A new online change of vehicle ownership service has been launched allowing private vehicle owners to transfer vehicle registration to another private owner.
Previously, anyone transferring ownership of a vehicle would need to post their Vehicle Registration Certificate to the Department of Transport's offices in Shannon, or visit a motor tax office.
The new service will allow buyers to check vehicle details against the vehicle register.
These include make/model, colour, motor tax status, test status, number of previous owners, and whether or not the vehicle was imported.
This will allow buyers to get accurate and real-time information about a vehicle before completing a purchase.
There are around one million changes of vehicle ownership per year in Ireland, and half of these tend to be private sales.
"The new service benefits both the seller and the buyer at the point of sale," said Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless.
"The seller can be satisfied that the vehicle is no longer recorded in their name and that they have no further legal obligations with regard to it, while the buyer has confirmation that they are now the recorded owner of the vehicle on the National Driver and Vehicle File," Mr Lawless said.
The Online Change of Vehicle Ownership service can be accessed at https://www.vehicleservices.gov.ie/cvo/ or through www.motortax.ie.
