An appointment to have your vehicle inspected must be made within 7 days of the vehicle entering the State in order to register and pay the VRT (and any other tax liabilities due on the vehicle). You must then complete the registration process within 30 days of arriving in the State.
An appointment for one of the designated NCT centres can be made through one of the following methods:
The actual cost of calls to the lo-call number varies depending on your phone company and calls made using mobile phones may be expensive. It is recommended that you only ring the above lo-call numbers from a landline.
Post: Vehicle Registration Tax Inspection, 3026 Lakedrive, Citywest Business Campus, Naas Road, Dublin 24
Confirmation of your appointment will then be sent to you either by SMS, e-mail or by post. Please ensure you have carry proof of your confirmed appointment with you when using your vehicle until the registration process is completed and the registration number is displayed on the vehicle.
Remember:
If you cancel or rearrange this confirmed appointment within five working days (Monday- Friday) of the test date (not including the day you contact NCTS), fail to show up for the test or fail to bring the required documentation with you, a €23.81 (inclusive of VAT) surcharge will be applied when the vehicle is next brought for testing.
Any queries relating to the cancellation fee may be made in writing to the Vehicle Registration Tax Inspection, Lakedrive 3026, Citywest Business Campus, Naas Road, Dublin 24.
Please be advised that if you do not complete your registration process within the 30 day period then an additional assessment of VRT maybe raised for the period the vehicle remained unregistered in the State. In this regard, you are advised to retain possession of the documentation relating to the shipping or storage of the vehicle where the date of the invoice is more than 30 days earlier than the date of registration. It should be noted that an unregistered vehicle may be detained or seized by Revenue Officials or by An Garda Siochana.
Only 25 of the current NCT centres will be conducting this service on behalf of the revenue commissioners.
New changes to registering a vehicle from January 2nd 2014
Be advised, in addition to the required documents mentioned below, a VRT Vehicle Purchase Details (VRTVPD) Form is now required to be completed by all persons wishing to register a vehicle
This form is a mandatory requirement and must be completed in full for each vehicle prior to arriving at the test centre for Registration. You will find a link to this form in the relevant section below.
Registering a vehicle
In order to register any vehicle, you must present proof of identity in the form of a driving licence or passport along with you PPS number and the other required documentation for the type of vehicle you are registering.
You must also be able to locate the chassis number for the vehicle inspector when presenting the vehicle for inspection.
If you are registering a vehicle on behalf of someone else please provide all the documents mentioned below and also ensure that you have your own drivers licence and the drivers licence or passport of the person who you are registering the vehicle for. Tan holders may have a copy of the drivers licence of the person to whom the vehicle is being registered to.
Your vehicle will fall under one of the following categories:
A) New Vehicle
B) Used Vehicle
C) Vintage Vehicle
New Vehicle:
For TAN holders:
If you are registering a vehicle on behalf of someone else please provide all the documents mentioned below and also ensure that you have your own drivers licence and the drivers licence or passport of the person who you are registering the vehicle for. Tan holders may have a copy of the drivers licence of the person to whom the vehicle is being registered to.
All documents above are compulsory and the vehicle will not be registered unless they are all presented with the vehicle at registration.
Used Vehicle:
For TAN holders:
If you are registering a vehicle on behalf of someone else please provide all the documents mentioned below and also ensure that you have your own drivers licence and the drivers licence or passport of the person who you are registering the vehicle for. Tan holders may have a copy of the drivers licence of the person to whom the vehicle is being registered to.
All documents above are compulsory and the vehicle will not be registered unless they are all presented with the vehicle at registration.
Dependent on the age of the vehicle, it may be called for a road worthiness test shortly after registration.
Vintage Vehicle
A vintage vehicle, for VRT purposes, means a vehicle which is shown to the satisfaction of Revenue to be more than 30 years old at the time of registration. Where a unique vintage vehicle is presented and the original documentation is not available, a declaration in respect of the vehicle particulars from an enthusiasts’ organisation or club which provides the data necessary for registration will be accepted at the NCTS. Additional documentation may be requested to satisfy the identity and age of the vehicle. The listed required documentation above must also be presented.
