Taking car with no MOT out of Northern Ireland

Grey_Critic

Remember Sods Law -

tightauldgit

Aretnap said:

tightauldgit said:

chrisgeller said:

Hi, hoping someone has some insight/knowledge into NI MOT requirements.

I've been out of the UK for several months and have a car parked up with family in Northern Ireland. I'll be returning next month and need to get this car to England, and then onwards to Europe.

The MOT of the vehicle has lapsed.

I've realised that in Northern Ireland MOT's can't be done at any accredited garage, only at official centres, and that there are no appointment until September. That doesn't work for me.

The Northern Irish DVA says on its own website here:

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/book-mot-vehicle-test-online

" If you can't get an appointment before your existing MOT expires, you must book the earliest available appointment. "

i.e. it is not proscribed to use the vehicle as long as an MOT appointment is booked.

What I'd like to do is book a Northern Irish MOT appointment for September which I have no realistic intention of using, pick up the vehicle, use it for a few days in NI including getting it serviced. Then take it across on the ferry to the mainland Britain and get it MOT-ed there with a second MOT appointment that I actually will use.

Anything to stop that working?

An additional question, if I was to take it through the Republic of Ireland e.g. Dublin to Holyhead - could that cause any additional problems?

Is your vehicle taxed? If not you wont be able to renew the tax without a valid MOT and can still get done for driving an untaxed vehicle. 

You are allowed to drive an untaxed vehicle to a pre-booked MOT, precisely for that reason.

(At least in GB; NI is a whole other country as far as road traffic law is concerned). 

Yes but he said he was planning to drive it around NI for a few days first.

Car_54

The OP seems to have two distinct problems. One is getting the car to the port legally in NI, the other is getting the car legal in GB.
The latter seems easy - just book a test in GB and he can drive directly there. The NI problem is more difficult - possibly just take a chance on getting caught without an MOT? In GB that’s a minor offence with no points, but I don’t know whether it carries the death penalty in NI.

marlot

As long as the car is roadworthy, driving without an MOT is a small fine and no points.

If it were me, I'd take the chance.

Grey_Critic

What happens in Ireland is of no concern to us but I would suggest Plod and the courts would take a dim view of someone bringing an Irish registered vehicle that has no Tax or MOT for an MOT - The motoring laws in UK and Ireland are different - Driving a UK registered untaxed vehicle to an MOT is legal - driving an Irish registered non taced and no MOT is another matter. Driving with no MOT in nthe UK may be thought of as a minor  matter - but what in effect is a foreign vehicle with no tax or MOT is another matter.

Car_54

Grey_Critic said:

What happens in Ireland is of no concern to us but I would suggest Plod and the courts would take a dim view of someone bringing an Irish registered vehicle that has no Tax or MOT for an MOT - The motoring laws in UK and Ireland are different - Driving a UK registered untaxed vehicle to an MOT is legal - driving an Irish registered non taced and no MOT is another matter. Driving with no MOT in nthe UK may be thought of as a minor  matter - but what in effect is a foreign vehicle with no tax or MOT is another matter.

It’s not a foreign vehicle, it’s UK-registered, coming from Northern Ireland. AFAIK the OP hasn’t said it’s untaxed.

forgotmyname

DB1904 said:

Is that what the law says, a fairly direct route? I doubt it does you've just looked at some unqualified statement on the web. 

If they post unqualified statements on the gov websites then you can find the exact wording but in general terms that is what
it says.

Grey_Critic

Car_54 said:

It’s not a foreign vehicle, it’s UK-registered, coming from Northern Ireland. AFAIK the OP hasn’t said it’s untaxed.

The OP said ***have a car parked up with family in Northern Ireland.*** So not an unreasonable assumption that it is not taxed.

MOT rules in Northern Ireland are not the same as the UK so yes it is in effect a foreign vehicle and I doubt claiming you have booked the car in for an MOT in England would be accepted as a reasonable excuse.

chrisgeller

It's taxed

Car_54

Grey_Critic said:

Car_54 said:

It’s not a foreign vehicle, it’s UK-registered, coming from Northern Ireland. AFAIK the OP hasn’t said it’s untaxed.

The OP said ***have a car parked up with family in Northern Ireland.*** So not an unreasonable assumption that it is not taxed.

MOT rules in Northern Ireland are not the same as the UK so yes it is in effect a foreign vehicle and I doubt claiming you have booked the car in for an MOT in England would be accepted as a reasonable excuse.

It would be perfectly legal at the GB end of the journey, but probably not on the way to the port in NI.