# Driving an English car in Spain long term



## Hartleyhouse10 (Apr 14, 2013)

I am new to all this and the search engine is not working for me!

Would anyone know what the actual rules are both local and regional for having an English car in Andalusia region of Spain. I want to run my car for at least the 90 days my car insurance allows but would like to run it longer with Spanish insurance or similar? I will be living in Spain but working in the uk

Any help would be appreciated

Steve


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Hartleyhouse10 said:


> I am new to all this and the search engine is not working for me!
> 
> Would anyone know what the actual rules are both local and regional for having an English car in Andalusia region of Spain. I want to run my car for at least the 90 days my car insurance allows but would like to run it longer with Spanish insurance or similar? I will be living in Spain but working in the uk
> 
> ...


if you're resident in Spain you can't legally drive a UK plated car - you have to get it matriculated onto Spanish plates

if you go to the *FAQs & useful info *thread above, you'll find a section about cars & driving with lots of links to discussions about this - but essentially once you are registered as resident (or even not registered, since at 90 days you are considered to be resident in any case) you have a limited time within which to get the car re-matricuated (another 90 days I think, but check the info in the cars section)


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## Hartleyhouse10 (Apr 14, 2013)

Thanks for the note, I do consider myself to be fairly smart but i cannot find anything when I search for "car" in FAQ and it comes up blank as before my original thread? I can also not see a useful info section? 

Sorry


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...-living-spain/2725-faqs-lots-useful-info.html

Post No:4


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Hartleyhouse10 said:


> I am new to all this and the search engine is not working for me!
> 
> Would anyone know what the actual rules are both local and regional for having an English car in Andalusia region of Spain. I want to run my car for at least the 90 days my car insurance allows but would like to run it longer with Spanish insurance or similar? I will be living in Spain but working in the uk
> 
> ...


The good thing is, you have 90 days in Spain with your UK tax, and insurance. When you are in Spain that will give you the time to find out.

If the car remains in Spain, you will need to change the matriculation. The cost will depend on the age of the vehicle. It is not a cheap procedure. 

I came with my car for three months originally, then bought a Spanish car, took the UK one back to the UK and sold it.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

t.b.h., apart from the illegality, you will find it much better to have a LHD Spanish registerd car for a number of reasons, e.g. seeing round bends, car-park ticket machines, etc.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Its also worth knowing that due to the recession etc. The police in Spain are cracking down heavily on illegal vehicles, and a RHD, UK plated car will stick out like a sore thumb. The police have road blocks and searches daily across Spain. They also look at parked cars and simply tow them away if there is any doubt!!! 

Jo xxx


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

It depends how confident you are on the road of course but for me driving a right hand drive car in Spain isn't a problem at all. With regard to bends, if you position your car correctly anyway and don't cut corners or take the inside line then you're absolutely fine. Toll booths and car parks aren't a problem. Most major shopping centres have free car parks and most supermarkets have open ones too. Toll booths, well if there's no one with you, just get out, but you may want to avoid toll roads anyway. It's not like you need to use toll roads like the M6 toll to avoid the horrendous M6. 

With regard to changing it over, you must get a gestor to do it for you. Don't worry about finding one. Once you're over, someone you meet will recommend one I'm sure. It cuts out the hassle and for what, in the big picture is a small fee, it's well worth it. That said, it depends what kind of car you have. i.e whether it's one you want to keep as well as it's spec. Mine has 2 fog lights and 2 reversing lights, digital KMH readout and new Michelin tyres so hopefully won't have to have too much done. The lights are set for LHD too. So if it's a fairly valuable car and you want to keep it, I'd just transfer to Spanish plates. After a while you won't bother about it being RHD.

Not sure about all this scaremongering about road blocks and cars being towed away for no reason. Maybe in the area they're in, British drivers are taking the proverbial and it's a massive problem. I can see this being the case in the Costa del Sol perhaps where the cops must be at the end of their tether but in other areas that are less commercial and less British you should be ok. It might even be that if they do notice your car there for a long time, you'll get a gentle reminder. Basically, if your car is legal in Britain, i.e. taxed and insured, it's legal in Spain up to the time limts. Make sure your insurance allow for long stays though. Many only cover up to 30 days at a time. Mine (LV) does 180 days so at the end of that I'll have changed over.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Dunpleecin said:


> Not sure about all this scaremongering about road blocks and cars being towed away for no reason. Maybe in the area they're in, British drivers are taking the proverbial and it's a massive problem. I can see this being the case in the Costa del Sol perhaps where the cops must be at the end of their tether but in other areas that are less commercial and less British you should be ok. It might even be that if they do notice your car there for a long time, you'll get a gentle reminder. Basically, if your car is legal in Britain, i.e. taxed and insured, it's legal in Spain up to the time limts. Make sure your insurance allow for long stays though. Many only cover up to 30 days at a time. Mine (LV) does 180 days so at the end of that I'll have changed over.


