# Taking own car to spain



## kelly

Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of bringing my own car to spain? Has anyone got first hand experiance of this?

Regards Kelly


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## Stravinsky

kelly said:


> Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of bringing my own car to spain? Has anyone got first hand experiance of this?
> 
> Regards Kelly



Yes

It depends on how much you like your car really.

Second hand cars here are more expensive than the UK, whereas new ones tend to be quite good value. When you move here you will of course become a Spanish resident, and as such you will not be allowed legally to drive an English plated car, and the rule now I think is that you have to get it matriculated on to Spanish plates within 60 days of residency. The Spanish police have been known recently to fine people and compensate the cars of offenders.

Also you need to matriculate within that 60 days of residency to avoid the import registration fees. You must have owned the car in the UK also for 6 months to qualify for this reduction. Even so, when I bought my car here the whole matriculation process cost about €950, so you have to factor that into your calculations. 

Whilst its on UK plates in Spain it needs to have a current MOT in the UK and be road taxed. A UK insurance co is unlikely to cover the car over here once you become a resident. A Spanish insurance company may well insure the UK plated car, but if your MOT or road tax runs out it may be null and void.

So if you have a particular attachment to your car, or you haven't had it too long I guess you might consider bringing it.


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## piella

*I bought over my VW Campervan to Lanzarote - My Experience*

*Importing my VW T25 1986, right hand drive, high roof, converted campervan from England to Lanzarote.*

General consensus from everyone in Lanzarote that I spoke to when I arrived ... "drive it back to the UK, you will not be able to matriculate it."

No way ... I would not give up. I love my campervan.

I arrived on the ferry from Cadiz – Arrecife on 15th October 2008. I have 30 days to declare that I want to import the vehicle and make an application to import the van without paying duty on it. I find out initially I can bring the van into the country as long as I have owned it for more than 6 months and complete all the paperwork within the 30 days and re-register it with Spanish plats. Or I can drive it on English plates, English insurance, English tax, English MOT for up to 6 months (Spanish law and my insurance company The Caravan Club gave me only 6 months driving abroad on my insurance)

After 6 months of driving the van on English plates I would have to take it back to the UK. If I wanted to import it after this I would have to pay the import duty 

However it took me 8 months to complete the process, due to a) the van breaking down in the middle of it and b) me breaking my arm and not being able to drive or do anything for 3 months!!!)

I am still not clear about everything as I went from pillar to post, but this is the process I went through and I hope it helps anyone bringing their old vehicles into the country. It can be done:

My experience:
*1)	Apply for NIE number* – 2 days – Police Station - €40
(NIE is an abbreviation for Número de identidad de extranjero, which translates as ‘Identification number for foreigners’.) I used a paperwork specialist called Guy to help me here. He filled in the NIE application form and told me to meet him at 10.15am at the local police station in Arrecife. I then sat in a queue for 15mins and presented the form with my passport to the administrator. They told me to come back the next day to pick up my number. I picked up my number the next day. Cost €40 (of which €9 tax €31 to Guy who helped with my paperwork – could have done it myself but less hassle using Guy as didn’t know where or what I was doing … and I don’t speak Spanish!)

*2)	Certificado de Empadronamiento* – 1 hour – Town Hall - €1
Empadronamiento refers to the process of registering with your community’s padrón (city roll)

I had to prove that I was a resident in Lanzarote. I went with my landlord to the Town Hall in Tinajo where I am living. They looked up his passport number on the computer and the lady took my passport number and registered me at his address. I should have given her my NIE number but as I didn’t have it yet she asked me to bring it in the next day. She said a policeman would be around the house soon to check that I was living at the address. She printed off the form, stamped and dated it. This piece of paper cost €1 and now meant that I had proof of residency (without going for full residency, which I didn’t want)

*3)	Import Tax Exemption Paper (DUA)* – 4 days back and forth – Antonio Fernadez €105
AVENIDA DE MARMOLES, Tel: 928 811 392
Antonio Fernadez is an Agency of Taxes where you present all your paperwork so that you can either pay the tax or apply for exemption on the vehicle. As I had only been in the country a few weeks I was applying for exemption (you are allowed to bring in a vehicle as a personal possession)
I needed to show:
a.	Passport
b.	Certifcate de Empadronmamiento
c.	NIE number
d.	V5
e.	Ferry ticket (proof of ticket cost and date needed – I only had my boarding card so the lady phoned the ferry company and they faxed a copy of my ticket to the office)

She looked up my vehicle to get the value of it (€1,200) – she couldn’t find a VW T25 Transporter so she chose the closest engine size transporter and processed my application. 

