Driving an Irish Registered Car in NI

AdrianC

OK, found the relevant legislation...
EC directive 83/182
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31983L0182:en:HTML

The relevant bit is...

Temporary importation of certain means of transport for private use

Where a private vehicle, caravan, pleasure boat, private aircraft, tricycle or bicycle is imported temporarily, the item imported shall be exempt from the taxes specified in Article 1 for a period, continuous or otherwise, of not more than six months in any 12 months, provided that:
(a) the individual importing such goods:
(aa) has his normal residence in a Member State other than the Member State of temporary importation;
(bb) employs the means of transport in question for his private use;
(b) the said means of transport is not disposed of or hired out in the Member State of temporary importation or lent to a resident of that State.

b seems to say that a foreign-registered hire car temporarily-imported to the UK explicitly cannot be used by a UK resident. It goes on with an exemption for staff returning it from a one-way hire to the country of origin, but that's not relevant here.

melanzana

AdrianC wrote: »

You are conflating UK road traffic law and the hire company's terms and conditions. The hire company may well permit their car to be used across an international border. They may not. It's a contractual issue alone - at least, until there's a question of insurance coverage or use without the owner's consent...

As far as UK road traffic law goes, who said anything about "a person from any country"?

AFAICT, the situation is very clear. Apart from a very few exceptions, UK residents cannot legally drive foreign-registered vehicles in the UK.

One example exception that's been referred to is a leased vehicle. I've not found the actual legislation, but I very much doubt that the law gives much of a toss about how a particular vehicle is financed. I'm certain I've seen it elsewhere as a company vehicle being driven in the course of business, which does make a lot more sense, especially when you consider international haulage.

There is some extrapolation to say that covers a short-term rental car, and that it would include what insurance would call social, domestic and pleasure purposes. I am sceptical, and there has been no link posted to support those claims.

The fact this is Eire and NI is irrelevant. The only difference to any other situation is that that is the UK's only land border with another country.

You are reading far too much into this.

A rental car rented in SI can be driven in NI.

An SI car bought in SI and used in NI by a UK resident for own use after a certain period is verboten. Same rule applies to an SI resident who imports a UK or other vehicle to be used in SI.

A tax called Vehicle Registration Tax applies in SI if Transfer of residence rules do not apply to the vehicle. For example someone who was working abroad and had a car, then brings the foreign registered car to UK/Ireland..... that would be allowed in certain circs.

I am living in S Ireland, but the rules apply EU wide.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/leaflets/tax-relief-transfer-residence.html

melanzana

Can I remind posters that the OP said he would be RENTING a car in SI and would be driving it for the day to NI.

Other legislation may be informative, but not relevant to OP's circumstances and post.

bowlhead99

AdrianC wrote: »

Oh, sorry. I must have completely misunderstood the entire thread. So you won't be temporarily importing a foreign-registered car to the UK and (as a UK resident) driving it within the UK?

Almost correct. I will not be temporarily importing MY foreign-registered car to the UK and (as a UK resident) driving it within the UK. Because I do not own a foreign registered car that I would like to bring in. So the rules about temporarily importing MY car are not relevant. MY car is a UK car sitting on my driveway in London a long way from this mess of a thread.

What I would be doing, hypothetically, if I was the OP and I am not, is temporarily bringing in to the country a car that I had temporarily leased from a business in another EU state. The EU rules which exist to promote freedom of movement of people, goods and services are totally fine with me doing that.

Iceweasel wrote: »

As far as the UK temporary importation concession regards foreign registered vehicles driven by foreign tourists is concerned, a UK resident cannot be considered a 'tourist'.

Jesus wept...

You are correct. A UK resident such as myself who does not own a foreign car would not be considered a foreign tourist and would certainly not be seeking to avail himself of some concession used by a foreign tourist to bring the foreign registered car owned by that foreign tourist into the country. As someone who doesn't own the foreign registered car and is not a foreign tourist, I am unconcerned with what an irishman does with his irish car.

