Any vehicle that has never been registered, whether imported or built from scratch, generally has to go through the scheme.
Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) is the route for approving a single, specific vehicle (by VIN) instead of a vehicle type approval. It is referred in Chapter IX of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 (Articles 44–46). This route is used when a vehicle has no type approval, or its type approval does not cover its current configuration. Typical cases are third-country imports, special purpose vehicles, one-off conversions, and completed multi-stage vehicles outside a type-approved family.
Each IVA certificate gets a unique number under a harmonised scheme that at least identifies the granting Member State. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683 sets that scheme: the approval number uses “IV18/858”
IVA is mainly used for:
It applies when the vehicle is newly built, rebuilt, heavily modified, reconstructed, or brought in from another country.
For passenger cars, age is the deciding factor. The age is counted from the date the car was first registered in its country of origin.
| Category | Vehicle | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M | Passenger cars, buses and coaches | Motor Vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers |
| N | Commercial vehicles | Motor Vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of goods |
| O | Trailers | Trailers (including semi-trailers) towed by motor vehicles of category M or N |
Type approval applications for vehicles and trailers can’t be made directly by just anyone. They must be prepared and submitted by an Approved Vehicle Body Builder (AVBB), a manufacturer recognised by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
If a vehicle is built in another EU country, it must first obtain that country’s equivalent national approval, such as IVA or NSSTA, before it is brought into Ireland. In some cases, NSAI can convert that approval into the equivalent Irish approval, provided the vehicle meets the applicable requirements.
Vehicles from outside the EU follow separate arrangements, so check NSAI’s latest guidance for non-EU applications.
A vehicle or trailer that already holds a European Certificate of Conformity (CoC) can only receive an IVA if it has since gone through a significant further stage of manufacture or adaptation. If the vehicle is unchanged from when it was first produced, NSAI will not issue an IVA.
Sometimes a CoC can’t be used to register a vehicle, for example because emission requirements have changed since it was built. In these cases, an end-of-series derogation may be an option. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the body responsible for these requests, so it is the right place to start.
Not sure where to start and we’ll point you toward the right route.