# Car purchasing in Spain.



## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İ am a uk citizen but live most of my time in Turkey. -My brother resides in Spain(BCN) and he is assisting me with this.

What i am trying to do is purchase a LHD car in Spain and then take it to Turkey.However,İ need the car ownership papers to be in my name to satisfy the customs system in Turkey. My first question is -do i have to have residency in Spain to register it in my name?--i am sure there are lots more things to consider!

Thanks in anticipation


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

There should be a way to buy the car for export. It would get temporary plates and would need to leave the country within a certain time frame.

Maybe somebody can look this up.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Pretty sure you don't need residence papers but you will definitely need an NIE number and proof of your Spanish address, rental agreement or a copy of the deeds if you are an owner. If you purchase from a dealer, new or second-hand then the dealer should handle the details of the transfer of ownership. When I bought our car the transfer took a week. As the new owner you will not be allowed to drive the car off the forecourt unless and until you can show a certificate of Insurance. If you obtain a copy of the 'Certificado de Circulacion' and 'Ficha Tecnica' when you hand over the deposit then this, along with your passport, should be enough to arrange Insurance through a broker.


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İ should be able to conjure up a rental agreement by using my brothers home there as the 'foil'- i presume rental agreements can be set up by individuals but would probably need 'notarising'??--would this be a complicated deal?
The insurance certificate is also needed when it gets to Turkey so it is a necessary evil but i presume it can be cancelled and a refund sought?

Many years ago i worked in spain as a teacher and had a NİE number--is there a possibilty that this number would still exists--i was finger printed and everthing(1995) 

İ know it sounds complicated but i cant source many LHD cars in the uk and the Turkish Gov refuses to let me bring my RHD British car. Turkish cars are about 5 times the price of spanish ones!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

de1amo said:


> İ should be able to conjure up a rental agreement by using my brothers home there as the 'foil'- i presume rental agreements can be set up by individuals but would probably need 'notarising'??--would this be a complicated deal?
> The insurance certificate is also needed when it gets to Turkey so it is a necessary evil but i presume it can be cancelled and a refund sought?
> 
> Many years ago i worked in spain as a teacher and had a NİE number--is there a possibilty that this number would still exists--i was finger printed and everthing(1995)
> ...



you need a NIE number, but you don't need to be resident for that, so there's no need to create a fake rental contract - your NIE number that you had previously would still be in existence, too

get your brother to talk to a gestor - as previously said, there must be a way for non-residents to purchase cars specifically for export


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

Exportation is not difficult from any European country but Turkish customs look for any reason to stop importation. İ tried to import my uk car and i went through all the procedure and learnt that everything had to be in my name from the 'originating' country---the idiots in my case omitted to realise until the final physical inspection that it was RHD and in the preceding few weeks the turkish law makers had made the importation of RHD cars illegal!! Turkey does it to stop cars coming in from Turkish cyprus and use the word 'safety' as an excuse!


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Your NIE number as Xabiachica says will certainly be valid, but the document on which it appears will probably not be.
That means you will have a problem proving your Spanish address. You will need to present a valid ID document with a Spanish address for the Permiso de Circulación, I doubt that a copy of a rental contract (false or otherwise) will satisfy that requirement, unless of course there is a process for buying for export as suggested above.


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İ don't know my NİE number because it was taken out nearly 20 years ago when i lived in central Spain so i would guess i would have to research it and send it to my brother's address??

'A valid İD document with Spanish address' would this be a utility bill or the like? if it is a utility bill i am sure my brother would love to 'give' me his phone bill!!


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

That's the tricky part.
For example, a Spanish national would use his DNI (official ID with his address opn it).
An EU immigrant would normally use a Passport as ID and the green Registration Certificate or electoral role certificate for the address. Alternatively a Spanish driving licence, but I imagine that you won't have any of those.

A phone bill will almost certainly not be classed as proof of address for registering a vehicle, and how exactly would you get the phone bill into your name? Or are we better off not asking..... I'd hate to be aiding and abetting here...

