Mutual Recognition of EU Certificates

If you’re the registered owner of an imported second-hand commercial vehicle from another EU Member State and the vehicle has a current valid out-of-state roadworthiness certificate at the time the vehicle was registered in Ireland, since May 20 2018 you can have the unexpired portion of the certificate recognised by exchanging the certificate for an Irish-issued EU recognition certificate. However, the EU Member State roadworthiness certificate must still be valid under Irish legal testing rules.

Roadworthiness certificates for commercial vehicles are recognised through the RSA, as we are the competent authority for commercial vehicle testing in Ireland.

NOTE: THAT CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY TESTING AUTHORITIES OUTSIDE THE STATE IN RESPECT OF VEHICLES WHICH ARE ALREADY REGISTERED HERE AND THEREFORE ARE NOT BEING IMPORTED WILL NOT BE RECOGNISED AND INSTEAD MUST BE TESTED AT A CVR TESTING CENTRE.

How to exchange an EU Member State roadworthiness certificate for an Irish-issued EU recognition certificate.

Download a roadworthiness certificate recognition application form (PDF)
Complete the form and attach the original or a certified true copy of your out-of-state roadworthiness certificate.
Post the completed form and attached certificate to: Roadworthiness Certificate Recognition, CVRT Admin Section, Road Safety Authority, Clonfert House, Bride Street, Loughrea, Co Galway.

You cannot apply online for the recognition certificate, as the original or certified true copy of the out-of-state roadworthiness certificate must be included with the application.

What if I don’t have a copy of the out-of-state roadworthiness certificate?

We can’t process an application for a roadworthiness recognition certificate without the original or certified true copy of the out-of-state roadworthiness certificate. If you don’t have a copy, you should contact the seller of the vehicle and ask them to send the original out-of-state certificate to you.

Processing your application

When we receive your application we will:

review it to ensure it’s complete
check that your out-of-state roadworthiness certificate is valid
review the duration of your out-of-state roadworthiness certificate to ensure it’s valid based on Irish testing rules and CRW durations.

If your application does not meet any of the criteria listed above, we’ll return it to you outlining the reasons why your application was unsuccessful.

If your application is successful, we’ll send an Irish EU recognition certificate by post to the current registered owner of the vehicle.

About your EU recognition certificate

Your EU recognition certificate has a detachable disc that you are legally obliged to display on your vehicle as evidence that the EU roadworthiness certificate for the vehicle concerned has been recognised in Ireland. The disc must be displayed on the windscreen of the vehicle, or in the case of a goods trailer as close as possible to the registration plate or where it can be easily inspected.

When you receive your certificate you should also note its expiry date, as this is now your vehicle test due date. You will be required to present your vehicle for its first roadworthiness test in Ireland on or before this date.

See below for an example of what an EU recognition certificate looks like.

It is important to note that an EU recognition certificate is not the same as a CRW. A recognition certificate is simply a certificate which recognises the unexpired portion of a roadworthiness certificate from another member state. It means that your vehicle’s roadworthiness test was conducted in the EU member state from which it was imported and not by an authorised commercial vehicle testing centre in Ireland.

A CRW or an EU recognition certificate should never be regarded as a warranty for your vehicle. Therefore, should you be considering purchasing a used commercial vehicle, either in Ireland or from another EU member state, you should have it independently checked by a qualified mechanic before you purchase it. This should provide some assurance that it is roadworthy at the time of purchase.

Sample EU recognition certificate

Brexit and EU Recognition Certificates

While the UK will no longer participate in any of the European institutions, EU law will continue to apply to the UK until the end of what is known as the transition period.

During this transition period, the EU and the UK will engage in negotiations to determine their future relationship.

Vehicle owners importing and re-registering commercial vehicles in the State will still be able to apply for the recognition of the out of state certificate of roadworthiness for the duration of the transition period, which unless extended is due to end 31 December 2020

Queries or questions

If you have any queries about EU recognition certificates, please contact us:

CVRT Admin Section

Tel: 091 872600

Email: cvrtadmin@rsa.ie