The concession on non-residents bringing THEIR car to the UK - negotiated under Chapter III of the Convention on Road Traffic at Vienna on 8th November 1968 and pretty much been there in the same form ever since - permits non-residents, such as tourists, people visiting businesses, friends or family etc. to use their vehicle on UK Roads without the need to re-register it here. However, I am not a non resident seeking to use their vehicle here. I am a resident seeking to use someone else's vehicle here.

UK residents (of whatever nationality) are not generally entitled to use foreign registered cars on UK roads unless they are covered by an exception. One such exception applies to those who lease an EU-registered car owned by an EU-registered company and use it temporarily in the UK. Another example would be if I had an EU employer and was driving an EU-registered company car temporarily in the UK. Both are fine.

AdrianC

melanzana wrote: »

A rental car rented in SI can be driven in NI.

According to whom?
The rental company's Ts & Cs and insurance? Probably, yes.
According to UK road traffic law? Not by a UK resident, except in certain circumstances. The fact it is a rental car is irrelevant.

An SI car bought in SI and used in NI by a UK resident for own use after a certain period is verboten.

No. By a UK resident, apart from those exceptions, the time limit is zero.
By a non-UK resident, the time limit is six months.

I am living in S Ireland

Then I'd expect you're well aware of the fact there's no country or region called "Southern Ireland". Southern Ireland is roughly Limerick-Kilkenny-Arklow and down. As far as international road traffic law is concerned, that's irrelevant. Northern Ireland, otoh, does exist as an explicit legislative region - although in the context here, it's the UK, as opposed to the Republic of Ireland.

Shall we stick to "UK" and "not UK" for the purposes of this thread, for clarity?

AdrianC

bowlhead99 wrote: »

Almost correct. I will not be temporarily importing MY foreign-registered car to the UK and (as a UK resident) driving it within the UK. Because I do not own a foreign registered car that I would like to bring in. So the rules about temporarily importing MY car are not relevant.

Whose car it is is irrelevant.

Are you a UK resident? Yes.
Are you driving a car in the UK? Yes.
Is the car UK registered? No.
Is the car temporarily imported? Yes.

AdrianC

bowlhead99 wrote: »

UK residents (of whatever nationality) are not generally entitled to use foreign registered cars on UK roads unless they are covered by an exception. One such exception applies to those who lease an EU-registered car owned by an EU-registered company and use it temporarily in the UK. Another example would be if I had an EU employer and was driving an EU-registered company car temporarily in the UK. Both are fine.

Care to link to the legislation? Because that is contrary to the more recent legislation I linked to above.

AdrianC

OK, here's the 1968 Vienna convention.

http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/conventn/Conv_road_traffic_EN.pdf

Which bit says what you claim?

melanzana

AdrianC wrote: »

According to whom?
The rental company's Ts & Cs and insurance? Probably, yes.
According to UK road traffic law? Not by a UK resident, except in certain circumstances. The fact it is a rental car is irrelevant.



No. By a UK resident, apart from those exceptions, the time limit is zero.
By a non-UK resident, the time limit is six months.



Then I'd expect you're well aware of the fact there's no country or region called "Southern Ireland". Southern Ireland is roughly Limerick-Kilkenny-Arklow and down. As far as international road traffic law is concerned, that's irrelevant. Northern Ireland, otoh, does exist as an explicit legislative region - although in the context here, it's the UK, as opposed to the Republic of Ireland.

Shall we stick to "UK" and "not UK" for the purposes of this thread, for clarity?

I think you need to look at the map of ROI (SI) It goes from Donegal in the North and right down. Just so you know like!

Anyway, the OP's question has been answered.

Rental cars are fine no matter what jurisdiction you are from, provided you have a valid license and credit card!

You can drive anywhere in ROI/SI and NI, the rental company will tell you what the charges are between both jurisdictions.

Goodnight Irene.

EssexExile

AdrianC wrote: »

OK, found the relevant legislation...
EC directive 83/182
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31983L0182:en:HTML

The relevant bit is...


b seems to say that a foreign-registered hire car temporarily-imported to the UK explicitly cannot be used by a UK resident. It goes on with an exemption for staff returning it from a one-way hire to the country of origin, but that's not relevant here.

That's about tax exemption, not driving, surely?