How to Change Car Ownership in Ireland: RF200, VRC & Online Steps

Three situations — which applies to you?

Get the situation right before starting, as the wrong form or wrong office will delay the whole transfer. Almost every car on the Irish road today is post-1993, so the VRC Section E / online route applies to the overwhelming majority of private sales.

Post-1993 private sale — the VRC Section E process

This is the standard route for almost every Irish private car sale.

Step 1 — check the VRC is correct

Before signing anything, the buyer should confirm the seller's name and address on the VRC match their ID, and that the registration, VIN, make/model and colour match the car. If anything doesn't match, stop and resolve it before handing over money.

Step 2 — both parties complete and sign Section E

Flip the VRC over. The Change of Ownership section ("Section E" or "RF101") requires:

• Seller's full name, address and signature
• Buyer's full name, full address (including Eircode) and signature
• Date of sale (the date money changes hands)
• PPS number of the buyer (usually required)

Incomplete or illegible details are the #1 cause of rejected transfers. Use block capitals; double-check everything.

Step 3 — seller posts the VRC to Shannon

It's the seller's responsibility to send the VRC — not the buyer's. Don't hand the original to the buyer and trust them to send it; too many sellers have been caught with months of outstanding tolls and FCNs because the buyer never posted the form.

Step 4 — receive the new VRC

The Department of Transport updates the NVDF (typically 2–5 working days after receipt) and posts a new VRC to the buyer. Allow 2–4 weeks end-to-end for An Post delays on both sides.

The online change of ownership service (since September 2024)

The Department of Transport launched a fully online change of ownership service at vehicleservices.gov.ie/cvo in September 2024. It works for private-to-private sales of cars registered after 1 January 1993, and completes the transfer in minutes rather than weeks.

How it works

1. Seller starts the transfer at vehicleservices.gov.ie. Enters the vehicle registration and VRC certificate number, signs in via MyGovID.
2. Seller receives a one-time PIN by email. The PIN is valid for just 30 minutes — forcing a real-time, in-person handover.
3. Seller shares the PIN with the buyer at the point of sale (ideally in person).
4. Buyer completes the transfer by entering the PIN at vehicleservices.gov.ie and signing in with their own MyGovID.
5. NVDF updates immediately — the new keeper is registered in real time, with no posting or motor tax office visit needed.

What you both need

• MyGovID verified accounts for both seller and buyer — can be set up in advance at mygovid.ie
• Vehicle registration number
• VRC certificate number (printed on the VRC)
• Email address for both parties
• Phone with internet for the buyer to enter the PIN promptly

If either party doesn't have MyGovID set up, fall back to the paper VRC Section E route — it still works and remains fully legal.

Pre-1993 or missing VRC — Form RF200

If the car was registered before 1 January 1993, it pre-dates the VRC system and uses the older paper Registration Book (the "brown book"). The transfer paperwork is different.

Form RF200 is also used when:

• The vehicle has never been taxed in Ireland and therefore has no VRC
• The VRC has been lost (alternatively, request a replacement via RF134 first)
• A duplicate/replacement VRC hasn't yet arrived and the sale is proceeding

How the RF200 process works

1. Download RF200 from motortax.ie or pick up at any Motor Tax Office
2. Both buyer and seller complete and sign — names, addresses, signatures, date of sale
3. Attach the original Registration Book (brown book) if the vehicle has one
4. Submit to your local Motor Taxation Office — not Shannon (this is different from the VRC route)
5. Motor Tax Office updates records and issues a new VRC or updated Registration Book

Allow longer than VRC transfers — 3–6 weeks is typical for pre-1993 files, which often require manual record lookup.

Sale to a motor dealer — Form RF105

Different rules apply when you sell your car to a motor dealer or garage rather than a private buyer.

The garage code — the key requirement

Motor dealers must have a Garage Identity Code — a 4–5 digit number issued by the NVDF in Shannon. The code identifies the dealer in Revenue and NVDF records. Without it, the dealer cannot take ownership of your car via RF105 — you would have to follow the standard private-sale route.

Always ask a dealer for their garage code at the point of sale. A legitimate dealer will produce it instantly. A dealer without one is either trading informally, newly established, or not a genuine dealer — in which case, use the standard VRC route or walk away.

The RF105 process

1. Seller brings the VRC to the dealer
2. Both parties complete Form RF105 — dealer fills Part B (dealer details, garage code), seller completes the owner section
3. Seller hands the VRC to the dealer
4. Dealer forwards RF105 + VRC to the Department of Transport in Shannon
5. NVDF is updated — the vehicle is now registered to the dealer's garage code until they sell it on

After the sale — what the buyer & seller should do

Buyer's checklist (day of sale)

1. Confirm insurance is active — on your own policy or via a confirmed policy extension
2. Get a copy of everything — VRC (original, to keep safe while awaiting the new one), service history, current NCT certificate, any recent receipts
3. Photograph the signed VRC or completed online PIN confirmation — as proof of sale date
4. Get the keys and any spares
5. Plan to tax the vehicle as soon as the new VRC arrives — see our motor tax guide

Seller's checklist (day of sale)

1. Send the VRC or complete the online transfer immediately — every day of delay is a day of potential liability for fines on the registration
2. Cancel or transfer motor tax — contact motortax.ie or your Motor Tax Office
3. Cancel or reduce insurance — contact your insurer with the sale date; request a NCB Certificate (see our NCB guide)
4. Keep a photo/copy of the signed VRC or RF105 with date — filed safely for at least 12 months
5. Check NVDF status via motortax.ie after 4 weeks to confirm the change has been processed

Seller liability — the trap that costs unwary sellers

Real-world examples

• Seller hands over VRC; buyer puts it in the glovebox and forgets. Two months later, the seller gets an M50 Penalty Notice for €128 from a journey that wasn't theirs.
• Seller relies on buyer to post the VRC to Shannon. Buyer never does. Seller receives a court summons for unpaid motor tax accumulated on "their" vehicle.
• Seller sells a car but keeps their insurance active for a week "just in case." A collision involving the new driver is attributed to the seller until the NVDF reflects the change.

How to protect yourself

1. Use the online service — real-time NVDF update closes the liability window immediately
2. If using paper, send the VRC yourself by registered post on the day of sale — not via the buyer
3. Photograph everything — signed VRC, RF105, PIN confirmation email, whatever evidence documents the sale
4. Check NVDF status within 3–4 weeks via motortax.ie — if it still shows you, follow up directly with the Department of Transport on 0818 411 411

Common mistakes to avoid

• Not fully completing Section E — missing dates, missing Eircode, illegible signatures. The Department will reject and the transfer stalls.
• Relying on the buyer to post the VRC — too many sellers have been caught by this. Post it yourself.
• Not keeping a copy or photo — if anything goes wrong, you have no evidence of the sale date.
• Using the wrong form — RF200 for post-1993 private cars (wrong), VRC Section E for pre-1993 cars (wrong — need RF200), or RF105 without a garage code (wrong — use VRC Section E instead).
• Forgetting to check the NVDF updated — log in to motortax.ie after 3–4 weeks and confirm.
• Not cancelling motor tax / insurance — you can reclaim unused months of tax only in specific circumstances, but insurance refunds are routine.
• Forgetting the NCB Certificate — cancel insurance without requesting NCB proof and your bonus may not transfer cleanly to your next policy.

Processing times — what to expect

If you need to confirm a transfer's progress, call Driver and Vehicle Computer Services in Shannon on 0818 411 411 (or check indirectly via motortax.ie, where the keeper name is reflected in motor tax status).

Frequently asked questions