I then had to go away and do two more things:

a)	Go to the Traffico Police in Arrecife and get a Solicitud de Matriculacion form
b)	Go to the Ministerio de Economia y Hacienda (the government tax administration office in Arrecife ) to register myself with them for this I needed to fill in form Modelo 030 show my NIE number and I took away the dated form with its number.

I then phoned Antonio Fernadez and told them I was registered with the Hacienda and she said she would prepare my paperwork, I was to go back in the next morning and pay the €105 fee and I would not have to pay the import tax on the vehicle.

To be continued if I can on next thread (as too long) .....


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## piella

*I bought my VW campervan over to Lanzarote - continued*

*4)	Homologation - Inspeccion No Periodica* (Engineers Report)
Part 1 of the ITV €151.56 by Juan Ficha Technica (mechanic)
Homologation is a technical term which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority. Cars, for instance, must be homologated by a public agency to assure that they meet standards for such things as safety and environmental impact.
To get the Inspeccion No Periodica (a detailed examination of vehicles which sets the details of your vehicle for future inspections, measurements, weight, etc..) Juan came to my house and measured the vehicle and took down all its particulars.
If you change your tyres, engine, lights etc., you have to go through this again. 
*
5)	Homologation - ITV Inspeccion Periodica*
1st Test: €38.35 13/02/09
Inspeccion Periodica – The routine bi-annual or annual test of vehicles (ITV) when it is due.

a)	New LHD lights to replace English RHD ones
£35 each (second hand) +p&p
If your vehicle is right-hand drive, then your lights are designed to point towards the left hand curb, these are not acceptable in Spain, so headlights designed to point to the right are obligatory. This applies to all vehicle types including motorcycles.

b)	Exterior overtaking mirror – clamp on
£15.99 +p&p

c)	My windows have dark tinted film on them but the film does not have an EU kite code on 
d)	Electrics (mains hookup) – no certificate (had to remove electrics – I put back in after ITV)

e)	Gas (cooker) – no certificate (had to remove gas – I put back in after ITV)

6)	2nd Test: €38.35 24/04/09

Paid again because so long since last test … due to van breaking down!

Sticking points with ITV. They needed the above mentioned physical things changing. Once I had made all the amendments they needed, the boss at the ITV station needed my mechanic’s report to say it was a “live-in vehicle” on the paperwork (not T25 transporter) because the van had been converted since being manufactured. My Ficha Technica changed this for no charge. But I also needed to provide a manual from the people who converted it to prove that the van was a campervan, and not a commercial van (this I made myself in photoshop!!) Without these I could not get my ITV certificate, because the van had been converted since manufacture and therefore did not fall into the Spanish regulations (i.e. it had a high roof now, it had cooking, sleeping areas etc…. On my V5 thankfully it said “Campervan”, if it had just said “Transporter” I wouldn’t have been able to have changed the Ficha Technica report. Once I had all this in place for the ITV I could proceed. This was by far the most stressful part, getting everything in order for the ITV. I am very surprised that an old, right hand drive, illegally (in the eyes of Spain) converted van, with no homologation number, no certificate of conversion, actually got through ITV. I put this down to wearing a very short skirt each time I went!! 

*7)	Back to Tráfico *with ITV certificate to re-register (matriculate) the vehicle in Lanzarote. Need Modelo 576 Form
*
8) Modelo 576* (Proof of payment of registration tax at the Hacienda)
To get this form I filled out model 576 at the Hacienda, produced my DUA (should be emailed from Agencia de aduanas, I had to go back to the agency and get another DUA as they lost mine), go to bank with the Modelo 576 request and pay €143 import tax (worked out by 11% of value of the van €1,300 – they got this value by looking it up in a book?!), I had to then get a receipt from the bank that I had paid the registration tax and then take the receipt back to Hacienda. Queue up again and the Hacienda issues Modelo 576

*9)	Road Tax:* I then had to go to Auntamiento in Tinajo and pay my road tax (rest of the year was €30 paid at my town hall)


*10)	Matriculation:* Take Modelo 576 back to Tráfico and give Tráfico the following documents:
•	Application form for Matriculation Dirección General de Tráfico[/url])
•	Receipt of Import Admin Fee €90 04/06/09 (pay Tráfico)
•	Identification - NIE / Passport
•	Documentation of vehicle (Blue and pink sheet ITV card)
•	Road Tax (proof of payment)
•	Modelo 576 (registration tax – proving exemption of import tax from customs agency and proving payment of registration tax at the Hacienda)
•	Ficha Technica form issued by the ITV for vehicles purchased in the EU
•	Original document of the vehicle V5
• (DUA) Customs Agency document of import exemption tax (Antonio Fernadez)

Give all papers to Tráfico and come back next day to pick up Permiso de Circulación from the same desk.

