# Rematriculating a UK Commercial Vehicle



## jimllshiftit (May 24, 2009)

Hello all, 

I know the whole rematriculation thing has been done to death on these forums but I am struggling to find an answer to my question through old threads. 

Ive read that it is impossible to rematriculate RHD commercial vehicles but are LHD commercials OK? Also does the vehicle have to have left the factory as LHD or are conversions acceptable? 

I have a 1978 Mini Pickup which is currently RHD but could be changed over before entering Spain.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

jimllshiftit said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I know the whole rematriculation thing has been done to death on these forums but I am struggling to find an answer to my question through old threads.
> 
> ...


You are unable to matriculate a RHD commercial vehicle in Spain I'm afraid. I guess you could have it professionally changed to LHD but I would certainly speak to a gestor here who specialises in cars matriculation first.


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hi

As far as I know, you can not import a RHD commercial vehicle but you can a LHD. But the costs of changing the steering wheel to the other side is usually prohibitive. Remember that it costs over 500 euros to rematriculate a car - on top of lights etc 

Davexf


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## jimllshiftit (May 24, 2009)

Thanks for the responses. 

Changing a Mini from RHD to LHD is a very easy job and not at all expensive. What I want to know, however, is did the vehicle have to leave the factory as LHD?


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hi

I doubt a normal ITV centre would pass it if it knew- to me it´s a gamble - don´t know if a vin check would throw that up 

Davexf


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

The problem for changes such as an RHD / LHD conversion in Spain after the so called "anti-tuning law" which came into force in Jan 2012, is that any change to a car must be individually homologated.

Some changes, like adding fog lights, changing the seats, etc are considered to be "minor changes", however any changes to the mechanical properties would be considered an "important change" which means that it would need an approved engineer's report and a certificate of the approved workshop that carried out the work. Forget all notions of doing it yourself.

However, in your case there is no existing information about your vehicle in Spain, i.e. there is no ficha técnica for your VIN number in Spain, therefore they don't know on what side the steering wheel is now.

If you carry out the work to change to LHD BEFORE you come to Spain then it is extremely unlikely that they could ever find out that you have changed it, even if they did, as long as you can prove that the vehicle is legal in the UK when it was marked for permanent export, they can't force you to retrospectively apply to a law in Spain that didn't apply at the time of the change. 

I can't remember if the V5 includes such details, but of it does, make sure that you get it amended in the UK before you export. That way the Spanish authorities will have to accept it as legal when performing the import ITV check.

Disclaimer time: This is my interpretation of the situation, the ITV tester that you get may not share my interpretation, may not know anything about the new law, may not like minis, or may simply be in a bad mood and decide to refuse to accept your pick up....

By the way, have you actually checked that there is an equivalent homologation code for a Mini pick up in Spain? I can't recall ever seeing one here, and if the code doesn't exist in Spain you're in for a long and expensive process to privately homologate an entire vehicle individually.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

There is nothing on a UK log book to indicate whether it is rhd or lhd. Nor anything re ; Wheel/tyre sizes.
Do it before you come , it'll be cheaper.
It used to be quite common in the 80's for 7/8 year old ex-dutch mini's to be changed to rhd & sold in the UK.


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## jimllshiftit (May 24, 2009)

That does help me to understand the situation a little more clearly but I accept your point that it is just your interpretation. My concern was that I may have been asked to provide some sort of "build certificate" which would state that it did not leave the factory as LHD. 

Mini pickups are thin on the ground everywhere but I do know of one Spanish registered one on Tenerife and I have been told of two others on the Costa del Sol. That said I dont know if any of them are national cars, imports or just pickup shells with Mini saloon ID's pop rivetted on to the valance. I know of one in Girona which is exactly that. 

As far as I know AUTHI didnt produce mini pickups so they were never sold in Spain. Will that work against me?


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

jimllshiftit said:


> That does help me to understand the situation a little more clearly but I accept your point that it is just your interpretation. My concern was that I may have been asked to provide some sort of "build certificate" which would state that it did not leave the factory as LHD.
> 
> Mini pickups are thin on the ground everywhere but I do know of one Spanish registered one on Tenerife and I have been told of two others on the Costa del Sol. That said I dont know if any of them are national cars, imports or just pickup shells with Mini saloon ID's pop rivetted on to the valance. I know of one in Girona which is exactly that.
> 
> As far as I know AUTHI didnt produce mini pickups so they were never sold in Spain. Will that work against me?


