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My daughter is returning to NI with her Irish-reg car...
My daughter is returning to live in NI from Ireland. Her car was originally registered in NI and then she reregistered it in Ireland whilst living there. She will now have to reregister it again in NI. Apparently it can take up to six weeks. Does this mean she cannot drive the car or would her Irish insurers still cover her? It has a current NCT but presumably will need a MOT once it gets new plates? Any assistance gratefully appreciated.
Our answer:
Hi Linda,
The paperwork should be easy enough as the car was previously registered in Northern Ireland, so no VAT or customs duty etc. should be payable. The process is detailed on the UK government's website "Importing vehicles into the UK", with a specific section on bringing a vehicle back into the UK.
The NCT is not recognised in the UK at all, so getting an MOT should be a priority, and it is possible to do that before the car is re-registeered.
Insurance could be tricky, however. Best bet is to ring the current insurer and find out if they'll cover the car in the North. If that's not a runner, your daughter will have to try to find an Northern Irish insurer that will give her temporary cover until the registration comes through.
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