The online system for motor tax renewals has been expanded to allow owners of new or imported cars to pay their tax online.
The new service facilitates vehicle owners taxing new or imported vehicles for the first time online.
Since March last year it has been possible to renew motor tax online.
The Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said: "The motoring public has received this service very enthusiastically and levels of utilisation are very significant.
"At this stage, among individuals that are eligible to tax their vehicles online, nationally some 30 per cent of vehicle owners are using the online service while in Dublin this figure is almost a staggering 50 per cent."
Mr Roche added that a recent survey showed that after Revenue's online service, motor tax online has the "highest levels of usage among all of the eGovernment services".
The first licensing of new and second hand imported vehicles represents a significant portion of motor tax business - approximately 200,000 transactions per annum are in this category from an overall total of over 800,000 transactions.
Similar to the renewal service, all that will be needed to avail of the expanded service is a credit or laser card, Internet access to www.motortax.ie or www.motarchain.ie and a unique pin number.
The pin number in the case of first licensing transactions will be the last six digits of the vehicle's chassis number (VIN) which will be on the documentation the vehicle owner will receive from motor dealers or the Revenue Commissioners in the case of used imported vehicles from abroad.
Following completion of the on-line transaction, the new tax disc and Vehicle Registration Certificate will be posted by the Vehicle Registration Unit to the applicant.