Declaring a vehicle off the road
The procedures and timescales in relation to declaring non-use of a vehicle are set down in the Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013.
If your vehicle is not going to be in use, and will not be kept in a public place, you will be able to declare it off the road by completing form RF150 (English) and submitting it to your local motor tax office. Alternatively, you can declare your vehicle off the road at www.motortax.ie if a PIN issued to you with your motor tax reminder.
The minimum period is 3 calendar months, the maximum is 12 calendar months i.e. you cannot declare a vehicle off the road for either one or two months. The declaration must be for full calendar months, starting on the first day of a month and ending on the last day of a month. All correctly completed applications will receive confirmation of their transaction, either by post or on the spot if the declaration is submitted in person at your local motor tax office.
You must make your off the road declaration in advance. It is important, therefore, if you are posting the declaration, that you send it off in sufficient time as the declaration must be made:
In the month of expiry of your current motor tax disc. You cannot declare the vehicle off the road after this or if arrears are owed – the arrears will have to be paid and the vehicle taxed for a minimum of three months before you will be able to declare the vehicle off the road.
In the month of expiry of your current non-use declaration, you can make a new declaration for between a further 3 – 12 months. This can be repeated for as long as you intend to keep the vehicle off the road.
If you have just bought a new/imported vehicle or just acquired a second hand one and do not intend to use it immediately, you will have 21 days from the date of purchase (as specified in the registration document or the notification of transfer of vehicle ownership) to furnish a declaration of non-use. Make sure you notify the seller that you are intending to declare the vehicle off the road and that you need him or her to ensure that the change of ownership is notified as soon as possible.