Re-plating a UK registered vehicle in Spain

A/ EU regulations state that a vehicle must be registered, taxed and inspected (MOT/ITV) in the country where the vehicle is normally kept

Those drivers that are part time in Spain must also comply with this if their vehicle is to be based for more than six months in Spain. Otherwise a non-Spanish vehicle can only remain in the country for 6 months in any 12-month period

A/ Once your vehicle has been matriculated and passed the ITV (about two hours); the documentation normally takes about 4-7 working days after this. Public holidays, Red Days and Fiestas will add to this timescale

Q/ At the end of the re-registration process, what do I get?

A/ Your car will have been accepted into Spain and inspected, as being in a legal, roadworthy condition and you will receive:

Q/ What type of vehicles can be re-registered to Spanish plates?

A/ The vast majority of vehicles are re-registered under a set of rules called “Change of Residence”. These rules are designed to enable people to bring their personal vehicles with them when they move to Spain. Where you buy a vehicle after you have moved to Spain, different rules apply (see below)

Cars, motorcycles and campervans, whether right or left- hand drive can be imported under “Change of Residence”

The general exception is commercial vehicles such as panel vans, pick-ups mini-buses, and car-derived vans that are right-hand drive.

Q/ How long will I be without my vehicle?

A/ The engineer’s inspection and ITV (MOT equivalent) can take anything from 1-3 hours. This is the only time that your vehicle is needed and you can legally drive it immediately as a document is provided by the ITV station that explains that the vehicle is being re-registered; very handy if stopped by the police

A/ Yes, we prefer customers to be with us when the vehicle is inspected, so that they can witness the process and be on hand should there be any queries. If this is not possible for example due to work commitments, then we can collect the vehicle from your home or place of work

As with the UK MOT test, it is prudent to check your vehicle over before submitting it for test, for example, ensure that all of the lights are working and pay particular attention to the tyres. Tyres on the same axle must be the same type with exactly the same tread (though all four tyres need not be identical).

Should it fail the test, any remedial work will need to be undertaken before re-submitting the car for a further test, which will be at the customer’s cost.

One of the advantages of having your vehicle tested in Spain is that the ITV station is government appointed and only carries out tests. The station cannot undertake repairs no matter how minor; this means that they cannot be tempted to fail a car and charge you for the remedial work as can happen at some UK MOT stations.

Should you need work undertaken either before or after your ITV test, we have relationships with a number of workshops that will be happy to provide a service at competitive rates.

Q/ If I am already a resident in Spain, can I import a vehicle from the UK or any other country?

A/ In most cases, yes; however recent tightening of the legislation means that they can only be imported if the vehicle has European type approval (homologation) or if no type approval, it may be possible to import as a unique vehicle (called SVA in the UK), though this is more expensive and a lengthier process than normal

If resident, before buying a vehicle registered in any country other than Spain, we would strongly recommend that you seek advice to ensure that it can be imported before committing to the expense

A/ Yes, there are a number of advantages of doing this. Firstly, the cost of cars in other EU countries is much less than in Spain, thereby saving you money, secondly, you may not have to pay VAT

Purchase tax (VAT/IVA) should be paid in either the country in which the vehicle is purchased or in Spain, however, if a vehicle is registered via DVLA on a temporary export document VX302, then there is no need to pay VAT in the UK. If the owner then brings the vehicle to Spain and waits until he has owned it for more than 6 months with 4000Km on the clock, it is no longer classed as brand new and in most cases, no IVA has to be paid

Vehicles can also be purchased new in other EU countries with similar rules applying

A/ Any vehicle over 25 years old can be classed in Spain as “Historical”. Vehicles falling into this category can generally be imported, “as built” with no changes to the vehicle needed

A/ Yes, unlike in the UK, all caravans, irrespective of carrying capacity and all other towed vehicles, if over 750Kg in carrying capacity have to be registered

Caravans and trailers over 750 kg will be supplied with a separate red number plate showing the vehicle registration.

