# UK reg'd car in Spain



## tands357 (Jun 11, 2012)

I have just been reading a thread in Portugal ex pats concerning taking your car over with you when you when live in Portugal. You have to apply for residency after 3months after which time you can't legally drive a UK reg'd car. We intend to spend no more than 183 days a yr in Spain ....do the same rules apply in Spain...we wouldn't want to buy a lhd car in Spain for half a yr. we plan to rent in Spain, will own a place in the UK and don't intend to work Do they make life difficult on purpose?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Yes, if you are in Spain for more than 90 days, then you wont be a tourist, you'll be a resident and wont be able to legally drive or keep a UK registered car there. The rules appear to apply across europe, no one is making life difficult - its simple, your car needs to be registered in the car where it is kept for more than 90 days!

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

tands357 said:


> I have just been reading a thread in Portugal ex pats concerning taking your car over with you when you when live in Portugal. You have to apply for residency after 3months after which time you can't legally drive a UK reg'd car. We intend to spend no more than 183 days a yr in Spain ....do the same rules apply in Spain...we wouldn't want to buy a lhd car in Spain for half a yr. we plan to rent in Spain, will own a place in the UK and don't intend to work Do they make life difficult on purpose?


basically ............ yes, the same rules apply

how long are you planning to spend in Spain at a time, though? If it's less than 90 days (even 89) , you don't have to register as resident & as long as you can prove that you've been coming & going, if asked, then you can drive your UK plated car as long as it's legal (MOT, tax, ins etc.,) in the UK


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Don't you get a year after residency to change the car plates?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

NickZ said:


> Don't you get a year after residency to change the car plates?


 No, 3 months!

Jo xxx


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

tands357 said:


> I have just been reading a thread in Portugal ex pats concerning taking your car over with you when you when live in Portugal. You have to apply for residency after 3months after which time you can't legally drive a UK reg'd car. We intend to spend no more than 183 days a yr in Spain ....do the same rules apply in Spain...we wouldn't want to buy a lhd car in Spain for half a yr. we plan to rent in Spain, will own a place in the UK and don't intend to work Do they make life difficult on purpose?



... you'd best make that 182 days in Spain or you will also have to register for tax!


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## chica escocesa (Jul 23, 2012)

Do you mean you need to sell your car and buy a Spanish one or just re-register your uk car in Spain ? Sorry for being thick!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

chica escocesa said:


> Do you mean you need to sell your car and buy a Spanish one or just re-register your uk car in Spain ? Sorry for being thick!


you can re-register your UK car in Spain, but an awful lot of people consider it better to just get rid of it & buy a Spanish one


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## tands357 (Jun 11, 2012)

Its alright to say buy a Spanish car or register your UK car but what happens when we go back to England. We can't buy a car every 6 months. Help surely we can't be the only people who want to spend 6months in the UK and 6 months spain.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

tands357 said:


> Its alright to say buy a Spanish car or register your UK car but what happens when we go back to England. We can't buy a car every 6 months. Help surely we can't be the only people who want to spend 6months in the UK and 6 months spain.


OK - let's take this step by step

you want to spend half the year in Spain - yes?

unless you wish to become tax resident you have to be here less than a total of 182 days out of every 365

if you are intending to be here for more that 90 _consecutive_ days, you need to register as resident - after which you have 90 days to re-matriculate your car (or to at least set the ball rolling)

so - if you register as resident at 90 days, you will be leaving before/when the next 90 days are up - you've been in Spain pretty much 6 months but not quite.............. so no - you don't have to rematriculate

or - if you leave at day 89 & return at day 91, the clock resets & again, you don't have to rematriculate


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

tands357 said:


> Do they make life difficult on purpose?


No, they just try to stop people cheating the system. It is the same with most things here, if you don't want to play by the rules, stay home. 

