Policy information
Motor Tax and Vehicle Ownership (NVDF)
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The National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) is a database containing details of all 2.9 million registered vehicles and their owners as well as the 3.3 million licensed drivers in the country.
The system which is maintained and supported by the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division of the Department of Transport, located in Shannon, Co. Clare, is central to the processing of motor tax and driving licence business through which in excess of €1 billion is collected annually. The National Vehicle and Driver File also fulfills legal obligations in relation to the national driver and vehicle registers.
The National Vehicle and Driver File supports motor tax and driving licence services for all users across in motor tax offices and other outlets throughout the country, the internet based Motor Tax Services and and at Shannon where data processing of change of vehicle ownership notices takes place.
Motor tax can be renewed online for most cars through the online service at www.motortax.ie ; or at your local motor tax office in person or by post.
Taxing Your Vehicle Online
The Online Motor Tax (OMT) service enables vehicle owners to pay their motor tax by secure link over the internet thus avoiding attendance at local motor tax offices or making application by post. The site includes customer supporting information, including:
• details of what is required for online taxing,
• a list of vehicles that can be taxed online, including how commercial vehicles can be taxed,
• a list of vehicles that can be taxed online for the first time
• what and where to get the Personal Identification No. (PIN) to enable online taxing,
• details of when the vehicle owner is liable for motor tax,
• how motor tax is charged,
• how to get a replacement tax disc when the original is lost or misplaced
• how to process a motor tax refund
• current motor tax rates, and how they are applied
• motor tax forms
If taxing a brand new or imported vehicle for the first time the online PIN will be the last six characters of the vehicle chassis (VIN)
The Online Motor Tax system is managed by the Driver and Vehicle Computer Services Division of this Department.
Their contact details are as follows:
Taxing Your Vehicle at your local Motor Tax Office
You can also tax your vehicle at your local motor tax office, in person or by post.
For the first taxing of a new or imported vehicle with your local Motor Tax Office local Motor Tax Office the following will be required:
• Application form RF100 (from motor dealer)
For the first taxing of vehicles such as commercial, public service vehicles (buses/taxis/hackneys), motor caravans, mobile machines, recovery, school bus, Island vehicles, you will need to contact your local Motor Tax Office in relation to what supporting documentation you may require, or visit their website for more details.
For renewal of motor tax with your local Motor Tax Office the following will be required:
• Application form RF100B (computerised reminder form) or RF100A.
For renewal of motor tax (where no change of ownership has taken place) for vehicles such as public service vehicles (buses/taxis/hackneys), school bus, Island vehicle, you will need to contact your local Motor Tax Office in relation to what supporting documentation you may require, or visit their website for more details
Private (non-trade) vehicle owners can now transfer vehicle registration to another private owner online. The Online Change of Vehicle Ownership service can be accessed here or via www.motortax.ie ( www.motarchain.ie as gaeilge). The online system eliminates the need for citizens to post their Vehicle Registration Certificate to the Department of Transport’s offices in Shannon or visit a motor tax office.
The service also allows buyers to check key vehicle details against the vehicle register, such as its make/model, colour, motor tax status, test status, number of previous owners; and if the vehicle was imported or not. This enables the buyer to get accurate and real-time information about the vehicle before completing the purchase.
The service puts the notification of the ownership change entirely in the hands of the seller and buyer of the vehicle; and will save them time and money in posting in the details. The sharing of real-time data benefits both the seller and the buyer at the point of sale; the seller can be satisfied that the vehicle is no longer recorded in their name and that they have no further legal obligations with regard to it, while the buyer has confirmation that they are now the recorded owner of the vehicle on the National Driver and Vehicle File. The whole process can be done in a few minutes.
How does the system work?
• The seller begins the process by entering their vehicle registration and vehicle registration certificate number.
• Once this matches the record on the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF), proving that they are the recorded vehicle owner, a one-time transfer PIN is emailed to the email address recorded on the NVDF for that owner.
• The seller then shares this with the buyer.
• The buyer enters this code and logs in via their verified MyGovId to complete the transaction.
• The buyer is presented with a declaration confirming that they are taking ownership of the vehicle and their legal obligations.
• Ownership of the vehicle is transferred to the buyer and a new Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) will be posted to the new owner’s address.
• The date of sale recorded will be the date the transaction was processed online
The transfer PIN currently has a time limit of 30 minutes to encourage real-time updating.
The Department also has an online service which enables approved dealers notify vehicle ownership changes to the NVDF over the internet at www.motortrans.ie .The online facility can only be used by dealers who have been approved by the Department for the submission of details by electronic means. The website contains instructions for dealers to register to use the service.
The law requires that all changes of vehicle ownership must be notified to the Department of Transport and the changes recorded on the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF). It is important that the ownership and address details are up to date at all times and that changes are notified promptly.
There are obligations on both the sellers and buyers of vehicles to comply with the procedures for notification of vehicle ownership and there are penalties, upon conviction, for non-compliance. The onus is on the seller to ensure that the necessary documentation relating to a change of ownership is completed. A registered owner must be recorded against each vehicle and in the event of failure to establish the correct credentials of a new owner the seller’s name remains on record. That person remains liable for any charges which arise in relation to the vehicle including motor tax and any penalties which may be incurred (parking, traffic violations and so on).
The procedures for notifying a vehicle ownership change can be found here.
Vehicle owners are required to declare their vehicle off the road in advance, online at www.motortax.ie or manually by completing Form RF150 and sending to their local motor tax office.
Further details of the process are available here or from your local Motor Tax Office .