I'm not sure what you mean by "send it to your brother's address" when talking about your NIE... its just a number, like an NI number, not a document.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> you need a NIE number, but you don't need to be resident for that, so there's no need to create a fake rental contract - your NIE number that you had previously would still be in existence, too
> 
> get your brother to talk to a gestor - as previously said, there must be a way for non-residents to purchase cars specifically for export


I think the reason is that a lot of places are insisting on a padron.


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İ didn't understand what you meant by ' the document on which it appears will not be' valid!--i thought you meant the number had to be on a document with an address on it! 


- i used to have a Spanish wife and we lived in the uk --there were no hurdles to her owning vehicles in the uk, whether she bought them there or brought in a spanish car! --i thought being a European country meant being a European citizen gave equal accessability!

İ have just heard from VW uk and they will supply me with a lhd car without VAT so i may abort this avenue because the ins and outs are getting very 'negative'.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

de1amo said:


> İ didn't understand what you meant by ' the document on which it appears will not be' valid!--i thought you meant the number had to be on a document with an address on it!
> 
> 
> - i used to have a Spanish wife and we lived in the uk --there were no hurdles to her owning vehicles in the uk, whether she bought them there or brought in a spanish car! --i thought being a European country meant being a European citizen gave equal accessability!
> ...


you can find out what your NIE number is/was by contacting the office where it was originally issued - or in fact any extranjería would be able to trace it - you can then apply for a new 'certificate' which can in fact have your address in Turkey on it

the simplest thing would be to get your brother to see a gestor as I suggested - there could well be a very simple & straightforward way for non-residents to buy cars & export them


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

There must be some system because i was exploring the same idea in Bulgaria which neighbours Turkey and discovered that most of the second hand beetles seemed to imports that came from'mainland' Europe(a lot of tired ex spanish, german italian etc models)- which got me thinking how i could use my links with spain!

A second hand car is more attractive to my pocket! my brother indicated that he thought second hand cars were pricey in spain but compared to Turkey they are a steal! --so if anyone knows the export system i would be grateful!


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

I got to ask. Why not buy in Greece ? I don't know if you intend to drive the car from Spain or ship it some how but either way it's going to cost money.


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

Boats go direct from the city i live in to most major ports in the world- i won't be driving it back.

My brother is quite astute when it comes to buying second hand cars so he can handle the purchase --i tried to contact Bulgarian sellers and the language barrier was insumountable!! and i sense the same would happen in Greece. i have a working knowledge of Spanish and my brother's Spanish girlfriend can help.--i hate to pester her with my questions at this early stage and time because she has just had 'twins' and my brother is away on his ship!

A very basic 2004 Beetle will resell for about 15500 euros in Turkey which makes shipping worthwhile when the same car in spain is about 4500---i shipped my uk car all the way from the uk for 1000 euros after everything paid!


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

There's dozens of places in the UK specialising in lhd cars.


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

I have just checked importing a car from Spain to Turkey and to be honest it says that not withstanding the cost of the import + transportation and the document mountain to fill out but the cost is €6000 so really it would be cheaper to buy it in your own country as you are only allowed to keep it on the road for 6 months of the year it makes a cheap spanish car very expensive
Sorry its not what you want to hear but im sure there is a cheaper option than this
Good luck


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

tonyinspain said:


> I have just checked importing a car from Spain to Turkey and to be honest it says that not withstanding the cost of the import + transportation and the document mountain to fill out but the cost is €6000 so really it would be cheaper to buy it in your own country as you are only allowed to keep it on the road for 6 months of the year it makes a cheap spanish car very expensive
> Sorry its not what you want to hear but im sure there is a cheaper option than this
> Good luck


I'm pretty sure that the OP would be very interested in reading that information first hand

do you have any links you could post for him?


