .

VAT

If you are importing a new car from another EU country you have to pay VAT (Value Added Tax), usually when registering the car. A new car means a car that has been in service for 6 months or less, or has been driven for 6,000 kilometres or less. The VAT is payable even where you have paid VAT in the other country.

Work Permit Restrictions in Ireland June 2009

A number of changes to the qualifying conditions for work permits for new entrants to Ireland come into effect from 1 June 2009:

• More job categories will be ineligible for new work permits (work riders, domestic workers and HGV drivers now ineligible)
• No new permits will be issued for low-paid jobs, that is, jobs paying less than €30,000 per year
• The labour market needs test will be strengthened by doubling the time a job vacancy has to be advertised with EURES/FAS to 8 weeks, and extending the time for the national press advertisement to six days
• Higher fees will be charged on renewal of work permits, and renewals will require a labour market needs test
• Spouses and dependants of future principal work permit holders will have to apply for permits in their own right subject to the standard eligibility criteria and fees for work permits

In addition, a number of occupations are being removed with immediate effect from the Green Card eligible list where the salary payable for the job is in the range €30,000-€59,999 per annum. These jobs are :

Healthcare: Registered midwives; physiotherapists; psychologists; social workers; medical physicists; and speech and language therapists.

Financial Services: Economists; statisticians; underwriters; claims assessors and analysts; securities specialists; fund and investment management specialists; common law jurisdiction lawyers; investment fund professionals; fund accountants; fund valuations professionals; fund administrators; custody specialists; transfer agents; and hedge fund specialists.

Industry/Services: Marketing Managers.

NCT Penalty Points Panic in Ireland

THE SURPRISE introduction of new penalty point offences in Ireland for motorists has thrown the National Car Test (NCT) system into chaos.

Hundreds of worried motorists attempted to contact the NCT centre in Tallaght yesterday after Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey announced over the weekend that failing to keep your NCT up to date would incur penalty points from next month. It was already a fineable offence nefore now - so why the panic. In the UK they have a database that tells them all the cars without an MOT cert - it is all computerised. Here in Ireland we rely on a random spot check to spot all these dangerous cars on the road. Are the Guards blind or lazy? I see lots of cars each week with one headlight or one brake light. Why are they not stopped?

More than 835,000 cars were tested for roadworthiness in 43 NCT test centres across the country last year.Just over half (52pc) passed the National Car Test (NCT) on the first attempt. The pass rate has remained around the 50pc mark since 2004.

Another 385,000 had to repeat the test, with a repeat pass rate of 91pc. Failures can be appealed.

Cars four years or older are subject to the test, which was introduced in 2000. Cars must pass every two years after the initial test. Vintage cars over 30 years and cars based on the islands are exempt.

While most motorists are informed when their test is due, it is up to the owner of the vehicle to ensure that their car has a valid NCT. Drivers without an NCT certificate face a €1,500 fine, but, until now, have not incurred penalty points.

Spanish company Applus+ will take over testing from next January after winning a 10-year contract from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) earlier this year. The test fee of €50 and retest fee of €28 will stay the same until at least 2011.

A review of the NCT is also being carried out by the RSA, which could see customised cars with blacked-out windows and loud exhausts automatically failing the test.