On the day you buy, the change of ownership is recorded, the Vehicle Registration Certificate goes off to be reissued in your name, and you tax the car yourself once that goes through. Who does the recording depends on the seller. Dealers send the notification for you. In a private sale you and the seller do it together, and since the online service arrived that can be done in real time from a phone.
Who records the change of ownership?
It depends on who is selling. When a dealer sells you a car, the dealer looks after the notification and the new certificate is posted to you as the registered owner. When a private seller sells you a car, the two of you complete the change of ownership together. Citizens Information's page on change of vehicle ownership sets out both routes, and it is the page to read the night before you collect the car.
The certificate itself matters here. Whoever is selling must have the original Vehicle Registration Certificate, the logbook, and on the paper route both of you sign the change of ownership section on it. Without that document there is no transfer to record, so ask to see it before you agree anything.
How does the online change of ownership work?
Since the Department of Transport launched its online transfer service, private owners can transfer a car to another private owner entirely online. Their Online Change of Vehicle Ownership service records the transfer in real time between the two parties, and it lets the buyer check key details of the car before taking ownership. Motor Tax Online describes the same process and still covers the paper route, including the older form used for cars registered before the current certificate system.
This online route is for private owners. Dealer sales run through the dealer's own notification, so if you are buying from a dealer you will not need to use it. Either way, keep a note of the date the change was recorded, because that is the date your ownership runs from.
Can you drive it home on the old owner's tax?
Do not rely on it. Driving an untaxed car on a public road is an offence, and the driver answers for it, not the person who sold the car. Check the tax status yourself on the free government vehicle check before you collect it. If the car is untaxed, or the disc is close to expiry, tax it in your own name before you set out on any distance. Motor Tax Online lets a new owner tax a car once the change of ownership has been processed and the PIN has arrived.
Plan for it. Collect the car, record the change, then tax it. A buyer who does those three things in that order has nothing to explain at a checkpoint on the way home.
What do you need to have with you?
Bring photo ID and proof of your address, because the certificate will be posted to the address on the record. Bring the details the online service asks for if you are using it, which means your own MyGovID login and the car's registration number. Have the money side settled before the paperwork starts, and have a receipt written up with the registration, the price paid, the date and both names on it.
On the seller's side, the original certificate is the one thing that cannot be missing. A seller who says the logbook is lost has to apply for a replacement before the sale can be recorded properly, and that is their job, not yours. Wait for it.
What if you are trading in your old car at the same time?
Your trade-in is recorded as a separate change of ownership, this time from you to the dealer. You sign the section that notifies the sale to a motor dealer, the dealer sends it in, and from that point the old car is no longer your responsibility. Keep a copy of what you signed. If you are selling your car outright rather than trading it, the same notification applies, and it matters more, because a car still recorded in your name is your problem if it picks up a fine.
For the car you are buying, the process runs as above. On a everyday car or a premium one, the paperwork is the same and the order is the same. Certificate checked, change recorded, tax paid, then drive.
Questions buyers ask
Can I drive a car without tax if I just bought it in Ireland?
Tax does not travel with the car to its new owner, and an untaxed car on a public road is an offence no matter how recent the sale. Check the tax status on the free government vehicle check before you collect, and tax it in your own name once the change of ownership has been processed. Doing it on the day is the safe habit.
Can I change the ownership of my car online in Ireland?
Private owners can transfer a car to another private owner through the Online Change of Vehicle Ownership service, which records the transfer in real time. Both parties take part, and the buyer can check key vehicle details before accepting. Sales involving a dealer go through the dealer's own notification instead.
How long does it take for a change of ownership?
Online, the transfer is recorded straight away, and the new certificate then follows in the post. Paper takes longer because the signed certificate has to travel and be processed. Either way, ask the seller which route was used and keep a note of the date it was recorded.
What do I need to change ownership online?
Both parties need their own MyGovID login, the car's registration number and the details from the current Vehicle Registration Certificate. The seller starts the transfer and the buyer confirms it. Have the money side finished first, because once the transfer is recorded the car is yours.
Buying in Clonakilty and want the paperwork done right?
Ring or WhatsApp RS Motors on 086 800 0001, Monday to Saturday 9am to 8pm, and ask how the change of ownership and the tax will be handled on the day you collect. A trade-in can be valued at the same time, so the two changes of ownership happen together and you drive home in a car that is yours on paper as well as in fact.
