# GB Car In Spain



## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

I'm driving my GB registered car to Spain soon. It's 16 years old now and could be seeing the last of it's days. I'm worried about what problems I face in having to scrap it in Spain. I don't think it'll be worth registering it for obvious reasons. I will be living there indefinitely so I'll use it for as long as I can. I'm not sure of my choices. Appreciate any advice.
Thanks - baz


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

baz said:


> I'm driving my GB registered car to Spain soon. It's 16 years old now and could be seeing the last of it's days. I'm worried about what problems I face in having to scrap it in Spain. I don't think it'll be worth registering it for obvious reasons. I will be living there indefinitely so I'll use it for as long as I can. I'm not sure of my choices. Appreciate any advice.
> Thanks - baz


You can only legally drive it for 90 days, then you have to either matriculate it onto Spanish plates, or send it back. 

Jo xxx


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

jojo said:


> You can only legally drive it for 90 days, then you have to either matriculate it onto Spanish plates, or send it back.
> 
> Jo xxx


... or scrap it. 

This is quite legal in Spain provided it has been exported from UK correctly (NOTE - one must notify DVLA that it is being exported).!


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

What sort of cost would it be to make a UK car fully legal, registered etc. Thanks very much


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Around €1000 although this will vary depending on the age and make and value of the vehicle as well as the area in which it is being done. Ours cost €500 but a friend was set back €1500. Same vehicle, different regions.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Thanks Thrax

Have a bash at my question on the thread " Selling UK car in Spain"


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

I took the car over last year for 6 months but brought it back to the UK as my insurance only allowed 6 months. While there I noticed quite a few UK GB plates in the area. jojo says only 90 days legally??? Really? Direct Line covered me for 180 days. I could of actually stayed longer but didn't want to risk it. It seems a bit of a grey area. Has the law there changed from 180 to 90 days recently?


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

Rabbitcat said:


> Thanks Thrax
> 
> Have a bash at my question on the thread " Selling UK car in Spain"


Thanks - I'll try to find it


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hola

If you intend to become a resident then you must start the matriculation process after 90 days - However, if you are in Spain on holiday and will return to your own country, then you can be on holiday for 180 days. 

Having said that, different Guardia interpret in different ways 

Davexf


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

davexf said:


> Hola
> 
> If you intend to become a resident then you must start the matriculation process after 90 days - However, if you are in Spain on holiday and will return to your own country, then you can be on holiday for 180 days.
> 
> ...


There's also a grey area concerning foreign workers on temporary employment
contracts in Spain - who ( so long as their contract doesn't exceed the 180 days )
would resist matriculation and conversion to Spanish plates - if their next job
takes them back home to their home country.
That is they have no intention of becoming permanent residents in Spain because
their next job offer could be outside Spain or even back home.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

baz said:


> I took the car over last year for 6 months but brought it back to the UK as my insurance only allowed 6 months. While there I noticed quite a few UK GB plates in the area. jojo says only 90 days legally??? Really? Direct Line covered me for 180 days. I could of actually stayed longer but didn't want to risk it. It seems a bit of a grey area. Has the law there changed from 180 to 90 days recently?


The fact that a lot of ex-UK residents live here and use their vehicles illegally, does not mean that YOU have to follow suit. It can be quite disconcerting being turfed out of your car and left at the side of the road, hoping a bus will be along soon, as the Guardia take your vehicle away for crushing (no recompense! and no repeal!)


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

The word matriculation, is that from a Spanish process to register the car? Or possibly the process of formally telling the authorities your car is now in Spain and therefore subject to the authorities and taxes? It's a bit confusing, I just thought the process was to register the car but I suppose a persons name and address has to be on the car too. Here in the UK you can have an owner and a driver, very much like trucks lorries and vans that deliver goods to Europe, they are obviously business based but I'm more interested in the obligations of the individual who may be initially going to Spain on holiday and not sure if they'll be staying but may need to put things in place if they do. I suppose it's the preparation process that I'm interested in. Any advice is welcome


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> The fact that a lot of ex-UK residents live here and use their vehicles illegally, does not mean that YOU have to follow suit. It can be quite disconcerting being turfed out of your car and left at the side of the road, hoping a bus will be along soon, as the Guardia take your vehicle away for crushing (no recompense! and no repeal!)