Costa del Sol and inland;


Road blocks nearly every morning on the Cartama - Malaga road - FACT!

Road blocks at random most days in and around Ahaurin de la Torre - FACT!

Road blocks in Benalmadena, even on the private urb we lived on Torremuelle - FACT!

Road blocks in Nerja, both ends, three or four days a week - FACT!

My hire car was towed for parking two minutes after the allowed time. When I went to the police station to pick it up - the Guardia called my payment of 145€ a "tourist tax" and told me that they are after all and any UK registered car to get as much money as they can. Telling me that it was a good job I was only in a hire car. Apparently the police are having to fund themselves??? - FACT!

Jo xxx


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Dunpleecin said:


> It depends how confident you are on the road of course but for me driving a right hand drive car in Spain isn't a problem at all. With regard to bends, if you position your car correctly anyway and don't cut corners or take the inside line then you're absolutely fine. Toll booths and car parks aren't a problem. Most major shopping centres have free car parks and most supermarkets have open ones too. Toll booths, well if there's no one with you, just get out, but you may want to avoid toll roads anyway. It's not like you need to use toll roads like the M6 toll to avoid the horrendous M6.
> 
> With regard to changing it over, you must get a gestor to do it for you. Don't worry about finding one. Once you're over, someone you meet will recommend one I'm sure. It cuts out the hassle and for what, in the big picture is a small fee, it's well worth it. That said, it depends what kind of car you have. i.e whether it's one you want to keep as well as it's spec. Mine has 2 fog lights and 2 reversing lights, digital KMH readout and new Michelin tyres so hopefully won't have to have too much done. The lights are set for LHD too. So if it's a fairly valuable car and you want to keep it, I'd just transfer to Spanish plates. After a while you won't bother about it being RHD.
> 
> Not sure about all this scaremongering about road blocks and cars being towed away for no reason. Maybe in the area they're in, British drivers are taking the proverbial and it's a massive problem. I can see this being the case in the Costa del Sol perhaps where the cops must be at the end of their tether but in other areas that are less commercial and less British you should be ok. It might even be that if they do notice your car there for a long time, you'll get a gentle reminder. Basically, if your car is legal in Britain, i.e. taxed and insured, it's legal in Spain up to the time limts. Make sure your insurance allow for long stays though. Many only cover up to 30 days at a time. Mine (LV) does 180 days so at the end of that I'll have changed over.


Bear in mind that the homologation plus taxes may add up to €2,000 or more.

If you keep it on UK plates up to the maximum time (180 days from date of *your* arrival, not the vehicle's arrival) it must be street-legal in UK for it to be legal in Spain ( that means have valid MoT, valid tax disc on display and valid insurance - n.b. T/P and TPFT are not accepted here). Any breach and the Guardia can impound it and *will* trash it and you will have absolutely no recompense.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> Bear in mind that the homologation plus taxes may add up to €2,000 or more.
> 
> If you keep it on UK plates up to the maximum time (180 days from date of *your* arrival, not the vehicle's arrival) it must be street-legal in UK for it to be legal in Spain ( that means have valid MoT, valid tax disc on display and valid insurance - n.b. T/P and TPFT are not accepted here). Any breach and the Guardia can impound it and *will* trash it and you will have absolutely no recompense.


My Spanish car is insured via Mapfre with TPF & theft.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Dunpleecin said:


> Not sure about all this scaremongering about road blocks and cars being towed away for no reason. Maybe in the area they're in, British drivers are taking the proverbial and it's a massive problem. I can see this being the case in the Costa del Sol perhaps where the cops must be at the end of their tether but in other areas that are less commercial and less British you should be ok. [ /QUOTE]
> 
> Posted this week on a local forum. Couple who own a holiday home here & over on extended holiday stopped at road block & told 30 days to change to spanish plates. explained that they were not resident . Policeman not interested & gave them papers to get it changed over. They didn't bother as " it didn't apply to them" !!
> On the way back through northern Spain got a pull by Trafico. Vehicle showing up as required to be re-plated within 30 days & overdue.
> ...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

When we came here almost five years ago there were a lot of UK plated RHD cars as well as other foreign plated cars on the roads all year round. Now there are few. The ones you do see are top-end Bentleys etc. usually driven by Russians.

We have almost daily roadblocks with armed police in this neighbourhood as there is a plague of house burglaries and I'm presuming that 's the reason, as well of course as preventing the drug trade. I have yet to see a foreign plated car pulled over and whilst stories of foreign cars being taken and scrapped may be true elsewhere - but has this happened to anyone *personally* on this Forum, I wonder - I doubt it's happening here.

