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How to Import or Re-register a UK Car In Spain

The law in Spain states that you are required to register your Vehicle with Spanish plates within 6 months of bringing it into the country.

How to Import or Re-register a UK Car In Spain

The law in Spain states that you are required to register your Vehicle with Spanish plates within 6 months of bringing it into the country. After 6 Months it must have Spanish registration or it must leave the country for a continuous 6 month period. Why? - Think about the situation in reverse : Imagine that you are driving your completely legal UK registered car in the UK and you are involved in a minor accident with a foreign registered car which has been in the UK for over a year but still has foreign plates on it. After being in the UK for 12 Months it would not have a certificate of road worthiness (MOT) from its own country which will automatically render its insurance null and void and leave you with a legal and financial headache!

Now reverse the above situation and you have your answer! (but this time it's you who are at fault!)

One of the popular comments that you will hear from the various expat "experts" in your local bar could be " Tell them you are here on Holiday and then take the car back to the UK and get it MOT'd and Taxed and then bring it back again "

Wrong! Unless you have resident status in Spain you can only keep a car here for up to six months. Then it has to go back to the UK for a further six months. You might bluff a routine roadside stop from the Guardia Civil (of which there are surprisingly many) once or twice with that story but, in the event of something more serious, you would have to prove that the car was only here for six months of the year in a court of law and that might be a little difficult when the local Guardia Civil has been taking notes in his black book over the last year.

In the unfortunate event of you being involved in a serious traffic incident you would probably be asked by your insurance company to provide proof of continuous residence in the UK for a full six month period within the twelve months up until the date of your accident. This would include credit card receipts, debit card receipts, petrol receipts, rent/ mortgage payments etc... They could also ask to see your passport stamped at the correct dates with entry and exit stamps.

There have been many recent cases of cars being impounded byVarious Town Halls - reason being given that they had exceeded the six month time period and had still not been re-registered with Spanish plates.

The easiest way to avoid this unnecessary hassle is to....

  • Re-register your car.
  • Change your driving licence to a Spanish one.
  • Buy Spanish insurance.
It really is a simple as that.

If you are still in any doubt as to the legality of your car then simply ask your insurance company for a letter stating that they are aware that you are a permanent resident in Spain but that you are still driving a UK registered car with no Tax or MOT but they are quite happy to carry on insuring you on a fully comprehensive basis until the policy expires.

Once you have that letter, keep it with you at all times.

There are many Specialist Car Importation Companies that can do this for you, but most Gestors are also able to undertake this kind of work.

A special registration Tax of around 12% is payable which is calculated on the Vehicles Current Value (based on the vehicles original market value in Spain)

Comment on this Article

 
Carbine, that just goes to show the importnance of fully understanding the law. You deffinately did the right thing by researching around the subject.
Jo Green - Thu, 22st Sep 2011
There are few car importation organisations that won't try to rip you off. I bought a car in Germany and knew if I re-registered it when getting my residencia I would pay no tax and only about 350€ yet no one would quote me less than 4,000€ most knew about the scheme and others told me I was talking rubbish. It actually cost 338€
Carbine - Wed, 21st Sep 2011
Dot : The costs will very roughly be a 12% Tax on the Book value of the car The Cost of new headlamps The cost of an ITV Car Tax.

If you use the services of a Gestor you will need to allow for this aswell. A cost saving tip is to buy the headlamps from E Bay and fit them yourself.

I would 'Guesstimate' a cost to be between 300-400 Euros all in.

