# LHD car in UK on Spanish Plates ??



## natalieml (May 9, 2010)

Hello everyone ... me again

So far you have all been so helpful regarding my other thread about best options to bring a car over from UK. In fact we have now decided that we will def have a LHD and that realistically I think we will only need one car between us. We have also taken on board all the advice about it not being worth having a nice car in Spain i.e. it will get trashed/scratched and we are now looking at cars that we woudn't normally have considered. BIG Thanks  

We are going to look for a LHD car to purchase in the UK and are aware if we have it over 6 months we don't have to pay the import tax 

However we have seen 2 potential cars advertised that we will probably go and see tomorrow. One of which already has Spanish number plates on it. IF we were to buy a LHD car that already has Spanish plates and we brought it over with us what would we need to do? Is there a Spanish DVLA we just need to register the car to our Spanish address?? Is there a procedure we need to follow?

Any help much appreciated - Natalie


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

natalieml said:


> Hello everyone ... me again
> 
> So far you have all been so helpful regarding my other thread about best options to bring a car over from UK. In fact we have now decided that we will def have a LHD and that realistically I think we will only need one car between us. We have also taken on board all the advice about it not being worth having a nice car in Spain i.e. it will get trashed/scratched and we are now looking at cars that we woudn't normally have considered. BIG Thanks
> 
> ...


If its on spanish plates then its registered in Spain! So you'll need to get it transfered into your names! Now I'm a bit hazy on the whole car/matriculation thing, BUT, I do know that Spanish cars may carry debts that will (if there are any) be transferred with the ownership. So be careful of who you're buying it from and get it checked out first. Also the transfer paperwork on Spanish cars is nothing like in the UK (its a huge process by comparison) and usually involves a gestor - or its sensible if it does.

sorry I cant be more helpful as such!

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

...... BTW natalie, my son is loving his new school ..... so far!!!!!! :focus::focus:


Jo xxx


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## natalieml (May 9, 2010)

Thanks Jo - we have heard about the debts transfer thing and obviously if we were buying it in Spain we woulod use a gestor to check out the cars history. 

I'm not sure how we can do this from the UK if this is the car we decide to buy?? By the time we come to Spain and register it in our names we would have owned it for 6 months. Hmmmm.

P.S. Hows new school going??





jojo said:


> If its on spanish plates then its registered in Spain! So you'll need to get it transfered into your names! Now I'm a bit hazy on the whole car/matriculation thing, BUT, I do know that Spanish cars may carry debts that will (if there are any) be transferred with the ownership. So be careful of who you're buying it from and get it checked out first. Also the transfer paperwork on Spanish cars is nothing like in the UK (its a huge process by comparison) and usually involves a gestor - or its sensible if it does.
> 
> sorry I cant be more helpful as such!
> 
> Jo xxx


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## natalieml (May 9, 2010)

OMG you read my mind - I was just typing you a message asking. Our threads must have crossed. LOL





jojo said:


> ...... BTW natalie, my son is loving his new school ..... so far!!!!!! :focus::focus:
> 
> 
> Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

He's loving it!! He's making friends and seems to be settling in ok!! He needs a fair few new school text books tho which have to be bought! We found that amazon is about 60% cheaper than the recommended book shop (theres a top tip for you lol) The drive from our house to the school is a bit of a long one tho. However he tried the train this afternoon and it took half the time it takes me to drive there and is really cheap!

Jo xxx


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## Seb* (Mar 22, 2009)

natalieml said:


> However we have seen 2 potential cars advertised that we will probably go and see tomorrow. One of which already has Spanish number plates on it. IF we were to buy a LHD car that already has Spanish plates and we brought it over with us what would we need to do? Is there a Spanish DVLA we just need to register the car to our Spanish address?? Is there a procedure we need to follow?
> 
> Any help much appreciated - Natalie


Jojo is right about the debts, but if you buy from a serious dealer you should be ok. So what you need to do is go to a gestor in your area and let them do the transfer, as mentioned before this is a bigger process than in the UK, so you want a gestor for this. Make sure you get all the papers handed over, when you buy the car. You will need:

- The car registration papers (permiso de circulation)
- Up to date spanish M.O.T. papers (inspecta tecnica de vehiculo)
- Copy of the tax receipt for the current tax year
- Copy of your deeds, padron or rental contract (for proof of address)
- Copy of your passport and N.I.E.