As for the LHD/RHD question: a good, skilled and experienced driver should be able to cope with both. We had a RHD UK plated car here until it 'ran out of time' and neither of us had problems driving it.

But then, when in business in the UK, OH frequently had to hitch up her skirt and climb into the cab of huge HGVs to shift them around the workshop so a little technicality such as RHD in a LHD country is of scant concern.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Daily roadblocks in Torrox, Algorrobo and Torre del Mar, but most of the time they seem to be pulling iffy cars, trucks and motorbikes and appear to be checking for insurance as a lot of Spanish here drive without insurance as they can't afford it. I have heard from several locals that the police are funding themselves through traffic fines.


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

jojo said:


> Costa del Sol and inland;
> 
> 
> Road blocks nearly every morning on the Cartama - Malaga road - FACT!
> ...


Like I said, Costa Del Sol and area is going to be the area where these things are prevalent. On reflection the word scaremongering was wrong. It suggests that what people are saying isn't true and that wasn't what I was saying. I was really trying to play down the issue instead of scaring someone to death from coming to Spain. My car is FC and FC abroad too so completely legal.

It would also appear to be wise to avoid the rush hour. Rush hour round my area means waiting for the goat herder to take his goats down the road.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Irrespective of whether the GC are having a purge, or whether it is easy or not to drive a RHD vehicle in Spain, the fact remains - if you are a resident in Spain, it is illegal to have and use a foreign registered vehicle for more than 90 days after your becoming resident. Further, during the period that you may be permitted to drive a foreign registered vehicle (a maximum of 180 days from *your* arrival {n.b. not the vehicle's arrival}) it must be street legal in its country of origin which means, for a UK registered vehicle, it must have and display a valid VEL, must have a valid MoT test certificate and must have valid insurance (this means, if you are using the 'green card' part of a UK insurance document that it {the green card} is valid for the entire period during which the car is to be kept in a foreign country, not just the basic 30 days).


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Dunpleecin said:


> Like I said, Costa Del Sol and area is going to be the area where these things are prevalent. On reflection the word scaremongering was wrong. It suggests that what people are saying isn't true and that wasn't what I was saying. I was really trying to play down the issue instead of scaring someone to death from coming to Spain. My car is FC and FC abroad too so completely legal.
> 
> It would also appear to be wise to avoid the rush hour. Rush hour round my area means waiting for the goat herder to take his goats down the road.


I would have thought there were more Brits along the Costa Blanca.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

On Camposol, Mazarron, Murcia, for example, there are many driving UK cars, some have been running businesses using them for years, cars ,lorries, jcbs, trailers, ect. The police ignore them;I don't know what stories drivers come up with when they are stopped. The only thing to cure it is to have a purge, crush these vehicles and present them back to the owners with a bill!


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

extranjero said:


> On Camposol, Mazarron, Murcia, for example, there are many driving UK cars, some have been running businesses using them for years, cars ,lorries, jcbs, trailers, ect. The police ignore them;I don't know what stories drivers come up with when they are stopped. The only thing to cure it is to have a purge, crush these vehicles and present them back to the owners with a bill!


Yet back in the'good times' it was a common occurrence, at least twice a month, for the national Police along with the Guardia , complete with trafico M/bike riders( stop the runners.lol ) & a selection of gruas to position themselves at the roundabout coming over the old road from Águilas ( the one with the little tracked bulldozer by Mastejeras the builder) & take away large amounts of both spanish & Uk plated cars. One day we passed going to Bolneuvo first thing in morning & they were all set up & when we returned some 6 hours later they were still loading them on gruas !


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## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

I'm sure no one on here condones the illegal use of a vehicle.


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## andmac (Nov 9, 2010)

Just south of Valencia at the entrance to most towns and exits from motorways, there are guardia every day! They set up blocks on roundabouts everywhere.

Local police and national police are at it too. We got stopped at night in our RHD car, the policeman went to the passenger side. When he realised his face was a picture! Anyway a quick check in the boot, a check of the insurance documents and we were sent on our way. 

At that point the ITV was two months overdue as I had forgotten that sticky beam benders are no longer permitted, but this didn't bother them. I think it is thieves and insurance evaders they are after.


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## Hartleyhouse10 (Apr 14, 2013)

I really appreciate the time you have taken to spell it out for me thx


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Obviously it IS being condoned by the Police as they totally ignore them!
Gus lopez, why did they stop? Bring back the good old days!