Tumbit - Admin - Fri, 12th Aug 2011
HI, I actually own on the Costa Blanca but dont live there. I am thinking of buying a British car in Spain so I can use while I am there. Do you have any idea of the cost to re-register it in Spain ? It is a 1.4.Corsa 2001 16v, 3 door Hatchback £1450 Thank you
Dot - Fri, 12th Aug 2011
Just one word of caution on your ITV : It is not legal or valid on a UK car. A Spanish ITV on a UK registered car is basically a voluntary safety check on your vehicle to check it's roadworthy-ness and nothing more. It does not replace an MOT and I would check the small print on your Insurance policy to see if it is invalid in the case of accident with regards to this matter. I am sure that you should be able to legally import your car aslong as you have a Spanish NIE number and address.
Mr Grumpy - Wed, 27th Apr 2011
Thanks for these helpful comments. I want the car to be legal in Spain I do not intend taking it away from Spain to any other country. As i have already invested in Spanish headlights, a 2 year ITV Certificate, fully comprehensive car insurance which was issued in Gibralter for driving in Spain and am probably still driving illegally it seems only sensible to resolve the problem by completing the process and importing the vehicle but I have been unable to discover the answer as to whether I, as a UK resident, can import a UK registered car into Spain? I wonder if anyone can tell me if I can do this. and if so what documents do I need? ThanQ
Carole Macintyre - Wed, 27th Apr 2011
@Carole - the other thing to consider here is that if you are not paying UK road taxes and have a valid MOT (many don't bother), in most cases your Spanish Insurance will be void in the event of anything happening, as the vehicle has to be legal in it's country of registration.
Mr Grumpy - Wed, 27th Apr 2011
Carole, what you are 'supposed to do' and what you can 'get away with' can often be two different things. Importing your car legally obvioulsy comes at a cost and you need to decide what this cost is likely to be compared with the true financial value of the car to decide whether it will be worthwhile to do this or sell it and buy a Spanish registered vehicle. I believe that you have been advised that you will be ok in your situation due to your vehicle being parked 'off the road' for long periods at a time and that 'it could be argued' that the vehicle was out of the country during this time. It all sounds good in theory, doesn't it ? - I doubt that you would have a leg to stand on if you were ever involved in an accident.
Tumbit - Admin - Tue, 26th Apr 2011
Reading this article I think I may have been ill advised by my insurers and Spanish garage. I am a UK resident with no Spanish property but I keep a UK plated car permanently in a Spanish airport garage for my use when visiting. It has fully comprehensive Ibex insurance from Gibralter, a current ITV certificate and Spanish headlights is it illegal and as a non resident what should I do?
Carole Macintyre - Tue, 26th Apr 2011
You would have thought so wouldn't you ? The problem is that with regards to motoring, the EU allows a certain amount of leeway to each member state with regards to how they interpret certain recommendations. An example of this would be how the regulations differ between the UK and Spain with Tow bars.
Tumbit - Admin - Fri, 4th Mar 2011
Recently arrived from South Africa and thinking of taking a UK registered car to Spain. Useful content on the site and an 'Interesting argument' proposed by the author re the MOT period. Surely the MOT regulations across all EU member states are linked to the MOT expiry date itself not some arbitrary 'other period' i.e. do not all countries in the EU simply require that the MOT be renewed where the car is 'resident' at the time that it expires and why should you need to do an MOT just because the car has been for 6 months in another country (Spain in this case) when the current MOT is (irrepective of its origin within the EU) still valid? Of course this implies a Union in the real sense which judging by the constant 'bickering' between various member states seems to be a long way off!
John C - Fri, 4th Mar 2011
John, when you legally import your UK regsitered car into Spain and register it with the Spanish DGT, part of the procedure involves obtaining a new Spanish ITV (MOT), without which it will not be road legal. Your car will be legal up to it's being here for 6 months, at which point you will need to take action. Many people do not import their vehicle - however a Spanish ITV on a UK regsitered vehicle is nothing more than a 'voluntary safety check' and could invalidate your insurance in the event of an accident.
Tumbit - Admin - Tue, 15th Feb 2011
The above info is interesting but does not cover my situation I have brought my car over, I plan to visit about 4 times a year and leave my car in the garage when I am away. At the moment it is insured and has a current MOT. I want to register it in Spain and leave it hear for my use when I am here. I also want to insure and MOT it in Spain Is this possible? Hope you can help
John Gibson - Tue, 15th Feb 2011
Andrew, for the purpose of clarity here we have taken your suggestion and removed the 'International Model' wording, however, it is stil a good idea to obtain a Spanish licence.
Tumbit - Admin - Tue, 13th Jul 2010
Will you please delete reference to the "International model (Driving Licence)" as all the information I ever see about it on websites is invariably wrong. Firstly, there is no such thing. Secondly, an International Driving Permit is a document to accompany a full driving licence when travelling abroad (i.e. outside the EU) as a tourist. It is valid for up to a year, but can be renewed. It serves to authenticate the holder's normal licence, and does NOT take its place and it has no status as an "international driving licence". Within EU countries it is a useful document to have for those who hold older non-photo licences, although a photocard licence is a much more sensible idea.
Andrew - Mon, 12th Jul 2010
Alvin, this is a service that any Asesor or Gestor should be able to assist you with. Altrnatively, there are also a number of specific Re-registration companies in operation throughout Spain. A local company is always better as it saves the risk of sending important documents in the post. If you mail your location we can advise.
Tumbit - Admin - Tue, 22st Jun 2010
I would like to Re-register my UK car in spain and need help to do it. Kind regards Alvin
Alvin Karia - Tue, 22st Jun 2010

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