shish90

Hi All,

First time poster, I'll get straight to the point.

I have been offered a permanent job in Co Kerry and will be moving there this coming saturday. I have 2 queries, about my car and healthcare.

Car
I will be taking my car to Ireland, I have been told I have to pay VRT and I have also been told I am exempt from it. The car is under my mums name and has been owned for 7 years, but I have been driving it all 7 years as a second named driver.

Will I have to pay VRT because I will have been owner for less than a week though I have been driving it for 7 years? The car is worth about £500-£1000 and the tax is around £500 so seems pointless really.

Alternatively, I was thinking about taking my car there, buying a second hand local car, and then driving my UK car back in a couple months time. Is that possible? Any advice would be helpful.

Medical
How exactly does this work?? I have spent so long on websites but all the information is so confusing. Am I eligible for a medical card? Am I eligible for a GP card? Do I have to pay for every single visit to the GP? I live in Wales, where is everything is free.


Any help and advice on either of these matters would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Moses2013

Congratulations to the job. You don't have to pay VRT, however you'll need evidence from your Mother, Insurance etc. Your mother will have to agree to hand over the car to you and this needs to be stated on a document etc. Best ring Revenue Kerry:
Revenue House, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork.
Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 021 6027066 swregionvrt@revenue

In Ireland you pay for GP visits, like Channel Islands, however this is not taken out of your salary:

Charges for accident and emergency/casualty and out-patient services
If you use accident and emergency services without being referred there by a GP, there is a charge of €100. There is no charge if you are referred by a GP (bring your referral letter with you) or for certain groups listed below.

The charge applies to the following public facilities:

•Emergency departments
•Accident and emergency departments
•Casualty departments
•Minor injury units
•Urgent care centres
•Local injury units
•Any other facility providing similar services

The charge of €100 does not apply to the following groups:

•Medical card holders
•People who are admitted to hospital as an in-patient as a result of attending the casualty department (you will then be subject to in-patient charges)
•People receiving treatment for prescribed infectious diseases
•Children up to 6 weeks of age
•Children who have certain diseases and disabilities
•Children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school health examinations
•People who are entitled to hospital services because of EU Regulations
•Women receiving maternity services
•People with Hepatitis C who have a Health Amendment Act Card
The charge applies to the first visit in relation to an illness or accident. If you have to return for further visits to an out-patient clinic in relation to the same illness or accident, you should not have to pay the charge again.

You can be referred by your family doctor to the out-patients department of a public hospital for specialist assessment by a consultant or his or her team or for diagnostic assessments (for example, x-rays, laboratory tests, physiotherapy). If you attend this service as a public patient, you will not have to pay for this service. If you wish to attend a consultant in a private capacity, you must pay their fee.

shish90

Hi Moses,

Thank you for your reply.

I have contacted the revenues department and I have been told as I, personally, will not have owned the car for 6 months prior to import, I DO have to pay VRT. This seems really pointless as the VRT costs as much as my car is worth at the moment.

To make matters worse, I have been told I can't even bring the car over temporarily as I risk having the Garda sieze the car. How likely is this in your opinion? I plan to buy a cheap local car as soon as possible and use that for all my commutes and take my UK car back within 2-3 months. If I leave the car parked for the entire time and not drive it, will I be okay? I know this is bending the rules a little but I am not sure what else to do.


Medical care
Can you please explain what you mean by the costs wont be taken from my salary? Do you mean I have to pay on the spot?
Don't GP visits cost too? Is there anyway of having GP card? From what I have learnt, that means all GP visits are free...and therefore any visits following the GP visit should also be free?

Sorry for all these questions, I just want to make sure I have everything covered.

Thanks again!

Moses2013

Forgot to mention.
Medical is never free:-). When you look at your payslip in the UK, you'll see how much is actually taken out. It's not like the US here and you can see the list what's covered when transferred by a GP. I'd ask your Employer if they have special rates for private medical insurance. I have one through my partner (work), which cost me €20 per month and that includes hospital treatment (private room), free physio etc, dental (Cleanings, X-rays, benefits for Fillings & Crowns), but I'd only get half back for a GP visit. It obviously depends what type of person you are and how often you go to the GP. I'm never off sick and only need a sick note on the 3rd day, so there's no point of paying more if I don't use it. If you go to the GP 6 x a year, then it might
be better to pay more.

Moses2013

I'll have to look into the VRT thing, but a GP visit is usally 40-50€ on the spot but if you were seriously ill, the GP would transfer you. What I mean is that you don't pay tax for medical, as it is in the UK.

sickntired

You will have to pay VRT as the car has not been registered in your name for the last 6 months.

You won't get a medical card.

Moses2013

What you could do is come over as a "Tourist". Of course they have to say you need to register straight away, but nobody knows you have a permanent contract + you could say that you were going to wait until you pass your probation period, if they stop you. At the end of the day there are loads of people over here with a foreign reg (business etc.) and they'd give you a warning first before taking the car. We had our old reg for 10 months until we went to Revenue and it was fine, but It's up to you. As long as you're insured you shouldn't have a problem.

shish90

Thanks for all the info Moses. I can always get more details about the health care when I'm in Ireland and register etc.

bigjohn2014

Hi again im a pensioner in the UK thinking of buying a house in the republic of ireland as a holiday home to spend a few monthes a year in ireland going back and forward to uk, so will i have to register my car or is that ok to just go back and forth to the uk as we will have our base in the UK still keeping our doctors in the UK also, so how do we go about health care when staying in ireland how does this work out for a uk pensioner healthcare

Moses2013

You will have no problem, if your main residence remains the UK. You can get a European Health Insurance Card, which I will get myself. There's a lot to read, but seems good.

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/EHIC/

sickntired

Firstly you told this fella he didn't need to pay VRT - wrong.

Now you're telling him to come as a "tourist". What if he's stopped at a checkpoint with AGS, Customs, and Social Welfare? He's got a PPs number which will show he's working here. Just because you like to break laws and regulations not everyone wants to hear you promoting illegality. I'm surprised the Moderators of this website put up with it.

Moses2013

You must have too much time. Go out and enjoy the weather, amazing today:-) I'm still not sure he has to pay the VRT, because my colleagues who's married didn't have to, allthough the car was in her husbands name. He transferred the papers into the wifes name and it was fine (Co. Galway). I'm not promoting illegality, but what if he doesn't like the job and returns to the UK in 3 weeks???????????????????? The Garda are usually fine with it, if you're still in probation period. Legally you could say that he's only a full time resident after 185 days. Temporary exemptions
In certain cases foreign-registered vehicles may be imported into Ireland temporarily by a non-resident without the requirement to pay VRT or register the vehicle. A non-resident is someone who usually lives outside Ireland for at least 185 days each year and the temporary exemption is for a period of up to 12 months. A person on a task of definite duration in Ireland may be allowed an exemption for a longer period. Foreign students who are studying in Ireland may bring a foreign-registered vehicle into Ireland and the 12-month time limit will be extended to cover the completion of their course. You can find information about.

bigjohn2014

Thankyou moses i understand what your saying, , we wont be permanant in ireland more as a holiday home to enjoy our UK home is our residence like many people who buy in spain or usa you can stay up to a certain time come back to uk for a while then back to ireland always ways around it as long as you dont over stay but you have been very helpful Mosses 2013 and i appreciate your help thanks again

bigjohn2014

how will anyone know we are in ireland for a long duration we dont show our passports do we so how is anyone going to know just how long im there for

scot47

Informers.