Moving to Ireland under COVID-19 restrictions

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Quarantine is a feature of emergency regulations imposed because of COVID, they apply to all, not just ex-pats (or immigrants); further, the Common Travel Area will still exist after Brexit, so assuming you can't move now because of a quarantine requirement to nominate an emergency contact, as UK citizens and regardless of any outcome in the Brexit negotiations, you will still be able to live and work in Ireland after Brexit.

In case you are unaware of the Common Travel Area, this link will take you to an Irish Government website with the details.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi, Cynic

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I'm aware the quarantine applies to all arrivals into Ireland.

I am aware of the CTA agreement and its application to UK citizens. (Although, with the UK dragging its heels on the NI protocol and also being generally terrible and bull-headed in every way, I don't know how much longer this privilege will last.)

The core issue for us in relation to no-deal Brexit is the ability to drive in Ireland (which is crucial to our finding work) as well as needing to bring our UK car which becomes more complicated after December 31st. As you will know, we will be unable to switch our UK licences for Irish licences after December 31st, and we are planning to live in the countryside as we cannot afford city centres. That is the crux, really.

-Victoria

Hi again.

I don't know for definite, but because the Agreement is reciprocal, the same would apply to Irish people moving to the UK and I do know that both Governments hate anything that will make life harder or require any further changes to existing legislation as such things tend to open cans of worms; so, who knows how this will end up, it may be worthwhile asking official Irish government agencies how they propose to proceed on driving licences because nothing has been published.

However, I've just checked the RSA website and it says you have until 31 October 2019 to apply to change your licence; that said, the article is almost a year old and a lot of water will have passed under the regulatory bridge since then.

In the meantime, I hope someone stumbles onto the Forum with a more relevant answer to your original question.

Cynic

Thanks again for swift reply. I can't tell you how nice it is to get replies at this time with so much for us to organise and put in place. Finding it quite difficult to get in touch with people in Ireland atm over a number of things including home rentals. Very tough as that is the cornerstone of all our planning. Not much we can do without securing a place to live!

Anyhow, this from RSA:

'UK/NI driving licences held by residents of Ireland will continue to be valid up to 31 December 2020 (the end of the transition period). As and from the 31 December 2020 a UK licence held by residents of Ireland will no longer be valid to drive here in Ireland. For that reason UK licence holders resident in Ireland should take steps to exchange their licence for an Irish one well in advance of that date.'

https://www.rsa.ie/en/RSA/Brexit/

Thanks again.

-Victoria

Hi again.

I get that, but everything you read at the moment has an element of politics behind it.  At the moment, there is no benefit to either side of this negotiation to make things easier, but the moment the negotiation is over, nobody will care anymore and National issues such as yours and the fact it's a reciprocal issue will push it up the list of "OMG, wtf do we do about this" - especially when it affects some high-brow personality and the Common Travel Area already exists to bolt things onto and is nothing to do with the EU, so will still be there.  In fact, the more I consider it, the fact that citizens of the  Channel Islands and the Isle of Man who are not EU members and are in the CTA have no hassle that I'm aware of if they move to Ireland makes me think this is one of those things which will be sorted for both the British and Irish ex-pats.

I know this doesn't help you, have you spoken to your MP?

Cynic

Hiya,

No, I haven't - I'm sure she has many more important things to deal with at the moment.

Thank you for your replies. We still feel we need to work towards a leave date this year.

-Victoria

Well that's what your MP is there for; your issue is very important and one that potentially affects many UK citizens.

To Tricoloursage,

Just a few bits of info and some links which may be of benefit to you....while I am from Ireland I dont live there now but I return regularly..