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İt is expensive to do a full import into Turkey but i am not using that format. A foreigner or yabanci as they call us can bring in a car from outside of Turkey if he or she has a pension without incurring importation fees. The turkish Government require a deposit to check the car doesnt disappear whilst it is here and the car cant be sold to a turkish citizen. it is registered on it log book as 'yabanci'. 
İ am looking for a particular car and they are scarce in LHD the uk and relatively expensive against spanish examples that are much more freely available. The same car in Turkey is about 4 to 5 times the price of one from spain.Plus i dont have anyone in the uk that will deal with things like this and it still has to be shipped which is more costly than just across the Med.!


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

de1amo said:


> İt is expensive to do a full import into Turkey but i am not using that format. A foreigner or yabanci as they call us can bring in a car from outside of Turkey if he or she has a pension without incurring importation fees. The turkish Government require a deposit to check the car doesnt disappear whilst it is here and the car cant be sold to a turkish citizen. it is registered on it log book as 'yabanci'.
> İ am looking for a particular car and they are scarce in LHD the uk and relatively expensive against spanish examples that are much more freely available. The same car in Turkey is about 4 to 5 times the price of one from spain.Plus i dont have anyone in the uk that will deal with things like this and it still has to be shipped which is more costly than just across the Med.!


Google importing a car to turkey
The feedback on their is its not worth it 
What car are you wanting to import ?
Even the turkish forums are saying this but as your a pensioner it may be different 
Sorry im really not into turkish law but i think its going to be terribly difficult and expensive


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İ find things out for myself in Turkey because the customs and police tend to make things up for 'yabanci'. When your other half and daughter are Turkish nationals things are much easier. The interpretation of the law is always negative towards yabanci unless you are married to one! Most yabanci will tell you that it is impossible to bring a car that is older than 3 years into the country but it is a blatant falsehood. The owners tend to accept this 'interpretation' and abandon their cars in the port. After 3 months the Turkish government then auctions the cars off to Turkish buyers because the truth is any left hand car can come in as an import!

İ am only 50 but have an occupational pension. All yabanci will say you need to be of retirement age (65) to bring a 'pensioner' car in. NOT true, Turks often retire at 47 and they just count the fact you have income rather than your age.

The list is endless of 'mis-interpretations that become yabanci 'folk-lore.--İ have a business in Turkey which deals with lawyers and police officials and if i need information i tend to ask them now.

With my own car i went through all the laws when i tried to bring it in--the car is 46 years old and was accepted in by the customs without need to pay any fees. İt only failed when the police came to inspect it and it failed because a very new and obscure law was thrust upon me---the customs didn't know this law because it was so new. the law forbade RHD cars to be brought in on a perm. basis--if it was just visiting and i wasn't resident they would have let me bring it in. 

Turkey is not in the EU and whereas you feel protected by equal handed laws this is not the case in Turkey.--a single female yabanci will find it almost impossible to gain citizenship whereas a male with simular circumstances could gain it without difficulty. its not illegal!---there is a language test to gain entry and with males they ask simple questions and in my case they let me take my wife in to translate--but if i was a single female they would hand a massive volume of a classical turkish author and proceed to fire questions on information from the book!---no one ever said life was fair in turkey!


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Very true but then i have never been so i really cant say all the turkish people i have known over the years have always been nice but as you say the grass isnt always greener 
Good luck


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

The law is quite clear and straight forward in Turkey if you have an honest lawyer who deals with the particular area of law. The expats who come here tend to have this trust in anyone who professess to be a lawyer and say they are Honest--they assume because they are paying them they are on their side!-

