Go-to-Spain :::Cars and driving in Spain

Article 7
Cars and Driving in Spain

Driving licence:
Your EU driving licence is valid in Spain.

Visitor:
If you visit Spain just for holidays and occasional visits you can use your UK registered car for up to six months of the year. As a non-resident you are also entitled to purchase a car in Spain and use it on temporary tourist plates, which are valid for 6 months in any year and have to be renewed annually.

Resident:
However, if you are moving to Spain, you can import your car from the UK, in which case you will need to obtain a Certificate of Permanent Export (V756) from the DVLA. You will need this document in order to register your vehicle with the local authorities and obtain Spanish number plates. This incurs a tax of 13% of the estimated value of your vehicle.

Purchasing a vehicle in Spain:
When you buy a vehicle in Spain - whether for use as a permanent resident or as a visitor - you will need your NIE number (which you would have obtained at the time of property purchase), a copy of your passport and property deeds. If you are resident you will also need your Residencia. All this is necessary in order to issue you with the appropriate documentation, which may take about 6 weeks. In the meantime you will be issued with a temporary Justificante Profesional which means you can legally drive the vehicle you have just bought.

Make sure you receive the following documents when you buy a car:
Registration document (permiso de circulacion)
ITV (MOT) test certificate with the technical sheet
A photocopy of the ITV and technical sheet
Road tax receipt
A photocopy of the road tax receipt
Receipt for the payment of transfer tax
Transfer of ownership form (transferencia)

You then have 15 days in which to register the vehicle in your name.

ITV (MOT):
The Spanish equivalent of the MOT is the ITV and just as in the UK, cars have to be tested regularly at ITV Centres.

Insurance:
Some insurance companies will honour your 'no claims bonus' entitlement from your UK insurance company, who will give you a letter confirming the entitlement. Obviously Comprehensive cover is preferable, but Third Party insurance will cost approx 200 euros p.a.

Legally required items:
When driving in Spain your car must carry the following items:
Fire extinguisher
2 red warning triangles
First aid kit
Spare wheel or tyre (and tools to change)
Spare bulbs (and tools to change)
If you wear glasses, you are required to carry a spare pair
Reflective jacket/gilet
ITV (MOT) certificate
Road tax receipt (from the Suma - Tax Office)
Insurance documents

On-the-spot fines are 60 euros per missing item!

If you are hiring a car, the last three items are not required, but all the others are. Hire companies usually supply it all, but do check because they are not obliged to do so - it is your responsibility.

Car crime:
As in most other parts of the world, 'car crime' has increased in Spain in recent years. Often 'foreign registered' vehicles are the targets because the thieves think they are more likely to contain holidaymakers' valuables or cash. As holidaymakers are the prime target, many car-hire firms now do not display their company logo in the back window of their hire cars. It may also be sensible for residents to obtain Spanish plates sooner rather than later to avoid attracting attention to themselves.

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