On the driving licence issue..the following website. is the National Driving Licence Service website .www.ndls.ie it looks like the 31/12/20 is the cut off point for UK driving licence see below

"FAQ on Brexit and Driving Licences
Q. I live in Ireland and hold a UK/NI driving licence. Can I continue to drive in Ireland after Brexit on
my UK/NI driving licence?
A. With effect from 31 January 2020 the UK is no longer a member of the EU. Under the
arrangements put in place, UK/NI driving licences held by Irish residents will continue to be valid up
to 31 December 2020 – the end of the transition period. As and from this date a UK driving licence
held by Irish residents will no longer be valid to drive here in Ireland. For that reason, UK licence
holders should take steps to exchange their licence for an Irish one.
To exchange your driving licence you must complete a licence application form and present this, the
correct fee and your UK driving licence at any NDLS centre. You can make an appointment online at
www.ndls.ie to attend any of our 36 NDLS centres. We also offer a walk-in-service but be advised
there can be significant wait times for those without appointments. If you do not submit your
original UK/NI licence with your exchange application the NDLS will be unable to validate your
application without significant delays. If you are submitting a Letter of Entitlement in place of a lost
or expired licence you may be required to provide further verification from the DVLA in the UK. The
current average processing time to process a UK/NI exchange (if no further information is required)
is 10 working days.
For further information on how to exchange a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence please click"

As regards general information regarding all aspects of emigrating to Ireland the citizens information site is useful..www.citizensinformation.ie there is a specific section in it about imigrtaing to Ireland..tax, social welfare etc..

On the importation of your car you wont have to pay any VAT or VRT if you have owned the vehicle for 12 months..in another country but you need proof that you were resident in Uk...and that you owned it for 12 months I imported a  car a few years ago from Cyprus..and the procedure is straight forward ..but you need to make sure you have all the proofs required...once its cleared by Revenue..you go to the National Car testing centre (NCT)  check www.nct.ie and they will give you an Irish registration number for your your car..check out www.revenue.ie..and search for vehicle registration Tax (VRT)

A few other useful sites...for property the best one is www.daft.ie  for rentals and buying property...also www.myhome.ie isnt to bad.

Also to find a job,  two of the best ones are https://ie.indeed.com/ or www.jobs.ie..

If your hoping to go to Cork...just to know that it is the biggest county in the country..and it can take up to 2 hours to drive from one end to the other..Cork city is the 2nd biggest city in the country..so rents etc are more expensive here..West Cork is more rural and isolated..but some big towns situated there..and properties are cheaper..

Also one fo the first things you need to do  is get a PPS number when you are offered a job you need to make an appointment online to register ..if you dont have a PPS number they will have you on emergency tax 48% until you get a PPS (although they will refund you when its all sorted out..

Hope this might be some help..

Regards

Jake

PS..

for the Covid 19 self Isolation..you dont need to know anyone..you just need an address where you will be staying for 14 days for the self isolation.. there is a form you complete at the airport..or you can do it online now i think.. see https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/ab900 … ator-form/

J

Thank you for information

Thank you JakeMurphy for your detailed response. I am looking at being in Ireland for 3-6mths with our family (myself, my husband and our three children ages 11, 13, 15). We had been planning on doing this pre-Covid and still wish to do so sometime between September 2020 and January 2021 but I am concerned. Is this even possible or are there restrictions against coming for a long-term stay? Myself and our three children are Irish citizens already and hold passports (although we have never lived in Ireland - the citizenship came through my father, then to me and then to my children). My question is - what difference does holding the citizenship and passport give when looking to come for just a short period of time to Ireland? Must we come with other papers? And would my husband be able to accompany us since we hold citizenship and passports - what type of visa would he need?

Thank you for any advice you can provide. I will also be calling the Irish Embassy in Washington, DC this coming week in hopes of getting many of these answers as well but since I was on this forum I welcome the non-beaucratic, boots on the ground information.

Best,

Maria

Sweet response

Yes Maria

For yourself a d kids there is no problem entering ireland as u have irish passports you dont need any other papers.. Although will need toself isolate for 14 days andalso this may change as the virus gets worseand they couldchsnve therules..

For yourhusbsnd im not to sure. What he needs probably his America passport will allow hi stay up to 3 months but you would need to get clarification on that..
Jake

Hi, Jake

Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. Much appreciated and very helpful.

All best.