I know its an important issue for you, but this maybe gives you an idea of how reality can sometimes be different to what we all think

When I came to Spain I bought a RHD car with me. A car that is not produced anywhere in the world other than Japan. I imported it into the UK and I changed the brakes, the exhaust system, the wheel sizes, the air filter system, stuck a carbon fibre bonnet on it and changed most of the interior. I then bought it to Spain and it passed the ITV and importation test with no problem ... with the original RHD headlamps

So ....... as I mentioned earlier, speak to a Gestor that specialises in Car importation in Spain to ascertain if what you are proposing will be acceptable. I can tel you one thing, someone else will tell you something else, but at the end of the day what the Gestor says (who knows the local system) is going to be much more important.

The only other alternative is do the conversion, bring it over, begin the procedure and see what happens. Theres a cost involved there though, obviously


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hi

Yes it depends on the day on the person doing the ITV. Having done over 200 imports, I know of only one person who didn´t change the headlights, and got away with it. Also the system has changed beyond recognition in the 9 years I have been doing it, and computers play a much bigger part these days. 

If the cost of changing to LHD is not great then try it; if you are prepared to swap back and return the car to the UK to be sold. That is your gamble. I would add that the people who do the import ITV´s are not daft; they don´t have any worries passing or failing a particular car. But if the car looks like it has been tampered with then they are more likely to investigate - therefore the change over should be made "dirty" so it doesn´t stand out. 

Davexf


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

We are now looking at a much more tricky issue than simple LHD /RHD.

If AUTHI never made a mini pickup and none were ever sold in Spain the I would be prepared to bet that there is no homologation code for the model type in Spain.

The homologation code is where the ITV stations get the generic information for each type of vehicle against which to do an import ITV, and if they do not have that then they will have to follow a different process which effectively involves homologating the model type from scratch, as if you were the manufacturer of the vehicle. This could get very costly.

Excuse my ignorance about Minis (I am more of a BMW fan), but were any pick ups produced after 1991 /92 (I doubt it) but the reason for asking is that prior to this date homologation codes were not unified across the EU, but afterwards they were.

So, if a code does exist, you woud almost certainly have to prove that your pick up is essesntially identical to the same model being produced when the codes were unified (this would make the issue of if Mini Pick ups were ever imported / sold in SPain irrelevant) and then your vehicle MAY be homologated using the common, post 1991 code. You may need proof from a recognised car club, the manufacturer, or an approved engineer to prove this.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Overandout said:


> We are now looking at a much more tricky issue than simple LHD /RHD.
> 
> If AUTHI never made a mini pickup and none were ever sold in Spain the I would be prepared to bet that there is no homologation code for the model type in Spain.
> 
> ...



I think I mentioned that the car I bought in was never made anywhere except Japan, and only for the Japanese market. I didnt have to prove anything of the kind, because it had gone through an SVA test and MOT in the UK which approved as being EU standard


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

The usual reason you can't re-register a RHD commercial vehicle in Spain (e.g. panel van/ caravanette, etc) is visiblity from the driving seat through the vehicle to the left hand side apart from through the passnger door window. However, we are talking about a pick-up, so provided there is no fixed covering over the loadspace, I would not have thought that there would be a problem if it was RHD. Just because it is a pick-up it doesn't have to be a commercial vehicle.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Stravinsky said:


> I think I mentioned that the car I bought in was never made anywhere except Japan, and only for the Japanese market. I didnt have to prove anything of the kind, because it had gone through an SVA test and MOT in the UK which approved as being EU standard


Yes, but when wah the car brought into the EU, after 1991 I'll bet?


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> The usual reason you can't re-register a RHD commercial vehicle in Spain (e.g. panel van/ caravanette, etc) is visiblity from the driving seat through the vehicle to the left hand side apart from through the passnger door window. However, we are talking about a pick-up, so provided there is no fixed covering over the loadspace, I would not have thought that there would be a problem if it was RHD. Just because it is a pick-up it doesn't have to be a commercial vehicle.


Hi

They changed the rules to say you have to have "all round vision" 

Davexf


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> I think I mentioned that the car I bought in was never made anywhere except Japan, and only for the Japanese market. I didnt have to prove anything of the kind, because it had gone through an SVA test and MOT in the UK which approved as being EU standard


Unfortunately Spain has its own set of rules - ignoring EU - and it will do an ITV to its own standards if a car is being imported. It tries to ensure that the car is the same as if it had been bought new in Spain. 

