Change of Ownership
It is the interests of the owner selling, trading in or otherwise disposing of the vehicle to ensure that the registration documents are sent to Shannon/Local Motor Tax Office as soon as possible after the sale has been completed.
Joint owner details are no longer permitted on the NVDF. A vehicle can only be taxed in the name of one registered owner. all owners of vehcle must be legal entity compliant.
Private Sale
Vehicles registered before 01/01/1993 – ownership changes are dealt with by local Motor Taxation Offices.
Details to be submitted
- RF200 Form completed by both seller & buyer (form available from Motor Taxation Office or Garda Stations). Ensure date of sale is entered otherwise date of sale will be taken as the date the change of ownership form RF200 is received in the Motor Tax Office.
- Registration Book (brown log book)
The form RF200 is a joint statutory declaration completed by the seller and buyer at the time of sale of the vehicle. Parts A and C must be completed by the seller, while part B must be completed by the buyer. Completed Part C can be retained by the buyer until log book is updated & returned by the MTO.
If the brown log book is not available then an RF134 form (application form for replacement documents available from Motor Tax Office or Garda Stations) should be duly signed by the seller and stamped by Gardaí. RF134 to be submitted with the Form RF200 and appropriate fee of €12.00.
Note: If the ownership is being transferred to a motor dealer the registration book is not submitted but the garage should enter their garage code in the appropriate box on the form.
Vehicles registered since 01/01/1993 – ownership changes are dealt with by Vehicle Registration Centre, Shannon, Co. Clare:
Vehicle Licensing Certificate (or Vehicle Registration Certificate in the case of vehicles registered since 28th May 2004) must be completed by both the seller & buyer & sent to the Vehicle Registration Centre, Shannon, Co. Clare. Ensure date of sale is entered otherwise date of sale will be taken as the date the notification is received in Shannon.
A new Vehicle Registration Certificate will then be posted out directly to the new owner.
Motor Tax Offices can only process a change of ownership on a VLC/new VRC when the seller and buyer has fully completed the VLC/VRC and the buyer wants to tax the vehicle at the same time.
Buyer/Seller Unknown
For vehicles registered before 01/01/1993
- Where a buyer cannot contact the seller in order to sign the RF200 form, the application must be completed as much as possible and be accompanied by an Affidavit detailing when he/she became the owner of the vehicle. The Vehicle record will be updated and a free in lieu log book will issue to the new owner.
- Where a seller cannot contact the buyer in order to fully complete the RF200 form, the application must be accompanied by an Affidavit detailing when the vehicle was disposed/sold. The Motor Tax office will update the vehicle record so that no reminders will issue to the seller but the vehicle will still remain in the sellers name.
Affidavit forms can be obtained at any of the Motor Taxation Area offices and should be signed in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths/Practicing Solicitor.
Change of ownership - Person purchases vehicle, previous owner has lost VLC/VRC or person cannot locate previous owner.
For vehicles registered after 01/01/1993
New owner get affidavit completed & sends the form to Shannon directly themselves or take the completed affidavit into the Motor Tax Office who will forward the form to Shannon (there is no necessity for an RF134 form to be completed nor is there a fee involved). Shannon will then update the Computer System with the new owners details and a new Vehicle Registration Certificate will issue to the new owner.
Change of Ownership – Garage
Since August 2008, Garages can use the Online Change of Vehicle Ownership facility to update change of ownership details using the website address www.motortrans.ie
The facility only applies to dealers who have been approved for the submission of details by electronic means. Secure access to the Change of Vehicle Ownership (CVO) online system is granted to Motor Dealers through the use of digital certificates which are provided by the Revenue Commissioners On-line Services (www.ros.ie ). Change of ownership transactions submitted via the CVO system will also be digitally signed in order to guarantee the authenticity and the privacy of the information submitted. Motor dealers who wish to use the online CVO system must register for access.
There are four services available to garages:
- Online vehicle purchases
- Online vehicle sales
- View transactions processed online
- View current vehicles in their ownership.
Under the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 Garages must keep for inspection by the Minister the completed VRC/VLC or Form R.F. 105 signed by both parties for a period of 3 years for transactions processed online. These documents should not be sent to Shannon.
