I was wondering if anyone here had any recommendations/advice to pass on to my former housemate please?
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She is German and holds a German driving licence.
She has bought a VW Caddy van and had it kitted out for sleeping in, insulated with a bed, cupboards, floor, etc but has not had enough done to be able to have it reclassified as a campervan, at least under UK rules, so it is just a modified van for insurance purposes. The stop and go parts and the exterior are all unaltered.
The problem comes because the van is Irish-registered and so needs to be insured in Ireland. I’m not exactly sure of the rules with commercial vehicles over there but having one for private use seems to be a whole can of worms, and the tax is horrendously expensive too.
I have suggested she tries the insurers I use for my home-made camper, Adrian Flux, but I don’t know if they would do Irish vans.
So, can anyone who knows anything about Irish van insurance make any suggestions?
The van spends a lot of time in the UK as well as in Ireland, would it be worth officially importing it and insuring it here? Is it a question of where it spends the most time or she pick either country as she sees fit? Would make the tax a lot cheaper. It is 10years old, where would we stand with VAT and import duties if we did that?
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Thanks guys and girls.

I dont know anything about the Irish side but as far as modified van insurance is concerned, I recommend trying Aviva. My van is modified for window cleaning by having a 500ltr tank and filter system bolted in.
A plan and Adrian flux were around £550 each. A call to Aviva was well worth it as the Tank system got covered for free so the total price ended up at £260.
It might get part of her problems sorted.
Regards Steve.

Thanks. It’s not really the UK bit which is the problem, more the Irish bit. Or finding a UK insurer who will do Irish vans.

Another happy aviva customer here. Live chat so easy to get an answer.

My mate is irish (cork) and when he came to the uk he reregistered his transit as uk.

It cost him – an mot , a years tax and a pair of number plates.

Like you are finding insurance and tax were massive in ireland.