Importing a Left-Hand-Drive Car to Ireland: The NSAI Route Explained
Like the UK, Ireland has a real legal pathway for registering left-hand-drive imports — NSAI Individual Vehicle Approval. Here's how it works alongside MG and BYD's official Irish presence.
Ireland is a genuinely different case among the markets DriveSino serves: a left-hand-drive (LHD) vehicle imported from China's domestic market can be legally registered here, through the NSAI's Individual Vehicle Approval process — the Irish implementation of the same EU individual-approval framework the UK's DVSA IVA scheme is based on.
How This Differs from MG and BYD's Official Irish Presence
MG already sells an official, right-hand-drive lineup through its own Irish dealer network, with BYD growing alongside it. DriveSino isn't that channel — we source LHD vehicles directly from China's domestic market, a different option for buyers who are fine with LHD and the NSAI approval process, sometimes at a real price advantage over the official dealer route.
Cost to Import
Freight from China to Dublin starts at $5,775 USD, 33–46 days transit. Ireland applies 10% import duty, 23% VAT, and a separate CO2-based VRT, plus the NSAI approval fee. See our full Ireland import guide for the complete process, or browse current inventory.