From the way you talk (write) I presume that you are Brit (You don't say where you are from in your profile) so how do you feel about immigrants/vistors to UK (or wherever you are from) trying to cheat the system there?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> No, they just try to stop people cheating the system. It is the same with most things here, if you don't want to play by the rules, stay home.
> 
> From the way you talk (write) I presume that you are Brit (You don't say where you are from in your profile) so how do you feel about immigrants/vistors to UK (or wherever you are from) trying to cheat the system there?


but he doesn't want to spend more than 6 months a year in Spain - & the system says


> Importing your UK registered vehicle from the UK to Spain
> 
> If you spend longer than six months of the year in Spain with your UK registered car, Spanish law says you must register your vehicle with the Spanish authorities.


from Driving licences and vehicles

so he doesn't in fact have to rematriculate - he needs to _use_ the system - not _cheat_ it


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## tands357 (Jun 11, 2012)

Whoa we,re not trying to cheat any system. Just can't see the logistics working trying to live in two countries. We actually live in Australia and are returning back to the UK but as we can't stand English winters we thought spending half the yr in Spain was a brilliant idea, but we don't want to break any laws.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

tands357 said:


> Whoa we,re not trying to cheat any system. Just can't see the logistics working trying to live in two countries. We actually live in Australia and are returning back to the UK but as we can't stand English winters we thought spending half the yr in Spain was a brilliant idea, but we don't want to break any laws.


Yes, it does seem as if they are making things difficult and I understand that your remark was one of frustration rather than about trying to cheat the system.

As xabiachica says, if you spend 90 _consecutive_ days or more in Spain, you are expected to register as a Resident.
(by the way, you say you are going back to the UK from Australia. Are you a UK citizen? Because if so it makes things a _little_ easier regards moving and living throughout the EU.)

For a UK registered car:
You cannot drive a UK registered car in Spain for more than six months per year (and this includes coming into and going out of the country). This applies (I think) whether you are resident or not.

So, for a six month stay, as long as you are here less than 183 days (182 days to be on the safe side and to include travel to and fro), you do not have to re-matriculate your car.
But, as you will be staying for more than 90 consecutive days, you will have to sign on as a resident, which might cause problems if you are stopped by the trafficos.
So, one of the things you will need to do is make sure you keep your ferry tickets to prove the time you arrived in the country and that it is less than 183 days. 

One question which no one here seems to have deal with is driving a UK registered car here as a resident for six months each year over a number of years.
As I think that could be more problematic.
(although the answer could be in one of those links).


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## Sunhat (Jun 20, 2012)

Have you thought about keeping a small ´run around´ car in each country? I know of some teachers who flew to Murcia every school holiday- they kept an old car in Spain, just 3rd party insurance- I guess it would depend where you could park it while back in the UK for the summer though.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sunhat said:


> Have you thought about keeping a small ´run around´ car in each country? I know of some teachers who flew to Murcia every school holiday- they kept an old car in Spain, just 3rd party insurance- I guess it would depend where you could park it while back in the UK for the summer though.


yes, parking would be a problem, especially if renting 


there is also the issue now that in some areas (I'm sure that will spread) they won't let you transfer car ownership without a resident cert.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Solwriter said:


> One question which no one here seems to have deal with is driving a UK registered car here as a resident for six months each year over a number of years.
> As I think that could be more problematic.
> (although the answer could be in one of those links).


It is dealt with because as a *resident*, you are not allowed to have a foreign registered car in use.


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## redstripe (Jan 19, 2011)

I have been lurking on this forum for a few months, picking up information and titbits here and there that have been very useful. I am in basically the same position as the OP in this thread and fully understand their viewpoint. 
I am early- retired, resident in the UK and, once my wife retires, which she can in just under 2 years, we had intended to sell our “much too big for us now” house in the UK and buy two much smaller ones (one here and one in Spain), spending six months (and a day) here and six months (less a day) in Spain. We don’t want to cheat anyone or break any law, however, this situation is looking problematic. 
We have 2 dogs so flying them back and forwards every six months is not really practical. I’d planned to drive down in my fully taxed, MOT’d and insured UK car and drive back six months later. Now it seems that I’m expected to apply for residency after 90 days and residents can’t drive foreign registered vehicles, however in the residency thread it states …
“Here's a quick machine translation of the Spanish government advice on residence. It doesn't indicate that EU citizems are required to apply for residency after three months, only that they have have the right to (tienen derecho de residencia).”
Now if I don’t actually want to exercise that right and don’t intend to stay for more than six months at a time and my car is legal and fully insured am I going to problems anyway?


