Japan → Ireland · flat-fee sourcing
Know what a Japanese import will really cost before you bid.
Every euro from the auction hammer to Irish plates: shipping, customs duty, VAT, VRT, the NOx levy and the Irish-side fees nobody mentions until the invoice arrives. Then, if you want the car, we source it for one flat fee.
Free, no sign-up. Current VRT bands and NOx rates, the ECB exchange rate of the day.
Worked example
2019 Toyota Prius, 60,000 km
Hammer ¥1,300,000 · Irish value €18,000
Landed on Irish plates, including the fee
€15,405
- Buying and shipping€9,199
- Irish taxes€4,606
- Irish-side costs€805
- Sourcing fee€795
Likely range €14,963 to €15,847, driven by how Revenue values the car. ECB rate 180.94 yen per euro on 18 Sept 2026.
Open this example in the calculator0% duty
on a Japanese-built car with a Statement on Origin. 10% without it, or for a car built anywhere else.
7% to 41%
VRT, set by CO2 band on Revenue’s valuation of the car in Ireland, not on what you paid in Japan.
8 to 14 weeks
from the auction hammer to Irish plates, with two hard deadlines once the car lands.
How it works
Three steps, and your money only ever goes to the exporter and to Revenue.
We are the agent on your side of the deal. We find, check and land the car; we never hold the purchase money.
- 1
Estimate
Run the calculator on the car you want, or the kind of car you want. Every cost line, the VRT band and why, and a range instead of a false single number.
- 2
Mandate
Tell us the spec, budget and grade. We find candidates at auction and with exporters, verify each one by chassis number, and give you the landed cost before you commit.
- 3
Landed
You pay the exporter and Revenue directly. We manage shipping, customs, the CO2 and NOx evidence, the NCTS appointment and the plates, and you follow every step, document and cost in your private deal room.
審査
shinsa, noun: inspection, examination. The stamp a document gets once it has been checked.
What the name promises
Every car is checked against its Japanese auction record before anyone bids.
Japanese auctions grade every car and record every sale. The chassis number read off the car itself is the key to that history. Before any money moves, we pull it and read it.
- The original auction sheet: grade, panel map and inspector’s notes, translated
- The mileage record across every auction the car has passed through
- Repair and accident history, and whether the chassis number on the car matches the paper
- The Statement on Origin, so the 0% duty rate is real before you bid
- The CO2 and NOx evidence that decides the VRT band and the levy
Popular imports, priced
One page per model, with worked landed-cost scenarios.
Where it was built and what that does to the duty, the VRT band and why, the NOx position, and the things that catch people out.
- Hybrids and EVs
- German-built cars from Japan
- Modern JDM and high-spec
- Classic and collector cars
- Drift and motorsport
Toyota
0% dutyAqua
Sold as the Prius c in North America and never sold new in Ireland.
Landed from€9,424
Toyota
0% dutyPrius
The same car Toyota sold new in Ireland, so EU CO2 figures exist for most generations.
Landed from€9,171
Honda
0% dutyFit
Sold as the Jazz in Ireland.
Landed from€10,278
Volkswagen
10% dutyGolf
The most imported model from Japan in 2025.
Landed from€15,903
Volkswagen
10% dutyPolo
The second most imported model from Japan in 2025.
Landed from€11,958
Audi
10% dutyA3
The third most imported model from Japan in 2025 and the most common premium one.
Landed from€14,189
One flat fee
No percentage of the price. No margin hidden in the shipping.
You are the importer of record. You pay the exporter for the car and Revenue for the taxes, directly. We charge one fee for finding, verifying and landing it.
The record
Every car we land is published: the estimate before the bid, the invoices after.
An estimate is only worth what it gets right. The ledger freezes each car’s estimate on the day of the bid and sets the real invoices and Revenue’s VRT receipt beside it, difference included, whatever it turns out to be.
- Cars landed
- 0
- Median error
- —
No car has landed yet. The first entry is the pilot, our own car, planned for October 2026; its score is published when it registers.
Open the ledgerQuestions
The four things everyone asks first.
How long does the import take?
Typically 8 to 14 weeks from auction to Irish plates: a week or two in Japan for deregistration and export paperwork, four to six at sea, then customs clearance, the NCTS appointment and registration.
Do I pay Shinsa for the car?
No. You pay the exporter for the car and Revenue for the taxes, directly. We invoice one flat fee for finding, verifying and landing it. Nothing you pay for the car passes through us.
What is VRT based on?
Revenue’s own view of the car’s Irish value, the Open Market Selling Price, multiplied by a CO2 band from 7% to 41%. A cheap purchase in Japan does not lower it, which is why the calculator asks for the Irish value and shows a range.
Which cars make sense?
Japanese-built hybrids and small petrols: Aqua, Prius, Fit hybrid, Note e-Power, Corolla hybrid. They are duty-free with a Statement on Origin, sit in low VRT bands and carry small NOx levies. Diesels without NOx evidence rarely work, and we will say so rather than source one.
Price the car you are looking at. It takes two minutes.
Hammer price, mileage and the CO2 figure if you have it. You get every cost line and a range, and you can send it to us for sourcing from there.