SORN New Rule

v1-nidirect-white-logoBack in December 2013 we featured an article on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).

You would need to SORN your bike in the case of not renewing your vehicle licence Tax Disc – VED, because you are taking the vehicle off the road – by law you must notify DVLNI.

Every vehicle in Northern Ireland must either be taxed or have a SORN Declaration in force, SORN applies to all tax classes including historic and disabled vehicles.

At that time the ni direct government services website included the information, as per the legislation, that SORN needed to be completed/renewed, “every 12 months if you continue to keep your vehicle off the road” .

In 2011 the DfT (Department for Transport) in GB announced that, “Drivers are to be released from reams of red tape currently required by government.” part of that announcement included, “Improving the regulation surrounding the notification process for vehicles that are not in use on the road (Statutory Off Road Notification or SORN) – once drivers have notified the DVLA that their vehicle is SORN, they will no longer have the burden of annual SORN renewal.”

In other words when you SORN a vehicle you would no longer have to “renew” SORN every year, you will only have to unSORN a vehicle if you put it back on the road.

We assumed then, that when the new SORN rule was introduced in GB that it would also be applicable in Northern Ireland.

We wrote to the Northern Ireland Minister about this and other issues and the reply we received from the Chief Executive, Paul Duffy, of the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) confirms that the “new” SORN rule applies in Northern Ireland.

SORN New Rule

The legislation that introduced indefinite SORN is UK-wide – when you SORN a vehicle you will no longer have to “renew” SORN every year, you will only have to unSORN a vehicle if you put it back on the road.

The legislation came into effect in Northern Ireland on 16th December 2013.

From that date, the requirement for a vehicle keeper to renew a SORN every year was removed.

This change applies to all SORN declarations that were still valid on 16th December 2013 and to any new SORN declarations made after that date.

When SORN is needed

Make a SORN:

  • if your vehicle is being kept off the road due to repair or MOT failure or isn’t being used
  • if you’re not renewing your tax disc and you’re keeping the vehicle off-road
  • if you’re applying for a refund and keeping the vehicle off the road
  • in advance if your vehicle is to be kept off the road in Northern Ireland when you’re abroad
  • if you buy an untaxed vehicle and do not tax it

SORN applies to all tax classes including historic and disabled vehicles. You can make a SORN from the fifth day of the month in which the current tax disc or SORN is due to expire. SORN cannot be backdated.
SORN And Untaxed Vehicles – nidirect government services – Click Here

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  1. Brian Small says

    I need to drive a car shortly which has been SORNd for two years. It is a 2010 car which has never been MOTd.
    What sequence of steps get me on the road with insurance, tax and MOT ?
    Right To Ride: Well the same as a motorcycle:
    All information can be viewed on NI Direct Government Services website.
    Types of vehicles which require a test – Annual MOT – Click Here
    Once its Mot’ed then you can tax it – The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea is now responsible for vehicle tax and declaring a vehicle off the road – Click Here
    AND off course before all this to use the vehicle on the road you will need insurance……………
    So insurance – MoT – Tax it!

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