Import Rules and Regulations — Ireland

Thinking about importing a car from Japan to Ireland? The rules below cover how old a car may be, how it travels, what you pay in Ireland, and which documents customs needs.

Ireland is in the European Union and drives on the left, so a Japanese car arrives with the steering wheel already on the correct side. Because Japan is outside the EU, the car counts as an import, and most of the paperwork is done in Ireland after the car lands, to a set timetable.

Key Import Guidelines

Vehicle Age Restrictions

Ireland sets no age limit on imported cars or vans, and no minimum age either. How old the car is does not affect whether you may import it.

Steering Position

Carbarn ships only right-hand drive (RHD) cars to Ireland. Japanese cars are built right-hand drive, the same as cars sold in Ireland, so nothing has to be converted.

Mandatory Inspections

Inspection in Japan

None required. Ireland does not ask for an inspection certificate from a Japanese inspection body before the car ships.

Inspection in Ireland

The car must be inspected by the NCTS (National Car Testing Service) within seven days of arriving in Ireland. The NCTS registers imported cars on behalf of Revenue and works out the Vehicle Registration Tax at that appointment.

Shipping and Port Details

• Destination Ports: Dublin and Cork
• Shipping Method: RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
• Carrier: Höegh Autoliners
• Sailing Frequency: Monthly
• Time at sea: 28–45 days from Japan

Duties and Taxes

Duty and VAT are worked out on the CIF value (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — the price of the car in Japan plus the cost of shipping it. Marine insurance is paid in Ireland and is not part of this calculation.

• Customs Duty: 10% of the CIF value
• VAT: 23% of the CIF value plus the customs duty
• Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), including the NOx levy: charged on the Open Market Selling Price at one of twenty rates set by the car's carbon-dioxide emissions, from 7% (at least €140) to 41% (at least €820), with a NOx levy added on top, charged for each milligramme per kilometre the car emits

We do not hold a carbon-dioxide figure or an Open Market Selling Price for each car, so the duty calculator on this site uses a single VRT estimate of €1,950, the figure for a Corolla-sized car. Where those figures are known for a particular car, the official rates are used instead.

A lower customs rate can apply under the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement where documents proving the car's Japanese origin are available for that particular car. Those documents are rare for cars bought at auction, so quotes are prepared at the standard 10% rate, and the lower rate is applied only once the documents are in hand.

Required Documents for Customs Clearance

• Registration Certificate (Country of Origin): the car's Japanese registration record
• Export Certificate: issued in Japan when the car is taken off the Japanese register
• Original Invoice: the price used on the customs declaration
• Bill of Lading: issued by the shipping line as proof the car has been shipped
• Condition Report: the recorded condition of the body, interior and mechanical parts

When the car arrives, the importer files a customs declaration and is given a reference number, which is needed to book the NCTS inspection. Filing that declaration also needs an EORI number, the customs registration number importers use in the EU.

Process Steps

• 1. Order and export: the car is booked onto a monthly RoRo sailing and the export documents are issued in Japan
• 2. Arrival and customs: the ship unloads at Dublin or Cork, the customs declaration is filed, and duty and VAT are paid
• 3. NCTS inspection: the car is inspected within seven days of arriving, and Vehicle Registration Tax is worked out
• 4. Registration: the car goes onto the Irish register and its registration plates are issued

Import and registration rules for Ireland are set by Revenue and can change; check the current rules with Revenue before you order.