The next day I collected the document together with my Tarjeta Tecnica de Vehicluos that was now embossed with my new registration number. I also asked specifically for my V5 (see point 13)

*11) Number Plates: *Took my new registration documents to a car shop and got my number plates made up €20

*12)	Notify DVLA:* When you import your vehicle to Spain and re-register it, send your UK “logbook” to DVLA in Swansea, so you lose your UK registration. 

*13) Let out a huge sigh of relief. Get my life back *
Process started 6th November 2008
Process completed 4th July 2009
8 months of complete and utter frustration

*IN SUMMARY:*
€40 NIE
€1 Enpadronmiento
€105	Customs – Admin Fee (import duty exempt certificate DUA)
€151	Ficha Technica
€70 LH Drive Lights
€76.70	x2 ITV tests
€143	Modelo 576 – Registration Tax
€90 Matriculación Admin Fee (Trafico)
€30 6 months Road Tax
€20 Number Plate
*€726.70	Total cost *

I did it with a lot of help from friends, and with a lot of time. I don't speak Spanish, I work for myself (so could spend the days, upon days, upon days queueing, going to this place, that place, changing this, paying that, filling out this, declaring that) and I was put in touch with the right people, everyone knowing something different, but everyone contributing something, and my experience is as different as the next ... no two people have the same experience I have come to understand. There are no hard and fast rules here.

Was it frustrating, yes.

Would I do it again ... yes ... I love my campervan!


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## jojo

... My opinion, all the legal stuff aside, is that driving a RHD car in Spain is dangerous and you'll not be in the correct position for the side of the road you'll be driving on!! 

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall

.............and I am with you 100% Jojo. 

If I ruled the world the FIRST thing I would do is get rid of left-hookers over here.

Mmmmm, twice I have agreed with Jojo this week. I feel a truce coming on!


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## owdoggy

SteveHall said:


> .............and I am with you 100% Jojo.
> 
> If I ruled the world the FIRST thing I would do is get rid of left-hookers over here.
> 
> Mmmmm, twice I have agreed with Jojo this week. I feel a truce coming on!


Aye, me too 

RHD car over here ........ not a good idea



Doggy


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## jojo

SteveHall said:


> .............and I am with you 100% Jojo.
> 
> If I ruled the world the FIRST thing I would do is get rid of left-hookers over here.
> 
> Mmmmm, twice I have agreed with Jojo this week. I feel a truce coming on!



A truce??? Had we fallen out then??????? You do facts, figures and statistics that you read in strange places and I do reality thats all!!!!!!!  



Jo xxx


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## thrax

When we move to Spain, my wife said we should consider taking our car over (RHD). Using my usually pointless power of veto I said no way would I drive a RHD car on the right hand side of the orad. I've done it a few times in France for quick holidays but the thought of driving like that for a few years gives me the shivers. Of course, it is possible to convert a RHD vehicle to LHD but the cost would only make it worthwhile if you had just watched Derren Brown tonight predicting the lottery numbers, owned a Ferrari and thoroughly enjoyed pointless time-wasting ventures...


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## XTreme

I drove one for only a couple of months here. It's not too clever and you really have to plan your overtakes well.


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## chris(madrid)

Actually I'm with Steve too - EXCEPT classic vehicles. 

As an aside - Bring a vehicle YOU HAVE OWNED PREVIOUSLY IN YOUR PRIOR RESIDENCE - AND IMPORTED AS "DUE TO CHANGE OF RESIDENCE WITHIN THE EU" is simple. 

THE SAME IS NOT TRUE if THE IMPORT IS COMMERCIAL (SALE/PURCHASE) or FROM OUTSIDE THE EU - The homologation process is MUCH more expensive. I have a friend who has a small import business - he has had problems - esp Morgans for some reason.

Some motorcycles WILL NOT require new lights as many now have EU-wide CENTRE DIP units fitted.

There is one point to be noted 

There are often different parts on LHD/RHD versions of the same vehicle. This I learned the hard way when I discovered the LHD version of my then car had a cable operated clutch - But UK cars were Hydraulic. Guess what I had to repair! - YOU WILL NOT FIND the RHD spares here. Same applies to vehicles not sold in the EU - You'll find that even EU brands made in say South Africa or for US markets have different parts. Parts yo wont find here.