If you have the car already on spanish plates you don´t need to worry about import tax etc. If you have all the needed papers just transfer it. You will have to pay a fee for the transfer to trafico and your gestor. This can be anything between 200 and 400 EUR (depending on car and gestor even more). The transfer can take up to 6 weeks while waiting for your new papers you will get a receipt and copies by your gestor which will be accepted during road controls.


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## andy212 (Nov 1, 2010)

Bought Ford Focus 2006 from LHD car centre in leeds


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## andy212 (Nov 1, 2010)

I'm very hapy with the car had no probs to register it here on my name


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Bought LandRover Discovery from the LHD Place, Basingstoke. Excellent vehicle, fewer than 50000 km on clock.
It was on Spanish plates and transferring it to my name was easy via our Gestor.
*However.....you will need the signature of the former owner on a transfer document I got from the Gestor as well as p/copies of his/her NIE document and passport. These documents are essential*. I was not asked for a tax receipt.
The LHD Place very kindly contacted the previous owner and arranged for the transfer document to be signed.
There is a website you can use to check if anything is owing on the vehicle. Sorry, can't remember its name....
Oh, and there is a fixed charge for the transfer which every Gestor must apply.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

What if the former owner has disappeared?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

youngagepensioner said:


> What if the former owner has disappeared?



I have no idea! I would suggest you may encounter difficulties...
All the more reason for buying a good vehicle from a reputable dealer who, as did mine, will retain details of the client from whom the vehicle was purchased.
Many people who find themselves in difficulties in Spain, whether arising from vehicle or house purchase, seem to have tried to do it 'on the cheap'.
And please note: I said 'many', not 'all'.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

youngagepensioner said:


> What if the former owner has disappeared?


You just fill it in yourself or you can make a declaration that you now are the owner. 
I re-registered a german vehicle once that came for nothing so obviously it didn't have a bill of sale so we had to make one up. That's what we were told to do by the manager at El trafico !


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

gus-lopez said:


> it didn't have a bill of sale so we had to make one up. *That's what we were told to do by the manager at El trafico !*


Why does that not surprise me jeje


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## sandiewk (Oct 28, 2008)

But what kind of dealer sells a car without being able to provide details of the previous owner???
The answer seems fairly obvious.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> You just fill it in yourself or you can make a declaration that you now are the owner.
> I re-registered a german vehicle once that came for nothing so obviously it didn't have a bill of sale so we had to make one up. That's what we were told to do by the manager at El trafico !


But I had to provide a copy of the previous owner's NIE and passport. The document I got from Trafico required the previous owner's signature and a stamp from a bank, lawyer, etc.
How do you get round that?
It obviously depends on which Trafico you deal with.....
But I still wouldn't buy a car from a dealer who knew nothing of the previous owner.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> But I had to provide a copy of the previous owner's NIE and passport. The document I got from Trafico required the previous owner's signature and a stamp from a bank, lawyer, etc.
> How do you get round that?
> It obviously depends on which Trafico you deal with.....
> But I still wouldn't buy a car from a dealer who knew nothing of the previous owner.


Was the vehicle already spanish registered ? With a German, French or even a UK one, all you need is the bill of sale which is sufficient as long as it's done in the spanish way with both buyer & sellers full details , full vehicle details , price, & signed by both parties.
A lot of 2nd hand dealers in spain purchase in Germany , France ( not so much now as a lot have been scammed ) & the netherlands, as the prices are a lot lower for quality vehicles. They resell them at a discount on the comparable spanish registered ones but have no way of knowing who the last owner was. 
When I was looking to change my car at least 50 % of what I looked at was imported from other european countries.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Was the vehicle already spanish registered ? With a German, French or even a UK one, all you need is the bill of sale which is sufficient as long as it's done in the spanish way with both buyer & sellers full details , full vehicle details , price, & signed by both parties.
> A lot of 2nd hand dealers in spain purchase in Germany , France ( not so much now as a lot have been scammed ) & the netherlands, as the prices are a lot lower for quality vehicles. They resell them at a discount on the comparable spanish registered ones but have no way of knowing who the last owner was.
> When I was looking to change my car at least 50 % of what I looked at was imported from other european countries.