Trailers of less than 750Kg are not registered with the authorities, but are still required to have the correct paperwork, including a one-off ITV pass

The requirements for registration are different depending upon the towed vehicle type, but as with cars, European Type Approval or inspection as a unique vehicle is needed. Either way, we can arrange all of this for you as part of our service

A/ If your vehicle is right-hand drive, then your lights are designed to point towards the left hand kerb, these are not acceptable in Spain, so headlights designed to point to the right are obligatory. The stick on “beam-benders” are not acceptable for ITV

This applies to all vehicle types including motorcycles, however with bikes, although the ITV station will normally accept a “flat-lined” headlight, there is no guarantee that they will do so

Some cars (though very few) can be adjusted in order to comply with the regulations; please check your handbook first

Also check your rear fog-light. If you have two rear fog lights, then no problem. If you have only one rear fog-light, then this must be on the left hand side of the car. There are inexpensive ways to overcome this.

Due to our extensive contacts, we are able to supply and fit headlights at competitive prices

A/ It depends on the modification. Please supply details and we will check it out first. As a guide, the addition of bull-bars is normally OK, but alterations to the suspension or engine size for example may be a hurdle

A/ Tow bars are perfectly acceptable so long as the data plate showing European Conformity is still in place. This is a small plate that may be found anywhere on the tow bar mechanism and can be made of metal or plastic. Where no data plate exists, the tow bar will have to be removed prior to the ITV test

A/ When you import your vehicle to Spain and re-register it, your UK “logbook” is returned to DVLA in Swansea, so you lose your UK registration.

However, if you want to retain title to your UK registration (for instance if you have a personalised number plate), then you may be able do this by applying to DVLA to retain ownership. For a fee, they may allow you to retain title and issue a certificate to this effect

A/ Yes. It is recommended that you obtain quotes and have your insurance ready to go as soon as possible after you obtain your Spanish plates, meanwhile continue to drive with your existing policy. (Note that British insurers will normally only cover you for a period of 3 months whilst your car is outside of the UK)

Spanish Number Plates is not qualified to give detailed advice regarding insurance, as it is a complex business and once re-registered your vehicle will definitely need a new policy.

We fully endorse Expat Insurance in Spain, a well-established company that has a wealth of experience in this type of work.

0034 966 740 188 or 0034 965 302 124. Please mention Spanish Number Plates when making contact

A/ Not only are we registered with the authorities and pay all necessary taxes into the Spanish system, we work in conjunction with a firm of Gestors (lawyers) which specialises in motoring law and are well used to dealing with the bureaucracy that has to be undertaken during the re-registration process. We are more than happy to supply their details so that you can have any doubts put to rest

A/ We charge a flat fee for Ficha Reducida (engineer’s report), ITV testing, provision of all Spanish documents, legal costs and number plates. Please contact us for a full quotation which will include any taxes that are payable

A/ You will be liable for road tax and possibly for import tax. These costs vary depending upon the type and age of your vehicle and where you live.

Should your car fail the ITV inspection, then any remedial work is at the cost of the owner, though it is fair to say that not many vehicles fail, as owners would normally check the vehicle over beforehand

A/ Road tax for all vehicle types is less than in the UK. The Road Tax is charged locally with the rate being set by your SUMA office or ayuntamiento not nationally and so varies in cost. For a full year it will be approximately 100-150 euros for a car, much less for motorbikes

Another quirk is that road tax in Spain is levied from January 1st to December 31^st, so it will also vary depending upon the time of year that it is first paid

As of 1^st January 2008, the regulations regarding import tax changed significantly.

Calculating tax takes into consideration the exact car, engine size and type and its age. The tax authority has a table that we access in order to calculate the value of the car based upon this information.

The value is then compared to the below table of the vehicle’s CO2 emissions in order to determine the level of taxation to be applied.

All cars registered before 1^st January 1997 are charged at a flat 12% of the Spanish valuation irrespective of the CO2 emissions

Motorcycles, as of 1^st January 2009 are now assessed for tax in the same way as cars

Using the tax authority tables, the valuation is calculated using very basic information, which is merely the age and engine size in cc’s. The model and condition of the bike is not taken into consideration

Larger bikes fulfilling the following criteria = 14.75% of the bike value

CO2 emission of more than 121g/Km and more than 100 Horsepower (or 74Kw)

The ideal document for showing the true value of the CO2 emissions of all vehicles is the vehicle registration document, or “Certificate of Conformity” or the vehicle handbook

Where you have no document showing the CO2 emissions, then we will use official websites to calculate this

For an exact evaluation of taxes, please contact us with full details of your vehicle

Spanish Number Plates will arrange for your taxes to be paid and provide you with the receipts from the relevant tax collecting authority. This way you can be certain that you have only paid the right amount of tax and no “mark-up”

Q/ Can I avoid paying import tax?