Having been down bot roads - my answer is, BUY A CAR HERE. Look what taxis drivers use. They know what is reliable and cheap to run here.


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## nige52

SteveHall said:


> .............and I am with you 100% Jojo.
> 
> If I ruled the world the FIRST thing I would do is get rid of left-hookers over here.
> 
> Mmmmm, twice I have agreed with Jojo this week. I feel a truce coming on!


Steve, surely you mean Right Hookers?


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## SteveHall

Adddddddddddddddddh 

The first thing I would do is ban all the cars where the driver thinks he can see from the pavement side and not he centre of the road!! 

Thanks


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## jojo

nige52 said:


> Steve, surely you mean Right Hookers?



Bless him!!


Jo xxx


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## aldy123

hi im new found this very informative - thanks


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## Rofa

My car has UK plates, handlebars on the left is insured through a Spanish insurance company & has an ITV. I know there are ifs buts and maybes - but is there anywhere a definitive statement on the legality of this car on the road in Spain? Even a company who specialises in registering foreign cars in Spain, after telling me it was not legal, was unable to come up with anything written.


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## jojo

Rofa said:


> My car has UK plates, handlebars on the left is insured through a Spanish insurance company & has an ITV. I know there are ifs buts and maybes - but is there anywhere a definitive statement on the legality of this car on the road in Spain? Even a company who specialises in registering foreign cars in Spain, after telling me it was not legal, was unable to come up with anything written.



So are you actually saying that an unmatriculated car owned by a resident of Spain is legal?

Jo xxx


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## lynn

Course, you can buy a LHD car in the UK, and then drive it down. We looked into this option, but didn't fancy all the hassle. OK, the car we bought here was a bit more expensive than in the UK but we just factored the extra cost into our calculations and got one a couple of years older than we ideally would have wanted. I negotiated a 2 year warranty on it, so any problems and we have cover.


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## Rofa

jojo said:


> So are you actually saying that an unmatriculated car owned by a resident of Spain is legal?
> panish
> Jo xxx


No - I am asking really. I believe (but I'm not sure) that there may be legislation restricting Spanish National & residents from driving foreign plated cars in Spain - there certainly is in the other EU country where I am resident. - but as yet it does not seem to be an EU regulation as such. So yes, that is one issue. 

The other is of course what is the position for non-residents - and there must be a few in a similar position. I happen to be a Spanish resident, spend very little time in Spain these days, but leave my car at the airport. I am in fact considering relinquishing residency. So the question remains as to whether the car is road legal in Spain. 

I guess someone might ask why I don't register it - well it is definitely non-standard and not quite a classic but a little special - would never get through the checks - although it was perfectly road legal in the UK.


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## jojo

Rofa said:


> No - I am asking really. I believe (but I'm not sure) that there may be legislation restricting Spanish National & residents from driving foreign plated cars in Spain - there certainly is in the other EU country where I am resident. - but as yet it does not seem to be an EU regulation as such. So yes, that is one issue.
> 
> The other is of course what is the position for non-residents - and there must be a few in a similar position. I happen to be a Spanish resident, spend very little time in Spain these days, but leave my car at the airport. I am in fact considering relinquishing residency. So the question remains as to whether the car is road legal in Spain.
> 
> I guess someone might ask why I don't register it - well it is definitely non-standard and not quite a classic but a little special - would never get through the checks - although it was perfectly road legal in the UK.



I know that a resident has 30 days to matriculate and a non resident is considered a "tourist" and therefore has .... i think its 9 months .... or is it 6 ??? Either way, I know legally that you must get your car matriculated after that time or it wont be considered legal. Now, I know there are a lot of expats who dont bother, but if they ever have a prang or worse, I wonder how compliant their insurance companies will be (I'm sure they'll happily take your money, but will they happily pay it out if necessary??) - and I wonder how understanding the guardia and the courts will be too! EEEEk, I sound like I'm having a go - I'm not LOL Honest!



