# Buying a car in Spain



## TerraFirma (May 21, 2015)

If I buy a holiday home in Spain but remain a UK resident (spending approx 5 months of the year in Spain) will I be able to buy a car in Spain and if so what paperwork & other requirements does it involve ? Thanks in advance.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

TerraFirma said:


> If I buy a holiday home in Spain but remain a UK resident (spending approx 5 months of the year in Spain) will I be able to buy a car in Spain and if so what paperwork & other requirements does it involve ? Thanks in advance.


The five months cannot be continuous because if you are here more than 90 days, Spain will consider you a resident and you will have to register on the foreigners list and to do that you have to show proof of an income of 600-650€ per person going into a Spanish bank account AND proof of healthcare coverage.

We bought our first car before becoming resident. You will need a NIE, an address (for car tax purposes).


----------



## TerraFirma (May 21, 2015)

Thanks for this, but now confused - Thought it was 182 days. 
Just want a holiday home and to be able to come & go when ever we want for a few months at a time but as car hire is expensive we thought buying one over here would be more economical.


----------



## slatts (Sep 17, 2013)

Easy to get a car as advised NIE number and an address required Insurance again is easy to arrange and equivalent of road tax to pay yearly at the town hall. The insurance is for the car not the driver so most policies cover any driver over 25 so friends can make use of your car if visiting


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

TerraFirma said:


> Thanks for this, but now confused - Thought it was 182 days.
> Just want a holiday home and to be able to come & go when ever we want for a few months at a time but as car hire is expensive we thought buying one over here would be more economical.


You are getting confused with becoming a tax resident. More than 183 days in a tax year (Jan-Dec) and you will become taxable in Spain. 

Bear in mind that if you buy a car over here for use when here on holiday, you have to have somewhere to put/store it when you aren't here, and *safe* storage can cost money. Secondhand cars, here are inclined to be expensive by UK standards but they tend not to rust like in UK and you will find a high preponderance of cars more than 15 years old (they will have the old style registration).

I have just looked on Travelsupermarket.com and put in dates from tomorrow for a month and it gives me a price of €47.75 for a Mini, €233 for a compact estate, so car hire is not too exepnsive - depends on what you need, for how long and when.


----------



## slatts (Sep 17, 2013)

Follow the quote through adding all the excess insurance etc and you will see that what you pay is considerably more than the first price!


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

slatts said:


> Follow the quote through adding all the excess insurance etc and you will see that what you pay is considerably more than the first price!



it's one of those "you pay your money and take your choice" especially bearing in mind that a car is likely to cost say, €5,000 plus tax to buy and insurance plus storage when not in use, etc.


----------



## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

slatts said:


> Follow the quote through adding all the excess insurance etc and you will see that what you pay is considerably more than the first price!


Slats buy an annual policy, £37 and you then need only pay the rates as set out by Baldilocks

https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/get-a-quote.html


----------



## Brits on the move (May 23, 2015)

baldilocks said:


> The five months cannot be continuous because if you are here more than 90 days, Spain will consider you a resident and you will have to register on the foreigners list and to do that you have to show proof of an income of 600-650€ per person going into a Spanish bank account AND proof of healthcare coverage.
> 
> We bought our first car before becoming resident. You will need a NIE, an address (for car tax purposes).


Hi Balidilocks, 
Please can you confirm that if my wife and I intend to buy a house and become residents in Spain when we retire, it is a definite requirement that we both need to have an income of over 600 Euros per month paid into a Spanish bank account?
John


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Brits on the move said:


> Hi Balidilocks,
> Please can you confirm that if my wife and I intend to buy a house and become residents in Spain when we retire, it is a definite requirement that we both need to have an income of over 600 Euros per month paid into a Spanish bank account?
> John


Yep, afraid so. There is little or no safety net here so you have to be fully self-supporting and to register as a resident on the foreigners list you have to show that you have sufficient income and that you are covered for healthcare. If you are on Old Age Pension, then DWP in Newcastle will issue you with forms S1 which will cover you for health care. The Spanish government don't want you to find yourself in a position where you may need to go back to UK because you have no money or are ill (you may have heard that the UK authorities [Embassy, Consulates, etc.] are very limited in what assistance they can give you. The alternative as far as the income is concerned is to have a capital sum of 6,000 € per person in a Spanish bank account.


----------



## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Or like thousands do.......don't bother registering......3,2,1


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Rabbitcat said:


> Or like thousands do.......don't bother registering......3,2,1


We cannot condone encouraging people to break the law and be illegal immigrants.


----------



## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

My post was - more or less- tongue in cheek

Everyone should of course obey the laws in Spain


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Rabbitcat said:


> Or like thousands do.......don't bother registering......3,2,1


Stupid idea. A friend of mine didnt bother registering his Audi, he paid the insurance on it tho, cos he thought he ought to - and then his audi was stolen from outside of his house in Spain..... the insurance wouldnt pay up - he was a resident in Spain driving a UK car - eventho he protested that he really lived in the UK, they asked him to prove it and he couldnt. Now, this was with one of those insurance companies who claim to insure british cars.....

He then got in trouble with the guardia because of it. I dont know what happened in the end, but he was none to pleased about not having a car!

So no, dont break the law. Besides they do so many spot checks on drivers....

Jo xxx


----------



## Brits on the move (May 23, 2015)

*Totting up*



baldilocks said:


> Yep, afraid so. There is little or no safety net here so you have to be fully self-supporting and to register as a resident on the foreigners list you have to show that you have sufficient income and that you are covered for healthcare. If you are on Old Age Pension, then DWP in Newcastle will issue you with forms S1 which will cover you for health care. The Spanish government don't want you to find yourself in a position where you may need to go back to UK because you have no money or are ill (you may have heard that the UK authorities [Embassy, Consulates, etc.] are very limited in what assistance they can give you. The alternative as far as the income is concerned is to have a capital sum of 6,000 € per person in a Spanish bank account.


Thanks for clarifying that, with several years before either of us qualify for Old Age Pensions I'll have to get my calculator out to see if we meet with that requirement.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Brits on the move said:


> Thanks for clarifying that, with several years before either of us qualify for Old Age Pensions I'll have to get my calculator out to see if we meet with that requirement.


Have sent you a PM


----------