Davexf


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

All these car threads seem to be the same, with the bottom line being that it depends who you ask, the mood of the ITV people on any given day, and whether your gestor is a decent one or not. The phrase, "In the lap of the gods" was made for this subject I think!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Dunpleecin said:


> All these car threads seem to be the same, with the bottom line being that it depends who you ask, the mood of the ITV people on any given day, and whether your gestor is a decent one or not. The phrase, "In the lap of the gods" was made for this subject I think!



That pretty much sums up Spain lol!!!

Jo xxx


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

davexf said:


> Unfortunately Spain has its own set of rules - ignoring EU - and it will do an ITV to its own standards if a car is being imported.* It tries to ensure that the car is the same as if it had been bought new in Spain. *
> 
> Davexf


I dont dispute your expertise Dave, but in reality thats not actually true as not all cars can be bought new in Spain



Dunpleecin said:


> All these car threads seem to be the same, with the bottom line being that it depends who you ask, the mood of the ITV people on any given day, and whether your gestor is a decent one or not. The phrase, "In the lap of the gods" was made for this subject I think!


Which is why I stated that the Op should contact a specialist Gestor who knows the local procedures, because its clear things differ from place to place


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

I bought a specialist LDV mini bus into Spain a good few years back & when all was done and dusted it could have gone onto Spanish plates if I took it to Cheste circuit (only run twice a year) in Valencia where they run a special import inspection day for Grey Imports (like Strav's car) and it would then been put onto Spanish plates.
Around 1k gave me a pause for thought, so sold it to a lad down south.


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## jimllshiftit (May 24, 2009)

Regarding this "not on sale in Spain" rule will that still be the case if someone has already imported a Mini P'up to Spain - couldnt I just use their code? Would that be on the SVA/ITV's file? 

Cheste Circuit sounds interesting and should be worth a look, do you know when they hold these events. 

I know it all costs money but I think im in the optimists camp of "see how far you get" after swapping the wheel over (i dont like driving RHD cars on the continent).


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

playamonte said:


> I bought a specialist LDV mini bus into Spain a good few years back & when all was done and dusted it could have gone onto Spanish plates if I took it to Cheste circuit (only run twice a year)* in Valencia where they run a special import inspection day for Grey Imports (like Strav's car) and it would then been put onto Spanish plates.*
> Around 1k gave me a pause for thought, so sold it to a lad down south.


Thats really interesting, didnt even know that happened!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I'm thinking of matriculating a bike, what do you think of my chances?










If pic doesn't appear click on:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/members/baldilocks-albums-posts-picture2354-image2.html


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> I'm thinking of matriculating a bike, what do you think of my chances?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is it Left hand drive?


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> I'm thinking of matriculating a bike, what do you think of my chances?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi 

Yes perfectly possible !!! BUT and it is a big BUT the cost may be prohibitive as you will have to have it "Type Tested". All is possible if you throw sufficient money at it LOL 

Davexf


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Stravinsky said:


> Is it Left hand drive?


No, but it does have good all-round visibility.


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## jonmlb748 (Oct 30, 2011)

over twenty five years old and it gets a historico matriculation,different kettle of fish altogether.our nearby German mechanic brought a uk plated Morris minor van


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## jonmlb748 (Oct 30, 2011)

whoops, hit send button .anyway he brought a right hand drive moggy minor van and rematriculated it .it got a H plate and as I remember only needs testing every five years.


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## jimllshiftit (May 24, 2009)

Matriculation Historico, Now that is interesting and I dont think Moggy Vans were available in Spain. Thinking about it I remember a Moggy Pickup in Lanzarote which had an H plate too. 

So, after swapping the steering wheel over and getting the underside all nice and dirty i do have some options to bring the p'up with me.


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## jimllshiftit (May 24, 2009)

Does he have to have the vehicle weigh stickers on the side of his van?


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> Thats really interesting, didnt even know that happened!


Yes I thought so at the time as well (Gestor who was dealing with the vehicles at the time told me)
Is it still happening ?, lost interest myself as soon as I bought a local set of wheels.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

jimllshiftit said:


> Does he have to have the vehicle weigh stickers on the side of his van?


You only need that if you are using it commercially. 
Only trouble with historic registration is the cost. It is far dearer & if you go down that route there are various car clubs who it would be wise to contact as they can make the process far easier as well as some of them are registered to classify various makes.


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