Jo xxx


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## clasship

Stravinsky said:


> Yes
> 
> It depends on how much you like your car really.
> 
> Second hand cars here are more expensive than the UK, whereas new ones tend to be quite good value. When you move here you will of course become a Spanish resident, and as such you will not be allowed legally to drive an English plated car, and the rule now I think is that you have to get it matriculated on to Spanish plates within 60 days of residency. The Spanish police have been known recently to fine people and compensate the cars of offenders.
> 
> Also you need to matriculate within that 60 days of residency to avoid the import registration fees. You must have owned the car in the UK also for 6 months to qualify for this reduction. Even so, when I bought my car here the whole matriculation process cost about €950, so you have to factor that into your calculations.
> 
> Whilst its on UK plates in Spain it needs to have a current MOT in the UK and be road taxed. A UK insurance co is unlikely to cover the car over here once you become a resident. A Spanish insurance company may well insure the UK plated car, but if your MOT or road tax runs out it may be null and void.
> 
> So if you have a particular attachment to your car, or you haven't had it too long I guess you might consider bringing it.


I would love to bring in a LHD 1973 Jaguar E-type classic car from the USA. I would not of owned it very long at all. What taxes would I have to pay? Any tests? Would anyone do the paperwork for me? I am moving to Lanzarote.


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## Rofa

jojo said:


> I know that a resident has 30 days to matriculate and a non resident is considered a "tourist" and therefore has .... i think its 9 months .... or is it 6 ??? Either way, I know legally that you must get your car matriculated after that time or it wont be considered legal. Now, I know there are a lot of expats who dont bother, but if they ever have a prang or worse, I wonder how compliant their insurance companies will be (I'm sure they'll happily take your money, but will they happily pay it out if necessary??) - and I wonder how understanding the guardia and the courts will be too! EEEEk, I sound like I'm having a go - I'm not LOL Honest!
> 
> 
> 
> Jo xxx


I'm sure you are not having a go - and on the whole I agree with Lynn - I have owned several Spanish plated cars. I've also used the same broker for over 10 years and the same insurance company for a '77 UK plated Jag for many years too. The Jag has moved to another home and I now have another toy - which I also use as a daily driver when in Spain. The 6 month thing refers I believe to time spent on the road. So the issue remains as cloudy as ever!


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## Rofa

clasship said:


> I would love to bring in a LHD 1973 Jaguar E-type classic car from the USA. I would not of owned it very long at all. What taxes would I have to pay? Any tests? Would anyone do the paperwork for me? I am moving to Lanzarote.


Suggest you contact the local classic car club in Lanzarote - must be one. There is a Jag club in Barcelona - they could help I guess as well. Easy enough to import into the UK of course!!!!!!


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## oisinmac

Well you are only supposed to keep it on the foreign plates for 6 months and after that you should reregister it on spanish plates, only problem there is that it costs around 1200 - 1500 euros, so weigh that up when considering the pros and cons too, I heard of a guy in La Cala de Mijas who kept his UK-plated car parked outside his business and the Guardia eventually fined him around 3000 euros for living and working in Spain and having his car on UK plates for more than 6 months, don't think that's an urban myth either, although it is probably a worse-care scenario


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## jojo

oisinmac said:


> Well you are only supposed to keep it on the foreign plates for 6 months and after that you should reregister it on spanish plates, only problem there is that it costs around 1200 - 1500 euros, so weigh that up when considering the pros and cons too, I heard of a guy in La Cala de Mijas who kept his UK-plated car parked outside his business and the Guardia eventually fined him around 3000 euros for living and working in Spain and having his car on UK plates for more than 6 months, don't think that's an urban myth either, although it is probably a worse-care scenario



There are a lot of expats that do it, but the guardia are really clamping down big time, certainly around my area. They need the money and expats in UK plated cars are very easy targets

Jo xx


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## Stravinsky

oisinmac said:


> Well you are only supposed to keep it on the foreign plates for 6 months and after that you should reregister it on spanish plates, only problem there is that it costs around 1200 - 1500 euros, so weigh that up when considering the pros and cons too, I heard of a guy in La Cala de Mijas who kept his UK-plated car parked outside his business and the Guardia eventually fined him around 3000 euros for living and working in Spain and having his car on UK plates for more than 6 months, don't think that's an urban myth either, although it is probably a worse-care scenario


Its not 6 months, you have to start the process within 30 days of taking residencia. The 6 months thing relates to non residents where you keep a car in Spain for when you are on holiday. It can only be on ther Spanish road for a 6 month period.

If you register the car within this 30 day period then you dont have to pay the import regsitration fees. The fee for matriculating a car around here is normally around €600 - €900 without the import reg fees.

There are apparantly incidents of cars being seized now, as the various authorities begin to tighten up, as there are insurance issues as well. A car not legal in its country of origin is not legal here, i.e. MOT / road tax


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