Insurers provide details of written-off vehicles and the NVDF is updated with these particulars.
Where written off instances are noted on the NVDF it results in the affected vehicles on the system being generally ‘locked down’ so that no further activity such as changes of vehicle ownership or renewal of motor tax can be recorded.
‘Write offs’ generally refer to vehicles that have been extensively damaged and designated by insurers as being totally or substantially destroyed.
The Waste Management (End of Life Vehicles) Regulations 2006 as ameded provide for the implementation in Ireland of Directive 2000/53/EC on end of life vehicles. The Regulations introduced new environmental standards to ensure that materials are recovered and recycled in a way that does not harm the environment.
In the event of the destruction of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (less than 3,500 kg gross vehicle weight), the vehicle registration certificate/licensing certificate must be surrendered to an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) when the vehicle is being deposited for destruction. An ATF is a facility where the collection and storage and treatment of ELV’s may take place. Details of ATF’s can be got from each local authority. Vehicles can be deposited free-of-charge at an ATF.
A Certificate of Destruction (COD) is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle. The COD is a declaration that the vehicle to which it relates will be destroyed in accordance with the requirements of the regulations and that the specified information on that certificate will be noted on the NVDF.
When a COD has issued for a vehicle, the vehicle cannot be subsequently taxed or used in a public place and the relevant record on the NVDF is ‘locked down’ and no further activity can be recorded.
Vehicle Safety Recalls
Motor vehicles are legally required to be manufactured in such a way as to be sufficiently safe and environmentally acceptable for road use. This is achieved in Europe by the European wide system of approval, known as Type Approval which is essentially a series of stringent tests that a vehicle, or part of a vehicle (e.g. its brakes), must pass before it is allowed use on a public road.
When a vehicle is subject to a recall manufacturers endeavour to contact all registered owners with the assistance of data from the department’s National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF).
Further details on vehicle recalls are available from the Road Safety Authority
The legal provisions covering Penalty Points requires that the relevant driving licence records on the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) are noted with Penalty Points details. However, responsibility for the administration of penalty points is a matter for the Road Safety Authority and enquiries in relation to such notices should be directed to the Authority.
Section 60 of the Finance Act (No. 13 of 1993) as amended provides for access to NVDF data by government departments, and licensing (motor tax) authorities in Ireland and other member states of the EU, the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Síochána and such other persons as may be prescribed in regulations (most recently S.I. No. 287 of 2015 and S.I. No. 179 of 2017 as amended) by the Minister for Transport. Other recipients obtain NVDF data through their own specific legislative frameworks. There are also arrangements in place to supply non-personal vehicle data under agreement to a number of recipients who provide commercial services around vehicle identity checks to the general public.
Recipients of NVDF data include:
• E-flow, who administer toll charges on the m50. Enquiries concerning eflow, barrier free tolling or toll charges should be made to 1890 501050. Further information can also be found here .
• Applus+ who operate the national car testing service. All matters relating to the administration and day-to-day operation of the car testing service including the issuing of test reminders is a matter for applus+. Enquiries about booking a national car test should be made to 1890 412413. Further information can also be got at here .
The National Vehicle Driver File (NVDF) is the system of record for all vehicle records and driver records in the state.
Vehicle Records
Vehicle records include vehicle owner records and motor tax records. Vehicle record data is collected via the following existing methods
Driver Records
Driver records include driver licence and learner permit information, personal driver data and road traffic endorsements such as penalty point offences and driver disqualifications. Driver record data is collected via the following methods:
NVDF Data is provided to approved third parties according to Section 60(3) of the Finance Act 1993, as amended, and the NVDF Access Regulations made thereunder, S.I. No. 287/2015 - National Vehicle and Driver File (Access) (No. 2) Regulations 2015, as amended.
NVDF Data is also provided to approved third parties under the following provisions:
The department's data protection policy has been updated in line with the General Data Protection Regulations. There are downloadable privacy notices available for every motor tax form and for every trailer licence form.
1. Requests for access to NVDF data should be sent to transportdata@transport.gov.ie .
2. When DoT receives a request for data sharing for the NVDF, a form is sent to the requestor asking for details of the fields required and for the legal basis (if personal/sensitive data).
3. DoT will check if the requested data is available. If not, the requester is informed and the process ends.
4. If the data is available and is classified as open or non-personal data, the requester is directed towards published open data or is provided with the data.
5. If the requested data is personal or sensitive then DoT will verify the legal basis provided
6. If there is no legislative basis for the data then the requestor may discuss other options or DSGA if they wish, but the process ends here and a new process can begin.
7. If there is a legislative basis, then DoT will then deliberate on whether the data is appropriate to be provided.
8. If appropriate, the requestor will be asked to provide a detailed DPIA which DoT data governance board and DPU will consider.
9. No data will be provided until the legal basis and DPIA have been signed off by the DoT data governance board.
10. If after reviewing the form, access to the data can be granted, then a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) is drafted and agreed.
It is the policy of the Data and Analytics Division (DAAD) to apply Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) methods to any data to be published.
SDC will be applied to data prior to publishing when the following risks are determined to be in effect:
The policy of the DAAD will be to obfuscate individual cells with value < 3, and apply secondary confidentiality where necessary to prevent disclosure risk. However, to avoid the need for obfuscation and minimise the informational loss, the DAAD will first attempt to aggregate fields in a logical and consistent manner while maintaining the informational content of the data.
For more information on SDC and SDC policy best practice, we refer to the CSO guidelines on Statistical Disclosure Control available here .