There are a few steps involved in the process for registering a car from and EU country in Spain. Fortunately because of European standardisation, or homologation as it’s known, in most cases, provided you know the steps, it’s relatively straight forward.
The following is a basic run through of the steps and process.
The are quite a few steps and costs involved to import and register and car from a non-EU country in Spain.
First and foremost EU conformity, import and registration costs must be taken into account as these can make the import and registration in Spain impossible or too expensive to be worth while.
This said, under EU rules if you are moving from a non-EU country to live in an EU country, such as Spain, you can bring your possessions including cars, and avoid paying the costly duties and taxes and having to pay for expensive EU conformity certification.
These transfer of residence rules give you up to12 months form the date you get your residency to import your car and avoid paying customs and VAT. However you only have 60 days from the date you take up residency, to register your car and avoid registration tax (if it applies).
The UK is no longer in the EU and the process and costs to register a UK car in Spain after Brexit have changed considerably.
This is because UK cars now are now treated as vehicles from third countries and must either clear customs, or get a customs certificate if your car qualifies for customs exemption.
The process you follow will depend on your situation as will the cost. You’ll need to budget for costs of around €1,000 with taxes as applicable on top.
Importing a high value car from the UK in Spain post Brexit, now comes with added costs. As the UK is no longer in the EU and the standard process to import and register a UK car in Spain now involves customs.
This means on top of the registration tax which in most cases will be 17% of the vehicle value, 10% customs duty and 21% VAT will apply, unless you can find away around it.
Paying nearly £50k to register a £100k motor is simply not a consideration. There are however various ways these huge costs can be avoided, bringing the cost of importing and registering high value cars in Spain down to a few thousand Euros, rather than tens of thousands.
In Spain, the periodic road worthiness inspection, is the ITV. (Inspeccion Tecnica de Vehiculos – Vehicle Technical Inspection). Like the UK MoT test, it’s mandatory for all road going vehicles, and driving without a valid ITV can result in fines.
The frequency of the ITV test depends on the age and type of vehicle. New cars are first tested after 4 years and must be inspected every 2 years thereafter, until they reach 10 years of age. Any car over 10 years of age has to be tested annually.
Motorcycles, mopeds and quad bikes are first tested after 5 years, after which the test is due every 2 years. Caravans are first tested at 6 years, after which the test is due every 2 years.
If a vehicle has been involved in a serious accident, it also has to undergo an ITV assessment after being repaired, to confirm its road worthiness.
During the first Covid 19 state of alarm, expiry dates of ITV’s falling due during the period were extended. The tab below lists all the extensions:
IVTM Impuesto sobre Vehículos de Tracción Mecánica is Spanish vehicle tax, the equivalent of what we refer to in the UK as road tax.
Almost all cars registered in Spain are subject to this vehicle tax, and it’s administered and collect locally by the Town Hall. If you aren’t familiar with the vehicle tax system in Spain, you’ll find the following useful, to understand it, if not to flag issues, get them resolved and avoid problems in the future.
If you own a Spanish registered vehicle, and by mid May haven’t received a bill for vehicle tax, or notification of payment, this could be an indication of a problem relating to details held by the DGT (Direccion General de Trafico) about the registered owner of the vehicle.
The following are some of the things we hear and questions we get asked about Spanish vehicle tax.
When you own or register a vehicle in Spain, you almost always have to pay some form of vehicle tax. The type and amount that applies depends on the vehicle.
IVTM Impuesto sobre Vehículos de Tracción Mecánica is the Spanish equivalent of what we refer to in the UK as road tax. Almost all vehicles driven on public roads in Spain, are subject to this tax, which is administered and collected locally by the Town Hall.
The tax is set by the municipal authorities, and varies from area to the next. IVTM is paid to the local authority and can be paid in person at the relevant Town Hall office (Ayuntamiento), at a bank or by direct debit.
When you register a vehicle in Spain, either new or used, in all cases locally collected road tax‘ – IVTM (Impuesto Sobre Vehículos de Tracción Mecánica), must be up to date.
There are 3 main circumstances and taxes that apply when registering a vehicle in Spain. These are:
New vehicle purchases in Spain are subject to IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido), Spanish VAT – currently 21% of purchase value.
In addition, when a vehicle is first registered in Spain, it may be subject to an additional registration tax.
This vehicle tax is based on the new value of the vehicle and it’s CO2 emissions. Vehicles with CO2 emissions below 120g/km are exempt from the tax, and the rate increases with the level of emissions as follows:
Road and driving laws in Spain are being more strictly enforced than in previous years to decrease the amount of fatal car accidents on the road due to reckless and drunk driving.
On July 1st 2006 a points system was introduced to enforce them more punitively. The system which is similar to the UK´s, but in reverse, means that in addition to any fines or penalties a driver receives for any wrongdoing, the offender loses points which can ultimately result in the revocation of their driving licence (Permisso de Conducir) either temporarily, or in some cases permanently for repeat offenders.
The points system is only applicable to people holding a Spanish driving licence.
Spanish law requires the following of drivers:
Car Insurance
All car owners driving and living (resident, non- resident or visiting) in Spain must have car insurance. Cities such as Marbella where there are a large group of English speaking residents have insurance companies with English speaking agents and policies written in English for easier understanding. These can be found in English language newspapers, or other foreign language papers.
Depending on the make and year of your vehicle all risk “todo riesgo” comprehensive car insurance will cost between €1.000 to €2.000 per year. The legal minimum is third party insurance and will cost about €400 to €600 per year. It will cover you for claims by third parties up to €360.000, for injury and €100.000 for damage.
It does not cover you or your car, only third parties up to the maximum limits stated. These limits can be increased and extended to cover for fire, theft, damage to your vehicle.
Your Spanish car insurance will automatically cover you for the legal minimum in other European countries as well. A green card will increase this coverage to the same level as your own policy. Many insurance policies issue a green card “free”; others may charge a small fee.
However, if you travel to Morocco with your car you will be required to take out temporary Moroccan car insurance whether you have a green card or not.
Car Accidents
If you are unlucky and have a car accident, follow the same procedure as you would in your own country:
Unlicensed drivers and most non-EU citizens are required to take a Spanish driving test, (written theory and practical), in order to obtain a Spanish licence. Helpfully, in larger cities and places where a large part of the population is not from Spain, the test can be conducted in your native language.
There are many driving schools advertised in foreign language newspapers and magazines offering preparation for the Spanish test. If it is not available in your native tongue, you will have to take it in Spanish, and this can be challenging even for native speakers. The testing process is difficult and not cheap, the theory quite involved. You have three attempts to pass (this includes both the written and actual driving test) and then you have to pay additional fees for another three opportunities. The theory test consists of 40 questions, of which you can fail only three. So make sure if you sign up, you are prepared to dedicate considerable time to study and practice.
This can be a frustrating experience for drivers who have already held a driving license in their own country and been driving for many years.