Yes, it had belonged to the 'one careful lady owner' in Mallorca. The UK dealer had received all the required documentation from her apart from the form from Trafico.
What you say about second-hand cars here is also true of the Czech Republic but on a massive scale. We had a Peugeot 206 cabrio and a Ford Maverick, both from dealers who bought from Belgium. The Peugeot was absolute crap.....I know nothing about cars and was sold a pup.
I would NEVER buy that kind of vehicle again. Many of those cars were over-used fleet cars, others had been in accidents and had badly botched up 'repair' jobs.


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## chad norman (Mar 17, 2009)

Thanks for all the info so far guys.

We are looking at buying a LHD spanish plated car in the UK in advance of our move to Spain in Feb next year!

Appreciate your thoughts advice on the following:

How easy is it to get insurance in the Uk for such a vehicle? We are looking at using this car for up to 9 months in the UK before we move!

Are there any other 'legal' aspects that we need to consider? Obviously looking for a car that has as much MOT (ITV?) as possible to cover this period?

Thanks guys, really appreciate your help.

Chad


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

chad norman said:


> Thanks for all the info so far guys.
> 
> We are looking at buying a LHD spanish plated car in the UK in advance of our move to Spain in Feb next year!
> 
> ...


Definately ensure that it has a valid ITV because withouth it you cannot drive it on UK roads (if it is over 4 years old). I am not ensirely sure about insuring a Spanish reg vehicle in the UK. I know that if you insure a UK reg vehicle you can take it to Spain up to a specified number of days. I had a fleet of cars for my business, and when I moved to Spain Aviva who covered our fleet agreed to cover my personal car also "unlimited" use in Spain (so I could drive it for 6 months until I marticulated it).

My Spanish reg car in Spain is insured with Linea Directa. Now, I may have this wrong but I think that when I took it out they said I can drive it in the UK as much as I want on this policy. Therefore, if you have no luck with UK insurers it may be worth speaking to Linea Directa in Spain and explaining that you want to drive it for a few months in the UK before coming to Spain. They may well be willing to offer you a policy. The advantage of this would of course be that on your entry to Spain it is covered reaqdy to go with a Spanish insurer.

You may find though that Linea Directa or any other Spanish insurer require a Spanish address to send papers to, so might be worth speaking with any friends you have, although with mine they posted docs but also emailed them also. If you buy your Spanish reg vehicle from a dealer in the UK, ask them also for their advice... I would have thought they come accross this all the time and will know insurers who will cover you.

Not sure if it will help you but worth a try! Good luck & let us know how you get on.


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## chad norman (Mar 17, 2009)

Thanks Steve,

thats given me something to think about.

Probably explore the insurance issue first and then get in touch with a dealer in the UK.

Cheers again,



Chad


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

chad norman said:


> Thanks Steve,
> 
> thats given me something to think about.
> 
> ...


The real stumbling block is if you want to use it in the Uk for more than 6 months. If you get pulled they'll want to know when you came into the country with the car . You can't use a foreign reg. car in the uk for more than 6 months without re.registering it. You can get round this by going to France & back & keeping the tickets . 
If you struggle to get UK insurance , as Steve pointed out you can use a Spanish company. I'm insured with Liberty Seguros who, when they insure UK reg. cars , notify the DVLA on tuesdays & fridays every week of cars they've insured which means when you are in the UK & get stopped you are on the MIB database. Possibly they could do that for a spanish reg. one. The problem you have to overcome is that you'd need a spanish address ,etc. If you've got that then you'll have no problem
getting it insured.


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## chad norman (Mar 17, 2009)

Thanks Gus,

no spanish address yet, insurance could be the sticking point on the deal!

Need to do some more research.


Cheers

Chad


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## Merseybob (Mar 4, 2010)

steve_in_spain said:


> Why does that not surprise me jeje


Doesn't me either, nice chuckle though and a bit typical if I may add.


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