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

redstripe said:


> I have been lurking on this forum for a few months, picking up information and titbits here and there that have been very useful. I am in basically the same position as the OP in this thread and fully understand their viewpoint.
> I am early- retired, resident in the UK and, once my wife retires, which she can in just under 2 years, we had intended to sell our “much too big for us now” house in the UK and buy two much smaller ones (one here and one in Spain), spending six months (and a day) here and six months (less a day) in Spain. We don’t want to cheat anyone or break any law, however, this situation is looking problematic.
> We have 2 dogs so flying them back and forwards every six months is not really practical. I’d planned to drive down in my fully taxed, MOT’d and insured UK car and drive back six months later. Now it seems that I’m expected to apply for residency after 90 days and residents can’t drive foreign registered vehicles, however in the residency thread it states …
> “Here's a quick machine translation of the Spanish government advice on residence. It doesn't indicate that EU citizems are required to apply for residency after three months, only that they have have the right to (tienen derecho de residencia).”
> Now if I don’t actually want to exercise that right and don’t intend to stay for more than six months at a time and my car is legal and fully insured am I going to problems anyway?


Residency is not granted by a country but the citizen can choose to be a resident if he so wishes. If each time you come you are only on a long holiday & keep the ferry tickets(&any return ones if already booked) thn you won't have a problem if you are stopped. P.S. A word of advice , don't buy , rent . If you buy now you'll probably be stuck with it forever.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> It is dealt with because as a *resident*, you are not allowed to have a foreign registered car in use.


That's what I was getting at.
It is all very well for us to tell the OP that he can stay in Spain for under 183 days the first year and not change the plates on his vehicle because he would be following the system ie:
Stay in Spain 90 consecutive days or more so sign on at the end of the 90 days for residencia.
As he then has 3 months from his signing on date in which to re-matriculate his vehicle, if he returns to the UK within that time he is ok.
But the next year, he will be arriving as a resident, so he will not be ok.

But to reiterate, the OP has three months from the date he gets residencia to re-matriculate his vehicle. _He doesn't have to do this immediately_.

Edit:
And I actually think that gus-lopez's advice is the better option for the OP and for redstripe who echoed his question.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Solwriter said:


> That's what I was getting at.
> It is all very well for us to tell the OP that he can stay in Spain for under 183 days the first year and not change the plates on his vehicle because he would be following the system ie:
> Stay in Spain 90 consecutive days or more so sign on at the end of the 90 days for residencia.
> As he then has 3 months from his signing on date in which to re-matriculate his vehicle, if he returns to the UK within that time he is ok.
> ...


BUT can he be *"resident"* in Spain as well as in another country? Especially since "resident" doesn't just mean living there for the time being, i.e. it has a legal definition and has legal obligations as well as rights.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> BUT can he be *"resident"* in Spain as well as in another country? Especially since "resident" doesn't just mean living there for the time being, i.e. it has a legal definition and has legal obligations as well as rights.



This is where the English language is so great (or any language for that matter).

The concept of 'resident' is a strange one - does it mean domiciled, does it mean resident for tax purposes, does it mean 'normally resident' or something else?


The last is one I have personal experience of. I was working for a UK company but based in Germany. Anyway, once that job had finished, and I returned to the UK, they pointed out that I was no longer employed by them. Naturally I took them to the small claims court for unfair dismissal. I had a solicitor who thought I should win the case.

The day came and the judge ruled that the case could not be heard as I was "not normally resident in UK". This despite paying tax in UK, having a property, paying 'poll' tax, being on electoral role etc. etc.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> BUT can he be *"resident"* in Spain as well as in another country? Especially since "resident" doesn't just mean living there for the time being, i.e. it has a legal definition and has legal obligations as well as rights.


Short of somebody coming up with a legal opinion I'd say no. All these requirements are related to the EU. 