-i will for instance- Property buying is very simple and straight forward in Turkey and can be done easily without the need for a lawyer. Basically you see a home, offer on it and the paper work on the sale is done by the estate agent and you DON'T pay til you have the deeds in your name.---just as in the uk but here there is no need for a solicitor or lawyer! you pay the estate agent 3 pc and he gets 3 pc from the seller and he does the legal work.--However, with yabanci there is a need for security checks and this delays the process. The yabanci buyers here for some silly reason employ solicitor recommended by the estate agent(who are conniving with the seller)--at some point the buyer feels this inexsplicable urge to pay the full price before they get the deeds---it seems the resorts are full of these deals and once the cash is handed the solicitor and the estate agent loose interest because they have had their commission and the seller just refuses to transfer the deeds!!--he can sell it again and often does!-----the turkish law is clear that you dont make full payment until the deeds are registered in the new name and the yababci wonder why the Turkish Gov wont help them--in most cases people dont get any legal receipts(notarized)---the buyers have no command of Turkish in most cases and have no idea what is going on when they hand over large amounts of money!!---to say foolish is an understatement.

the law is simple in turkey but yabancis are in general very gulible! i have bought homes and businesses here and it is a simple process with the right lawyer and command of the language(my wife).--fools are easily parted from their money here though!


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

de1amo said:


> The law is quite clear and straight forward in Turkey if you have an honest lawyer who deals with the particular area of law. The expats who come here tend to have this trust in anyone who professess to be a lawyer and say they are Honest--they assume because they are paying them they are on their side!-
> 
> -i will for instance- Property buying is very simple and straight forward in Turkey and can be done easily without the need for a lawyer. Basically you see a home, offer on it and the paper work on the sale is done by the estate agent and you DON'T pay til you have the deeds in your name.---just as in the uk but here there is no need for a solicitor or lawyer! you pay the estate agent 3 pc and he gets 3 pc from the seller and he does the legal work.--However, with yabanci there is a need for security checks and this delays the process. The yabanci buyers here for some silly reason employ solicitor recommended by the estate agent(who are conniving with the seller)--at some point the buyer feels this inexsplicable urge to pay the full price before they get the deeds---it seems the resorts are full of these deals and once the cash is handed the solicitor and the estate agent loose interest because they have had their commission and the seller just refuses to transfer the deeds!!--he can sell it again and often does!-----the turkish law is clear that you dont make full payment until the deeds are registered in the new name and the yababci wonder why the Turkish Gov wont help them--in most cases people dont get any legal receipts(notarized)---the buyers have no command of Turkish in most cases and have no idea what is going on when they hand over large amounts of money!!---to say foolish is an understatement.
> 
> the law is simple in turkey but yabancis are in general very gulible! i have bought homes and businesses here and it is a simple process with the right lawyer and command of the language(my wife).--fools are easily parted from their money here though!


I think you will find that forighners in any country are gullible thats how life becomes intresting trying to sort the legalities in a different country


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

Many people come to Turkey and bring their entire life's savings from property etc and they enter these 'purchases' with everything on the 'table' and when they get conned they are penniless and homeless--İ'm not sure that is an interesting 'lesson more like a massive life changing 'event'. The Turkish law as i have said gives no protection to yabanci ( the word yabanci actually translates as 'stranger' and this is how the law thinks of you and we should know 'strangers are not friends!!)


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Well my friend i would reconsider your position in turkey if its that bad and youvshould know but you decided to leave the uk and return so im sure you knew exactly the what why and where of turkey
Good luck


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

i have absolutely no problems in Turkey, iam just saying what does happen to foreigners here through their ignorance. i have a thriving business and several homes but i wouldn't have ventured here without the influence of having a Turkish wife who could translate the language. i have also lived, worked and married in spain to a local so i know the comparison! --Turkey is for the brave and linguistically aware whereas spain is less 'frontierish'--the rewards here are greater for the brave though!


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Good on ya 
I still dont know what car your after ?
And as i dont know that i cant help


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## de1amo (Feb 14, 2013)

İ am looking for a new shaped beetle 1,9tdi, but at the moment i seem frustrated because of the lack of spanish İD document in order to get certificate of circulation there. İ have to find out about the export system in spain because the vehicle needs to have my name on its log book to pass through the arduous requirements in Turkey.--we seem to have digressed i know!!

İ am doing my homework at the moment and giving myself options -i know i can buy a new car less VAT in the uk.--the car has to be LHD.


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Let me research it and ill get back to you ok it might be a day or two


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