Renew your motor tax at www.motortax.ie

Did you know you can now renew your motor tax 24 hours a day, 7 days a week over the internet?

To complete your motor tax renewal on-line you will need:

• Credit card or debit card
• Your motor insurance details
• Your PIN number - this is printed on the renewal form sent to you by post or may be optained by clicking the "PIN Retrieval" button on www.motortax.ie.  Your PIN number is the last six digits of your Vehicle Registration Certificate Number, this number begins with C and is printed on the front cover, top right hand corner.

Logon to www.motortax.ie

Queries telephone: 0818 411 412

Renewing online

Renewing your motor tax online is straightforward. The process is broken down into a series of easy to understand steps. After you login using the PIN printed on your renewal/reminder form, you will be asked to:

• Confirm details of your vehicle - they will be displayed on the screen for you
• Confirm your name and address - again, these will be shown on screen but they can be changed if necessary
• Enter your vehicle insurance details
• Select the period of taxation
• Enter your card details for payment

Your motor tax disc will be posted to you within five working days. You can track the issue of your disc by clicking on the "Track Disc Issue" link on the homepage.

Renewing in your local Motor Tax office

You will need:

• RF 100B (computerised reminder issued by Vehicle Registration Centre, Shannon) or Motor Tax Renewal Form (RF100A) available from motor taxation offices, or www.motortax.ie.
• Your insurance company name, expiry date of policy and insurance policy number.
• Fee
• Goods vehicles may require a Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test. Further information may be obtained from the Road Safety Authority on www.rsa.ie. 

Motor Tax office locations

	Address	Email	Phone
Mullingar	Áras An Chontae, Mount Street, Mullingar, N91 FH4N	motortaxhq@westmeathcoco.ie	044-9332182
Athlone	Civic Centre, Church Street, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 P2T5	motortaxhq@westmeathcoco.ie	090-6442187

The current rates are available below:

• Motor tax rates

Vehicles exempt from liability to pay vehicle Motor Tax

The following vehicles are exempt from liability to pay vehicle motor tax:

1. State-owned vehicles
2. Diplomatic vehicles
3. Vehicles exempted under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations, 1994 (S.I. 353 of 1994)
4. Vehicles (including any cycle with an attachment for propelling it by mechanical power) not exceeding 400 kilograms in weight unladen adapted and used for invalids
5. Vehicles which are used exclusively for the transport (whether by carriage or traction) of lifeboats and their gear or any equipment for affording assistance towards the preservation of life and property in cases of ship-wreck and distress at sea
6. Vehicles which are used exclusively for mountain and cave rescue purposes
7. Vehicles which are used exclusively for underwater search and recovery purposes
8. Vehicles which are used exclusively for the transport (whether by carriage or traction) of road construction machinery which is built in as part of such vehicle or otherwise permanently attached thereto, carries no load except articles or materials used for the purpose of the road construction machinery and is used for no purpose other than the construction or repair of roads
9. Refuse carts, sweeping machines or watering machines used exclusively for cleansing public streets and roads
10. Ambulances, road-rollers or fire engines
11. Vehicles kept by a local authority and used exclusively for the purpose of their fire brigade service

Applying to tax a goods vehicle in your name for the 1st time at the goods rate where the design gross vehicle weight does not exceed 3,500kg

Tax a vehicle - company, self employed or a sole trader

Goods Only Declaration RF111A You must complete this Declaration at a Garda Station if you are taxing the vehicle at the goods rate and the design gross vehicle weight of the vehicle does not exceed 3,500 kg. This applies to taxing a goods vehicle for the first time, on change of ownership or change of taxation class to goods.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION;

When submitting a "Goods Only" Declaration form RF111A you must also submit your original motor insurance certificate. The ‘limitations to use’ on this certificate must include ‘carriage of goods or burden in the course of trade or business’ condition.

To tax the vehicle you may also require the following:

•    Certificate of Roadworthiness is required if your vehicle is 1 year old or more.

•    Weight Docket - On the first time taxing of a Light goods vehicle you may be required to produce a weight docket.  Please contact us to determine whether you need to submit a weight docket.
            motortaxhq@westmeathcoco.ie or 044-9332015

Weight dockets can only be accepted from one of the approved and appointed weighbridges listed below:

• Flynns, The Downs, Mullingar - 044 9376100
• Mulleady's Ltd, Unit 16/17 Mullingar Business Park, Mullingar - 044 9347177
• Hammond Lane Metal Company, Garrycastle, Athlone - 09064 73366
• Chris Lynch Waste Management Ltd, Zone C, Mullingar Business park, Mullingar, Co Westmeath (044) 933 9544
• Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Maintenance Depot, Junction 2, M6, Kinnegad Co Westmeath
• Or approved weighbridges in other Counties

If the application concerns tax class change to the goods carrying rate, the submission of the VRC will be required.

Please note if a vehicle is used in any private capacity i.e. social, pleasure or domestic purposes, it must be taxed at the private rate.

 

Application for refunds of motor tax can be made to the Mullingar Motor Tax Office, on Form RF120 [PDF, 69KB], in circumstances when:

• The vehicle has been scrapped/destroyed or sent permanently out of the state.
• The vehicle has been stolen and has not been recovered by the owner.
• A vehicle in respect of which a tax disc has been taken out, has not been used in a public place at any time since the issue of the disc.
• The owner of the vehicle has ceased because of illness, injury or other physical disability, to use the vehicle.
• The owner of the vehicle has ceased because of absence from the state for business or educational purposes, to use the vehicle.
• The owner of the vehicle has ceased because of service overseas with the Irish Defence Forces, to use the vehicle.