Everything from your car tax,drivers license,local elections etc are related to your residency.

Just think of this. After five years of legal residence all the requirements for income and health care go away.

If somebody really cares they could email the EU help email and ask


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

NickZ said:


> Short of somebody coming up with a legal opinion I'd say no. All these requirements are related to the EU.
> 
> Everything from your car tax,drivers license,local elections etc are related to your residency.
> 
> ...


It would, at least, provide employment for a load of bureaucrats and several hundred translators for about two years and keep them from more trivial exercises such as seeing how they can screw up people's lives a bit more.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> BUT can he be *"resident"* in Spain as well as in another country? Especially since "resident" doesn't just mean living there for the time being, i.e. it has a legal definition and has legal obligations as well as rights.


According to HMRC you can:
HM Revenue & Customs: Meaning of 'residence' and how it affects your tax

As snikpoh says, there are different definitions of resident according to the HMRC, for example:


> What counts as 'ordinarily resident'?
> ....... Generally speaking, you are 'ordinarily resident' in the country where, for the time being, it is usual for you to live. *You can be ordinarily resident in two countries, if it is usual for you to live in both during the year.*


But of course that is for income tax purposes and regards fiscal residency which is not necessarily the same as residencia (or whatever those of us from the EU like to call it). And it complicates the issue.

Plus there is always the thought that at some time, as a declared resident, a person may be assumed to be liable for paying tax in Spain and it will be up to him to prove otherwise.

This is why I agree with Gus's post.
For the OP, as someone who visits Spain each year for a long term holiday but still has his principal residence in the UK, if he has private health cover and doesn't want to buy a car, take out an internet contract or a bunch of other things he may have to show evidence of residency for, he _may_ be better going by the EU option which states that he can choose whether he becomes resident or not.


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## redstripe (Jan 19, 2011)

Having jumped in on this thread, thanks to all for the advice. It’s all very confusing this and, for me, one option might just be to spend a bit longer in Spain, (which I wouldn't mind anyway) get Spanish residency and have the car matriculated and insured there. It would make no difference to me tax wise as both our pensions are UK government ones. As for Gus’s advice re renting, yes, I understand that. We’ll certainly rent at first and only buy if we find exactly the right place – we’re not looking at it as an investment anyway.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

redstripe said:


> Having jumped in on this thread, thanks to all for the advice. It’s all very confusing this and, for me, one option might just be to spend a bit longer in Spain, (which I wouldn't mind anyway) get Spanish residency and have the car matriculated and insured there. It would make no difference to me tax wise as both our pensions are UK government ones. As for Gus’s advice re renting, yes, I understand that. We’ll certainly rent at first and only buy if we find exactly the right place – we’re not looking at it as an investment anyway.


If you do that then you will have the same situation in the UK. 6 months & the car will have to be re-registered as the rules are the same there.


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## redstripe (Jan 19, 2011)

gus-lopez said:


> If you do that then you will have the same situation in the UK. 6 months & the car will have to be re-registered as the rules are the same there.


Yes, I know. The 6 months here and 6 months there idea has always been based on compromise anyway due to many different factors. The car thing was just one of them. It's never been an absolute, just a way of trying not to burn too many bridges in uncertain times. Back to the drawing board I think.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

You know the drive could have a a few days of stops along the way. Do you really want to do the drive without one? Shouldn't be that hard to stay close but under the six months.


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## tands357 (Jun 11, 2012)

There is so much information on here thanks everyone. But i just wanted to tell you about a story i read about a couple who live full time in Spain and drive a lhd car (obviously ) they have family in England and visit for a couple of wks several times a yr. On their last visit their car was impounded because "you can't drive a foreign reg'd car for 6month's ". But they only go for 2weeks at a time......no said the police ...you were here in April and its now Nov ..that's more than 6month's, they did eventually get their car back but were told to hide it till they left and the drive straight to dover and not to stop on the way. So it is just as difficult coming back to the UK from europe. If we only stay in Spain for 90days at a time twice a yr say, would we then be ok regarding the residency laws and not have to register the car. Sorry this is so long .


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