At that test centre, the vehicle will be examined to ensure it matches the various characteristics described in the accompanying documentation for example, vehicle identification number (VIN), registration number (in the case of a used vehicle) make, model and variant, engine size, number of doors etc. If the requisite documentation is not available at the time of the examination or the vehicle details do not match the documentation, the vehicle will not be registered and a re-test fee will be payable on return with relevant documentation.
When it has been established that the vehicle is eligible for registration you will be presented with a document containing the vehicle details which you will be asked to sign confirming that you wish to register the vehicle as outlined on the declaration. Following confirmation, Revenue will assign a registration number to the vehicle and this will be issued to you by the NCTS on payment of the tax due.
Please note that a second visit to an NCT centre as a result of incorrect or missing documentation will be at your own expense.
In the case of cars and small vans, the tax is a percentage of the expected retail price, including all taxes in the State. This price is known as the Open Market Selling Price or OMSP. Based on the vehicle details forwarded to Revenue by the NCT centre following examination of the vehicle, Revenue will calculate this tax for you at the time of registration. You may be able to obtain an estimate of the VRT due from the Vehicle Registration on-line Enquiry System. While Revenue maintains an accurate valuation for all vehicles on its database, because of the variety of makes, models and versions available, the vehicle presented for registration at an NCT centre may differ significantly from a similar one on Revenue’s database resulting in a significant difference in the VRT charged to the amount you expected.
Please note that the liability price on a vehicle may not be returned on the same day in some cases, should this occur you will have to return to the VRT centre on another day to complete the registration process.
Additional VRT may be payable if the vehicle is fitted with chargeable enhancements/accessories and Revenue may require more time to assess this additional amount.
The NCT Centre will also collect the VRT charge (and other tax liabilities) on behalf of Revenue. You can pay this charge either by
Yes. However, please note that the VRT charge is raised by Revenue, the NCT centre staff will not be able to help you with any query relating to the VRT charge
Therefore, having paid the amount demanded, you can appeal the charge with Revenue under the formal excise appeal procedure details which are set out in a separate information leaflet VRT 6 - Appeal Procedures relating to Vehicle Registration Tax which you can obtain at Revenue or any Revenue Office. Details of these offices may be found on the Revenue
If you decide that you do not wish to register the vehicle, and pay the VRT due, you must ensure that the vehicle is taken out of the State immediately, but at the latest within 30 days of its initial entry into the State.
When the VRT payment (and other outstanding liabilities) has been accepted by the NCTS the registration number assigned to the vehicle by Revenue will be issued to you by the NCT Centre. This registration number must be displayed in the prescribed format on the vehicle within three days of issue. Details relating to the registration number prescribed format are available at Revenue
"You can now buy your Irish number plates at the centre on the day of the inspection, please ask a member of staff for more details.
The dealer is obliged to pay the VRT and register the vehicle before delivering it to you. (These are matters between dealers and their customers and are not for Revenue)
The vehicle registration certificate, issued by the Department of Transport, will be posted to you after you have paid motor tax to your local authority.
When you are applying for motor tax on a new vehicle or motor cycle, you must present the following document (RF 100) and appropriate fee at your local Motor Taxation Office
Various relief's and exemptions from VRT are available in particular circumstances. These are described in individual public notices which are available from www.revenue.ie or any Revenue Office. They include exemption which may apply in the case of:
Relief is also available for certain persons with disabilities who meet specified medical criteria. An information leaflet VRT 7 - Vehicles for People with Disabilities - Tax Relief Scheme is available from www.revenue.ie or any Revenue Office.
If you think you are entitled to an exemption, you must first contact your local Revenue Office (see contact details at Revenue ) and apply for the exemption. The application accompanied by the relevant documentation (see manual) will normally be processed within 10 working days and if approved, a letter confirming eligibility to the exemption will be issued to you. You must bring this letter to the NCT Centre when registering the vehicle to avail of the exemption.