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## imissmarmite (Oct 28, 2013)

jojo said:


> Its also worth knowing that due to the recession etc. The police in Spain are cracking down heavily on illegal vehicles, and a RHD, UK plated car will stick out like a sore thumb. The police have road blocks and searches daily across Spain. They also look at parked cars and simply tow them away if there is any doubt!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


I agree with Jo, Police checks everywhere, especially now the silly season is over the police have more time to spend fining you.

My friend came out of supermarket to find the guardia waiting for her. They followed her home and it was only then that they approched her and told her she was not permitted to drive anymore and would have the car confiscated if she tried to drive it without changing the plates. i think the cost to change plates was close to 3000 euros but it was a fairly new nice car.

better off selling your car in UK and buying a spanish run around.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

Agree with the OTT roadblocks etc. I was stopped twice in 12 years. Then during summer this year I was stopped 3 times in a week - all on small country roads near Malaga. I did suspect this trend could be due to police funding......


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Anyone who gets caught using an illegal vehicle has only him/herself to blame for trying to cheat the system.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> Anyone who gets caught using an illegal vehicle has only him/herself to blame for trying to cheat the system.


Hope that was not aimed at me? 

The only "irregularity" I have ever encountered was on one of my more recent stops. I was fined 500E for not having a Spanish driving licence - something which was news to me and had never been a problem before. Even the GC said I may get away with it if I went to Trafico - in the end I just paid within 20 days and got half price.


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## olivefarmer (Oct 16, 2012)

I am glad the GC seemed to have stopped the practice of stopping *all *vehicles going in one direction on the A92 near where I live. They even have a guy equipped with a stinger to use on anyone who believes the stop doesn't apply to them.

The cost in delays is huge. They pick a section where drivers can see the tailback and maybe even have a car slowing drivers.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

el romeral said:


> Hope that was not aimed at me?
> 
> The only "irregularity" I have ever encountered was on one of my more recent stops. I was fined 500E for not having a Spanish driving licence - something which was news to me and had never been a problem before. Even the GC said I may get away with it if I went to Trafico - in the end I just paid within 20 days and got half price.


If you are a resident (i.e. have been here more than 90 days) and have a non Spanish registered vehicle on the road, it is illegal and doubly so if it doesn't have a valid MoT nor display a valid VEL nor be properly insured and if you are driving it then you are doing so illegally. If none of those apply, then you are in the clear. 

BUT there are many UK nationals to whom either or both would apply and it might not just be a fine but the vehicle could be confiscated and destroyed.

It isn't intentionally aimed at you personally but others, to whom it may well apply, also read these posts!


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Last week, I saw a UK reg car being hauled up onto a Mapfre truck with the GC in attendance. This was in a Mercdona car park. The owner rushed out protesting and the GC said, in very good English, you have no road tax therefore the car is illegal. He said he did have road tax but it was at home. The GC guy said, home? where, here in Spain or UK. You cannot drive this vehicle without road tax so we are taking it away. You have 14 days to produce the tax or the car will be destroyed. The Brit was furious but there was nothing he could do. He was still standing there when I came out with my shopping so I asked him if he did have tax. I am certain everyone can guess the answer...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I got caught parking a hire car in the wrong place a few months ago, it was towed away  and cost me 200€ to get the car back (yes, I know, my own stupid fault). But the point is as my friends in Spain all said that the guardia are having to go out and produce more revenue (because of the crisis), so are on the look out for anyway they can make money - and what an easy target - A UK car!!!!! Not all, but a huge percentage of them are going to be driven illegally by residents! 

Jo xxx


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

imissmarmite said:


> I agree with Jo, Police checks everywhere, especially now the silly season is over the police have more time to spend fining you.
> 
> My friend came out of supermarket to find the guardia waiting for her. They followed her home and it was only then that they approched her and told her she was not permitted to drive anymore and would have the car confiscated if she tried to drive it without changing the plates. i think the cost to change plates was close to 3000 euros but it was a fairly new nice car.
> 
> better off selling your car in UK and buying a spanish run around.


If only the CG in your area would come here, they would make so much money.
There is a man who has been running a business with a variety of UK vehicles, for 12 years-CG ignore him, also numerous white van men, plus loads of Ex pats.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> If you are a resident (i.e. have been here more than 90 days) and have a non Spanish registered vehicle on the road, it is illegal and doubly so if it doesn't have a valid MoT nor display a valid VEL nor be properly insured and if you are driving it then you are doing so illegally. If none of those apply, then you are in the clear.
> 
> BUT there are many UK nationals to whom either or both would apply and it might not just be a fine but the vehicle could be confiscated and destroyed.
> 
> It isn't intentionally aimed at you personally but others, to whom it may well apply, also read these posts!



For the record, I have always had a LHD Spanish registered car here :mullet:.


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