How to change the registered owner of a car in Ireland

Here’s everything need to know about changing ownership of a vehicle, from its previous owner to a new one, in Ireland.

Who is responsible for transferring the ownership?

Both the new owner and the seller, but there’s a cut-off date to bear in mind – and it’s January 1, 1993. Any car registered before this date has to go through one process of paperwork and after it, another.

So, for pre-1993 cars, the seller needs to fill in form RF200 and send both parts A and B to your local Motor Taxation Office, along with the vehicle’s Registration Book if they’ve sold it to a private buyer. If they’ve sold the car to a dealership, they give the Registration Book to the dealer and simply send in form RF200. The new owner, meanwhile, should keep Part C of form RF200, whether this is a private individual or a dealer.

For any cars registered on January 1, 1993, and onwards, the change of ownership must be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division (DVCSD) of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Again, there’s another date you need to consider here, which is April 1, 2004. For cars registered between January 1, 1993, and April 1, 2004, and if you’re selling the car to a dealer, you’ll need a different form (RF105) and this should be available at the dealership itself. Complete this and send it to the DVCSD; that’s all you need to do. In the case of selling a car from this period to a private individual, you will need the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) and the Vehicle Licensing Certificate (VLC). Complete the ‘New Owner Details’ section of the VLC and return it to the DVCSD, and give the VRC to the new owner to keep. Returning briefly to the circumstance of selling the car to a dealer, in that instance both the VRC and VLC are given to the dealer, with form RF105 being the seller’s responsibility.

When it comes to any cars registered after April 1, 2004, a new, combined Vehicle Registration Certificate replaced the old VRC and VLC. Again, the ‘New Owner Details’ section of the post-April 1, 2004 VRC must be filled in and sent to the DVCSD if you’ve sold the car to a private buyer, or to the motor dealer for a trade sale.