I came to Ireland for six months from Scotland to see how I liked it before deciding to stay permanently or not. Had only owned my car 19 days short of 6 months. Phoned VRO in Dublin before coming over and was told to keep ferry ticket when I first came over and that if I decided to stay permanently to go to local office and register car, but would not have to pay VRT as I would have owned car more than six months, but to keep work receipts etc to prove I was out of the country working.
Love Ireland and after being here 6 months (during which time I made frequent trips back to Scotland for work (self employed) I decided to stay for good. Trotted off to local office with my docs, receipts etc, and handed over everything. A couple of days later they got back to me demanding almost 4000 euro for VRT!!! Their excuse, I had not owned the car 6 months before coming to the country.
I have since appealed this decision and got the same reply. I handed over phone bills, electric bills from Scotland dated 5 months after I first came over, invoices for work carried out in Scotland and Bank statements showing that I had paid money in at the same time the work was carried out. also, forms from Tax office I had to submit to let them know I was leaving the country permanently dated 8 months after I first came over and tax returns up until then also, so plenty of proof I was officially still resident in UK, but they are just not interested, so now I am looking to find a solicitor in the Clare area who specialises in EU law as apparently they are breaking several rulings.
The thing that really got my back up was the fact that they would not let me pay this VRT by instalments but demanded it within 28 days or told me to "Get the car out of the country". I don't have the money, have given up my house in Scotland so can't go back, need the car to carry on working, so in effect they are going to force me to have to give up work (have a lot of equipment I need to take with me) and sign on, which will cost them more than the VRT.
Anyone offer any solutions?