Applicants for a refund of vehicle licence must be the registered owner of the vehicle. Applicants must surrender the relevant tax disc immediately as refunds are generally calculated from the first of the month following the surrender of the disc. A minimum of three unexpired whole calendar months must be left on the disc when surrendered, no matter the reason for the refund.  Supplementary evidence such as the following is required, depending on the circumstances:

• A certification of destruction from an authorised treatment facility.
• Garda confirmation of theft.
• Export confirmation document.
• Medical certificate for entire remaining period of disc.
• College,employer or Defence forces confirmation of absence from the state.

Application form

Application forms are available from the Motor Taxation office or they may be downloaded below:

• Refund of Motor Tax Form - RF120 [PDF, 69KB]

If your vehicle is not going to be in use, and will not be kept in a public place, you will be able to declare it off the road by completing the RF150 Form [PDF, 191KB] and submitting it to your local motor tax office. The form is available from your local motor tax office, Garda Station, Library or Citizens Information Centre. If can also be downloaded below.

Alternatively, you can declare your vehicle off the road at Motor Tax Online website using the PIN issued to you with your renewal notice.

• Declaring a vehicle off the Road (RF150) Form [PDF, 191KB]

If my vehicle is not in use, when do I need to declare it off the road?

You must make your off the road declaration in advance.The declaration must be made in the month of expiry of your current motor tax disc. All correctly completed applications will receive confirmation of their transaction, either by post or on the spot if the declaration is submitted in person at your local motor tax office.

Do I have to get it witnessed at a Garda Station?

No, there is no requirement to have the form witnessed at a Garda Station.

How long can I declare the vehicle off the road for?

The minimum period is three calendar months, the maximum is twelve calendar months i.e. you cannot declare a vehicle off the road for either one or two months. The declaration must be for full calendar months, starting on the first day of a month and ending on the last day of a month.

What do I do if I want to keep the vehicle off for longer?

In the month before the end of the period specified in your first declaration, you can make a new declaration for between a further three and 12 months. This can be repeated for as long as you intend to keep the vehicle off the road.

What if I want to put the vehicle back on the road before the period specified in the declaration expires?

You can cancel the declaration at any time by renewing your tax in your local motor tax office – the validity of the tax disc will commence from the first day of the month in which you tax the vehicle.

What if I sell the car before the expiry of the declaration?

The declaration will be cancelled automatically as and from the date of sale.

Changing ownership of a vehicle can be done in the motor tax office only if the new owner is taxing the vehicle.

Ownership changes are done via the seller and buyer signing the back of the vehicle  registration certificate.

To change the ownership of a vehicle please send the vehicle registration certificate signed by the vendor and the buyer,including the date of sale to the Department of Transport, Shannon Town Centre, Co. Clare.  Lo-Call 1890-411412):

• If sold privately, complete part b of the vehicle licensing certificate or the registration certificate for post-April 2004 vehicles.
• If sold to a motor dealer, give your dealer the vehicle licensing certificate or registration certificate and complete form RF105, supplied by your dealer.

If any of the following documents have been lost, stolen or destroyed, an RF134 form [PDF, 85KB]must be completed at your local Garda station and submitted to the Mullingar or Athlone motor taxation offices with the relevant fee below.

• Log Book (Brown) : €12.00
• Vehicle Registration Certificate : €12.00
• Tax Disc : €6.00
• Trailer Licence Card : €6.00

Vehicle registration certificates are posted directly to you from the Department of Transport, Shannon, Co. Clare, and take  between 7 and 10 days to issue.   

All other replacement documents issue from Mullingar or Athlone motor taxation offices. Cheques for the above listed replacement documents should be made payable to Westmeath County Council Motor Taxation and the telephone and vehicle registration number should be written on the back of the cheque.

For lost NCT certificates, see www.ncts.ie

For lost certificates of roadworthiness, see www.cvrt.ie

For lost driving licences, see www.rsa.ie or www.ndls.ie

• Application for Replacement Document (RF134 form) [PDF, 85KB]

Trade plates are special registration plates obtainable only by motor traders. The uses of these plates by motor traders are restricted to prescribed uses in connection with the motor trade. They are issued for a period of one calendar year.

The fees for Trade Plates are €353 for a pair of plates (€86 replacement)

To apply for a trade plate, you will need:

1. Trade Plate Application Form RF700 fully completed
2. Garage Code or Motor Dealer Identity Number must be given - this code is obtained from the Department of Transport by the motor trader
3. VAT number or RSI number (whichever is applicable)
4. Rate account number or planning permission number and date permission granted, i.e. evidence of valuation for rating purposes of the applicant's premises or, if the premises are new and not yet valued, evidence of Planning Permission.
5. Application must be accompanied by motor trader insurance policy.
6. The previous year's plate(s) must be returned before the current year's plate can be issued

Please note that applications for vehicle conversions cannot be processed at the motor taxation public counter. In this regard, you can post in your application or alternatively present at the motor taxation public counter and submit your application for assessment. Assessment of conversion applications can take several days.

It should also be noted that a Declaration of Conversion completed by an Approved Test Centre and/or a Suitably Qualified Individual or a letter received from the Revenue Commissioners regarding V.R.T. liability does not mean that the Licensing Authority will be in a position to process the conversion.

The Licensing Authority will not process an application for a Conversion of a Vehicle where no conversion of the vehicle has occurred, e.g. a vehicle changing EU Code from M1 to N1 with no other alteration to the vehicle. EU Category N1 vehicles must have a goods carrying capacity equal to or higher than the person carrying capacity.