Changes to how you tax your car

From Monday, July 21, people who wish to tax or register their vehicles must do this online at www.gov.uk/tax-disc or at a post office.

They will no longer be able to tax or register vehicles at DVA offices in Northern Ireland, which closed on Thursday, July 17.

The DVLA in Swansea takes over full responsibility for all vehicle licensing services from July 21

Further information is available at http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/how-you-tax-your-car-is-changing.

A leaflet explaining the new system will be issued with all car tax reminders from.

The DVA’s other functions: driver licensing; driver and vehicle testing; bus and taxi licensing; roadside compliance checks, are not affected by the transfer of vehicle licensing to Swansea.

The identity checking service for applicants for driving licences currently provided at motor tax offices, will be available from Monday, July 21 at Driver Licensing HQ, County Hall, Coleraine and at the following test centres: Armagh; Ballymena; Belfast; Downpatrick; Enniskillen; Derry; Omagh.

The changes to services will include:

- access to DVLA’s online vehicle tax service which will allow motorists in Northern Ireland to tax a vehicle or declare their vehicle off the road 24 hours a day, seven days a week online at www.gov.uk/tax-disc

- a wider range of face-to-face services for motorists at around 175 Post Office branches across Northern Ireland with Saturday opening

- being able to buy NI and GB personalised registration numbers through DVLA’s Personalised Registration sales scheme at dvlaregistrations.direct.gov.uk

- DVLA’s fleet scheme will be made available to fleet operators in Northern Ireland

- movement of vehicles between NI and GB will be simplified

- the facility to retain NI registration numbers will be introduced which will allow people to hold a registration number on a Certificate of Entitlement, for future assignment to an alternative vehicle

- the transfer of registration numbers between NI and GB vehicles will be streamlined, creating a UK-wide market for NI and GB cherished number dealers

- people with a right to access vehicle and keeper information will be able to obtain GB and NI data from a single source