A/ Yes, the Spanish authorities will class your vehicle as part of your personal possessions brought with you to Spain and will exempt you from tax, but only within 60 days of your arrival (see below) and if you can meet the following criteria

a) You have owned the vehicle for more than 6 months (as shown on the vehicle registration document)

c) You have a Baja Consular from the British Consulate (or Consulate of the country in which you last lived and in which the vehicle is presently registered)

Please note that for importation purposes, the date of your arrival in Spain is taken as the date that you APPLY for your FIRST Padron at your present address, (or “Residencia” at any address) so in practice, you could have been in Spain for a some time before obtaining your Padron

Should you need a Baja Consular, then a trip to the British consulate in Alicante, which covers both the Community of Valencia (including Alicante) and Region of Murcia, is necessary as you have to apply in person, though we will be happy to accompany you there, should you wish us to do so at no extra cost. The cost of a Baja Consular is presently 143 euros (December 2009), which is usually less than the cost of import tax

Q/ Can I import a car originally registered outside of Europe for example the USA?

A/ Yes. We have successfully done so on a number of occasions, but please note the following:

If the car is being imported under the “Change of Residency” rules, there should be no problem, but please read below:

Cars originating in the USA (or anywhere else outside of Europe) often do not conform to Spanish standards. For example it is important that the indicators are orange, not red and that the car has reversing and rear fog lights, with the fog-light being fitted on the left hand side of the car

It is better if your car has a European homologation (or type approval) number; many US cars do not. The number is sometimes shown on the logbook, or on the car itself. It will look similar to this e13*97/27*0040*

Without this number, it may be costly in terms of time and money to re-register the car. We would urge you to contact the main dealer who supplied the car and ask them to provide proof of the homologation number if you do not already have one

If no European homologation exists, the car may be able to be imported as a unique vehicle, but in these circumstances must conform to modern protocols and in particular the emissions standards which are presently “euro 4” or equivalent. This process is more expensive, and long drawn out, so we strongly recommend seeking our advice before buying any car from outside of the EU

Q/ I am thinking of buying a Spanish registered car, is it simple to put it in my name?

A/ Normally yes and we can take care of it for you, but there are a number of documents that are necessary from both you and the seller and these are not always available, especially if the car is being bought in the UK

Also bear in mind that under Spanish law, when you buy a Spanish registered car, you also buy any unpaid taxes, fines etc, so it makes good sense to have a background check undertaken first. Our lawyer can do this on your behalf for a small fee; it takes about 24 hours

When cars are bought and sold in Spain, a tax of 4% of the value is payable. To find out what this may be, please get in touch

Q/ Do I need a Spanish driving licence if I live in Spain?

A/ Licenses issued by EU Member States under Community law remain valid in Spain under the conditions in which they have been issued in their country of origin with a couple of provisos

The holder of a licence issued by another EU state whose normal residence is in Spain. (Normal residence means the place where a person usually lives, generally defined as being for at least 185 days per year, because of personal and/ or occupational ties) is subject to the same provisions as Spanish licences relating to the duration periods of licences as well as control of their psycho-physical skills.

This means that licences have to be renewed in line with Spanish licences and a medical examination will be required at some stage

Normally, no medical is required for the first issue of a Spanish driving licence, though the licences have to be renewed every few years and a medical is required at the time of renewal

However, all people over the age of 70 have to have a medical before a first licence will be issued

Q/ This all sound very complicated and confusing, can it be made simpler?

A/ To someone not familiar with all of the processes involved and in particular dealing with the Spanish authorities, it can seem very daunting. Spanish Number Plates is well established and its sole purpose is to make the whole process as simple and easy for the client as possible

ALL VALUES WHERE QUOTED ARE CORRECT AS AT DECEMBER 2009

Please note that we do our utmost, with the assistance of our Spanish legal advisors, to ensure that the information supplied is factual and up to date. However changes in rules and regulations and the interpretation of these can and does occur periodically, sometimes with no or little notice and for which we cannot be held responsible.

FAQ’s (Frequently asked questions)