- Business
- Childbirth & Education
- Legal Formalities
- Motoring
- Other
- Pensions & Benefits
- Property & Accommodation
- Taxes
- Why every Expat is a scumbag
- Mixed Reaction to ECB Rate Cut
- Lorca Earthquakes 2 Year Anniversary
- Join us on the Costa del Sol to discuss your Spanish IHT requirements
- El Escorial
- Wincham announce opening of Marbella office
- Unauthorised Financial Advisers in Spain : UPDATE
- Community Insurance in Spain
- Caldendar Girls
- Own a Property in Spain ? Then you need to read the following
- EU Summit Eagerly Anticipated
- Travel Money Made Easy !
- Considerations when Insuring your Boat in Spain
- QROPS – HMRC Introduces changes that create havoc in the market place
- QROPS – All Change From April 2012
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.
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.
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)
John : A couple of Guides we have written on the subject might help shed a bit of light ...
* "How to legally import your Spanish Vehicle into the UK" (Click >> HERE <<)
* "How to buy or sell a Spanish Vehicle in the UK" (Click >> HERE <<)
Phil : No, the law still states that you can drive your UK registered vehicle in Spain for 6 months before re-registering (Maybe your friend is thinking about Residency, which is 3 Months ?)
Littlebeach :If you take your car back and forth to the UK every 6 months (twice per year ?) You wouldn't need to import you car anyway. You would probably find it a costly and pointless exersize to do this, unless you dislike the drive.
" CoC is furnished in the language of the constructor, if your Mitsubishi were first registered in EU since 1996 and was produced for EU market than it is generally in English. However CoC has to be accepted in all EU countries in all EU languages, because COC has all anticpoy signs requested by European Union."
The way I read it is that they have to accept it in English. Am I reading it correctly do you think ?
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.
- Why every Expat is a scumbag
- Spanish Tax Resident Declaration Deadline April 30th
- Unauthorised Financial Advisers in Spain : UPDATE
- Community Insurance in Spain
- Your no claims discount and bonus protection in Spain
- An acceptable number of deaths ?
- Public Liability Insurance for Dogs (Seguro de Responsabilidad Civil)
- Considerations when Insuring your Boat in Spain
- Loving the Irony Of Banking Woes
- Taking a Dog from Spain to the UK : A personal experience
- Title Deeds Insurance now included for ALL Wincham clients
- Car Insurance Made Easier
- Do I Really Need a Survey When Purchasing a Spanish Property ?
- How to Complain about your Town Hall in Spain
- What is a Funeral Plan and Why would I need one ?
- Etiquette when attending a Spanish Funeral
- How to sell or buy a Spanish Registered LHD Car in the UK
- How, Why and When to Baja a Vehicle in Spain
- RCDs and your Electrical system in Spain
- Court valuation of Spanish Properties
- Wills and Inheritance Taxes in Spain
- Rectifying Inaccuracies With Your Nota Simple
- Insuring a vehicle whilst off the road
- Dacion en Pago : Handing Your Property Back to the Bank