Change of Ownership to a Motor Dealer - Form RF105 is to be used for a change of ownership to a Motor Dealer for a vehicle registered after 01/01/1993.
The ownership is being changed temporarily until the dealer sells the vehicle on. The system does not register the garage as another owner, it just updates the system to enable the new VRC to go to the garage. The RF105 form is sent to Shannon, for processing, who in turn will issue a new VRC in the garage name.
Vehicle not licensed (not currently taxed) when purchased from a Garage
Since September 2005, garages selling vehicles that do not have a current tax disc yet the new owner wishes to tax the vehicle immediately may hand over the duly completed Vehicle Licensing Certificate/New Vehicle Registration to the new owner rather than forwarding same to VRU, Shannon. This will enable the new owner to renew the tax straight away on the vehicle instead of waiting until such time as they receive a new Vehicle Registration document in their name from Shannon. New owner may present the completed registration document with the appropriate tax renewal form & fee to the motor tax office who willl carry out the change of ownership and issue the tax disc.
Garages should note that its only in the case where the vehicle tax disc has expired that they can hand over the completed registration documents to the new owner. At all other times the registration document must be forwarded to Shannon for the change of ownership to be updated as outlined above.
If a garage has bought a car from previous owner, what forms must be produced to get the vehicle into their name?
- For vehicles registered after 01/01/1993 garage sends completed Form RF105 to Shannon.
- If it is a logbook (vehicles registered before 01/01/1993) the garage hold onto the logbook but submits completed RF200 form to the Motor Tax Office. The garage details from RF200 are updated on screen by MTO.
Garage does not have VLC/VRC
- Garage must complete Form RF134, Form RF105 and submit these two forms to the Motor Tax office with the fee of €12.00, the Motor Tax Office will carry out the change of Ownership on the screen to ensure that the replacement VRC does not issue to the previous owner, Shannon will issue VRC to the garage in their name within a few days.
Change of ownership to garage but they don’t know who registered owner was and are looking for Duplicate logbook/Vehicle Licensing Certificate/Vehicle Registration Certificate.
- No VLC/VRC – need to complete RF134 form and affidavit form outlining the reason why they cannot locate previous owner. Fee of €12.00 for replacement documents.
Motor Tax office will process change of ownership, new VRC will issue from Shannon.
- No logbook - need to complete RF134 form and affidavit outlining reason why they cannot locate previous owner, MTO updates garage as owner and issue replacement logbook. Fee of €12.00.
Note: Even though the garage is put on the screen as the owner & the VRC will issue in garages name, the garage is not a recorded owner
Note: A garage can tax a vehicle for three months in their name without having to be recorded as an owner. However if applying to tax the vehicle again the garage has to be entered as an owner - Circular MT 875 applies.
Change of Ownership prior to first taxing of the vehicle.
In the case of a vehicle being sold on but has not been taxed since first registration, the seller sends their RF100 form (form which was got when vehicle was bought new from a garage or from Revenue when imported) to Shannon together with Form RF200 completed and signed by seller and buyer, Shannon will then enter the new owners details on the system and enter the Date of Sale. An amended Form RF100 will issue to the new owner who will be liable for tax only from the Date of Sale and not the Date of Registration as used to be the case.
In the case of a vehicle being sold on but has not been taxed since first registration and seller has lost Form RF100, seller can get a duplicate Form RF100 from the Revenue Commissioners and then proceed as outlined above.
Change of ownership - Registered Owner Deceased
For vehicles registered prior to 01/01/1993
If husband or wife was registered owner but now deceased. MTO will change
vehicle ownership into spouse’s name on production of a death certificate and brown logbook.
For vehicles registered after 01/01/1993
Complete back of VLC/VRC with spouses name, address, enter date of sale and enter spouses signature as buyer and forward the certificate to Shannon with copy of death certificate.
Changing ownership to other relatives or persons.
Legal confirmation of ownership i.e. Solicitors’ letter/letter from the Executor of the will must be submitted along with logbook/VLC before change of ownership can be completed.
Further information can be obtained by contacting your Local Public Service Centre.