An exemption will only be allowed on presentation of this letter at the NCT centre. Where the exemption letter is not available at the time of registration (e.g. lost or misplaced) full VRT will be charged. This will be refunded on presentation of the letter to a Revenue office.
When you are applying for motor tax on a new vehicle or motor cycle, you must present the following document (RF 100) and appropriate fee at your local Motor Taxation Office:
For Category B and C vehicles with less than 4 seats
For vehicles presented with a VRD and the Vehicle Category (J on the VRD doc) states N1 it will return a price based on a category B class. If you have a query on this and feel that the vehicle should be a category C class, then please produce the following information:
If you cannot obtain this information then please get this from either a weight bridge or main dealer.
If you still are not happy with the fee returned then you can pay and appeal the fee through Revenue.
Where a vehicle is being presented with the Vehicle Category as M1 but a conversion to commercial vehicle has been carried out and you wish it to be classed as an N1 then you must complete the following document:
Vehicle Owner Declaration of Conversion (SQI)
A SQI is a person who has an Engineering/Technical Qualification level 7 or higher or appropriate accreditation with Engineers Ireland or the Institute of Automotive Engineer Assessors). The declaration must be drawn up on the headed paper of the SQI, which must contain, as a minimum, the Name and/or Business Name, address, contact details and Revenue number of the SQI.
Proposal to Convert from EU Category M1 to N1
Where it is proposed to change a vehicle’s EU category from M1 to N1, the masses and dimensions must be confirmed by a National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) Approved Test Centre whose scope covers - 'Test: 48. Masses and Dimensions (not passenger cars)'. The dimensions must be measured by the laser measuring device and computed by the software approved by the NSAI for the taking of such measurements. From 1 November 2016 this must be confirmed in the declaration of conversion documents. Vehicles that do not meet the criteria for EU Category N1 will be deemed to be M1 vehicles.
A copy of the Test 48 Certification issued by the ATC must be submitted along with the Declaration of Conversion in these instances.
A list of NSAI ATCs and their scope is available here:
Revenue may require ATC Test 48 masses and dimensions certification in other circumstances.
All NEW buses will have to have an ECWVTA (European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval) or NSSTA or IVA in order to be registered. More information on these new changes can be found in this leaflet which lists the dates from when approval will be obligatory for vehicles of various categories before they can be sold or enter into service and also defines the various categories of vehicles involved.
Please also refer to the Road Safety Authority for further details.
If you are a TAN Holder and you have a minimum of 15 vehicles due for VRT inspection then NCTS can provide a mobile pre-inspection facility direct to your premises. The fee will be €20 per vehicle and traders must have all relevant documentation for each vehicle available on the day of the inspection. NCTS will require that you can provide office space and a direct Internet connection (no firewalls and not via a local network) so that all necessary paperwork can be conducted on the day.
If you wish to avail of this service then please contact our VRT booking line on 01-4135975 and ensure you have the following information in front of you:
The company must be registered with the company registration office in Ireland and have a company registration number which they would have received from the CRO (Sole traders or partnerships cannot register the vehicle into their business name).
In addition to the documents mentioned in the question about on "what documents do I need to bring with me on the day of the test" the following documents are also required.
Mobile Machinery is now required to be presented at the NCTS at the time of registrations. However, in certain instances Mobile Machinery in conformant with the relevant Machinery Directives is not required to be presented at a NCTS Centre. In such cases a photograph of the particular machinery item along with a photograph of the Serial Number must accompany the relevant documentation.
Presentation of Mobile Machinery at the NCTS is not required for the following:
When making an appointment with the NCTS for registration please confirm with them if the mobile machinery needs to be inspected.
Click here for more information on the registering of self-propelled machinery and what documents you need to bring with you to the NCTS centre on the day of the inspection.