The 90-day window, in one line

Test any time in the 90 days before the due date and the new certificate is dated from the old due date, not from the test. Earlier than that and the clock restarts from the day you pass. The checker shows the exact day your window opens.

Frequently asked

How do I check when my NCT is due?

Type the registration above. We ask the public validity check on ncts.ie and show the due date, make, model and whether a certificate is currently in force. The date is also printed on the NCT disc on your windscreen and in the reminder NCTS sends before it falls due.

How is the NCT due date worked out?

It falls on the anniversary of the car's first registration. Cars are tested at four years old, then every two years, and every year once they reach ten years. Cars aged 30 to 39 that are not used commercially are tested every two years; over 40 years are exempt.

What is the 90-day rule?

You can take the test up to 90 days before the due date and the new certificate still runs from the old due date, so you lose nothing. Test earlier than 90 days and it counts as a voluntary early test: the new due date becomes the anniversary of the day you passed.

My NCT is overdue. What now?

Book the earliest date you can at any centre; the result is the same everywhere. Driving without a valid certificate is an offence and carries penalty points. If your area is booked out, NCT Alerts emails you the moment a cancellation opens at the centres you pick, with the booking link.

I failed. When is the re-test due?

A re-test must be booked within 21 days and completed within 30 days of the failed test, or a full test is needed again. Re-tests that need a test lane cost €40; visual re-tests are free. The checker above shows whether ncts.ie has an open re-test against your car.

Is this the official NCTS check?

No. NCT Alerts is independent and run by Avlas Digital. The official page is ncts.ie/check-nct-due-date. We show the same answer ncts.ie gives for your registration, then help you find an earlier date.

Need the test sooner than the calendar offers? Set up cancellation alerts or compare the next date at all 50 centres.