Yes I have heard them horror stories too and I'm more responsible, just need to know where the law is on this subject, it is not clear what the stay period is and I couldn't easily find out so I returned back.


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

I've managed to get some advice from here:-
Can I drive my English car in Spain. Registering a UK car in Spain


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

baz said:


> I've managed to get some advice from here:-
> Can I drive my English car in Spain. Registering a UK car in Spain


Sorry Baz but that is an advert for their services and has a major inaccuracy:


> Can I keep my UK registered car in Spain?
> Yes, but you can only keep it and drive it in Spain for a maximum of 6 months – after that you will have to get it registered onto Spanish plates. Remembering that throughout that time you have to ensure that the car remains fully legal with a UK MOT, road tax and insurance for the full period you intend to stay. If you decide not to put it onto Spanish plates then you have to remove the car from Spain as you are allowed only to drive it in Spain for 6 months in any calendar year on UK plates.


If you are here for more than 90 days you have to be registered on the foreigners' register and you should commence that registration process within the 90 days, not wait until they have passed. Once you are thus a resident, you cannot legally drive a foreign registered vehicle in Spain and you have a further 90 days, from the date of your registration (i.e. less than 6 months in total). So what do you do then? Either get it registered in Spain or take it back to UK.


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

This is what I suspected but none of the local expats knew or could give me proper advice, there was tons of contradictions so I opted to come back with the car before the 6 months was up. It's surprising exactly how little everyone knows about this. It could possibly be denial . Last year was a trial run for me so I'm not too sure what to do this year. I may take the car over again, sell/scrap it and buy a Spanish car and stay there. I don't doubt for one minute that it'll be a complicated process. It's just making sure the UK/Spanish paperwork is correct.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

davexf said:


> Hola
> 
> If you intend to become a resident then you must start the matriculation process after 90 days - However, if you are in Spain on holiday and will return to your own country, then you can be on holiday for 180 days.
> 
> ...


& if you are going to be doing that up this end of Andalucia make sure you have obtained a " certificate of non-residency" as the GC will just dish out a " notice to matriculate" otherwise.

@ Williams 2 They are known as " cross -border " workers & the GC up this end of Andalucia just dish out the "rematriculate" notice knowing that the cost of replating is less than the cost of fighting it.
I was speaking to a Scotsman recently who lives in Germany & Spain but never spends more than a total of 5 months/year here who got given notice to replate his new business van. As he said it was less aggro to replate & the Germans fortunately don't have a problem with it.


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## baz (Apr 21, 2009)

Pardon my ignorance but what exactly is a notice to matriculate and what does it involve?


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

baz said:


> Pardon my ignorance but what exactly is a notice to matriculate and what does it involve?


A 'notice to matriculate' is an order given to you by the police to get your vehicle legal within a period of time.

Legal means to be matriculated - on Spanish plates, tax paid and with insurance.

This SHOULD be started within 90 days of arriving and be completed within 183 days.


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> A 'notice to matriculate' is an order given to you by the police to get your vehicle legal within a period of time.
> 
> Legal means to be matriculated - on Spanish plates, tax paid and with insurance.
> 
> This SHOULD be started within 90 days of arriving and be completed within 183 days.


 Hola

I am going to disagree with you; can you quote the Spanish law(s) please as I believe under European law, if your intention is to return to your country of origin within the 180 period allowed, then you cannot be forced to rematriculate your car. 

In all my dealings with the authorities (and I have rematriculated over 200 cars) I have never had a problem nor has anyone ever said anything about HAVING to matriculate the vehicle except to save money, then helpful Hacienda staff (and the ITV manager) have mentioned it. 

Davexf


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

davexf said:


> Hola
> 
> I am going to disagree with you; can you quote the Spanish law(s) please as I believe under European law, if your intention is to return to your country of origin within the 180 period allowed, then you cannot be forced to rematriculate your car.
> 
> ...


I'm with snikpoh on this - can you quote the European law?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

davexf said:


> Hola
> 
> I am going to disagree with you; can you quote the Spanish law(s) please as I believe under European law, if your intention is to return to your country of origin within the 180 period allowed, then you cannot be forced to rematriculate your car.
> 
> ...


you used to be able to get some kind of certificate from customs as you arrived in Spain, to say that the car would be leaving within 6 months - a sort of 'temporary import cert'

do you know if that's still available?


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