Drivers in Northern Ireland whose MOTs are due during the pandemic shutdown have been granted a one-year exemption.
Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon said it would not be possible to accommodate the backlog as well as conduct normal business at testing centres.
Drivers will instead apply for MOTs as normal next year.
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MOT backlog
Ms Mallon said: “I have decided the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) will continue to issue temporary exemption certificates (TECs) to those vehicles, private cars, goods vehicles, trailers or motorcycles until their normal MOT date.
“This means a vehicle will get an exemption for one year which will bring it back into the system when there is capacity to test it.”
The DVA initially suspended all vehicle testing in Northern Ireland on March 24 for three months, until June 22.
The announcement applies to Northern Ireland only and a six-month MOT extension remains for the rest of the UK.
The DVSA has said it is continuously reviewing the situation and expects to end the six-month extension as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.
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