I like driving. I love the liberty you get from choosing your own road; to choose your own path in a road map, not being sure whence it will get you. I also love taking my car abroad, although this is mostly because of the heavy loads I carry with me, and the increasing costs of taking luggage in cheap airlines...

Anyhow, something that always catches the eye of Europeans is those three stickers under the front glass. What? You don't know what they are? They're proof of your car insurance, your road tax and NCT testing (known as MOT in the UK, TÜV in Germany, ITV in Spain...). You don't need the NCT one when your car is less than four years old, but I admit my car is much older.

If you brought your car from abroad and you're intending to stay in Ireland from more than six months, you should first pay VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax), which depends on a number of factors, including age and engine type. It doesn't matter how old your car is if you want it to be here for more than six months. You can find out how much VRT is payable in the net. Once you've done it, then your vehicle is included at the Irish car registry, given new plates, and therefore liable to pay Motor Tax; this is a three-, six-monthly or yearly payment, depending on the engine size and capability, paid by all cars using public roads and that is geared towards improvement of existing roads and construction of new ones (like the impressive and desperately needed Fermoy- Mitchelstown bypass).

After payment, you should get the first sticker, the "round" one. The second sticker is the Motor Insurance Disc. This should be no different to the one obtained in the car's home country although, since it will most certainly be a left-drive vehicle (the steering wheel on the opposite side) you should expect to pay around 15-20% more than an Irish or British one.

Finally, the third one is the NCT (National Car Test) certificate. Once you pay VRT, you should not worry about this for a while, since you should be notified at the appropriate time by the Motor offices for more information see www.ncts.ie. Too expensive? Well, there's another choice for you and your car if you come here temporarily. That is, make sure your insurance policy covers your whole stay abroad and travel back to your home country every six months at least. Otherwise, you'll be breaking the law. (Remember also to use the other half of your brain when crossing to the continent; it takes a while to learn to drive, so it does to change from the left to the right lanes)

PS: At present, the European Union sees VRT as an anachronism in the open single market. It is thus possible that its rates may fall some time in the future.