Advice/info, please.

OK - to start at the top!

I have just bought a car - 2001 Citroen Xantia - which I will be driving over to Spain week after next. She has 12 months MoT, eight months tax and comprehensive insurance. I propose to keep it in Spain and have got a good deal for parking at Murcia airport when we are in the UK. I understand the we can use her legally on the British plates for six months.

So far so good!

Sometime over the next few months I will be sourcing a pair of second-hand headlamps from France. Next year, I will take her to the ITV station and get the appropriate paperwork for the local MoT.

Now comes the hard bit!

I then propose to transfer her onto a Spanish registration myself! Obviously I will have to change to Linea Directa or another local insurance - I know that you have to go to Traffico, but has anyone out there actually done this themselves? Any hints, tips or general info would be gratefully received.

Thanks in anticipation

Steve.

Hi Steve

No long and short. It's a nightmare. Firstly, do you speak fluent Spanish? You will need this when you go to Trafico. If you are going to re-register your English car, you need to have an NIE number and a Padron.

We drove down to Spain in January 09 in an English car. After being quoted around 2000 euro's to do it all for us, we decided it was easier and cheaper to buy a Spanish car.

Two things, firstly you can use a Gestor to do the paperwork for you, but they don't come cheap. Secondly, you can find someone that speaks Spanish to help you at Trafico, but expect to go back and forth a few times.

Where in Spain are you goig to be? I have a freind that is going with me to Trafico to change details on our car. I also know someone that buys and sells English and Spanish cars.

Hopethis helps.

Steve

Steveonthepc

You were quoted a huge amount to get you car sorted. We did ours through a professional service from the Marrazon area and to get it all done (except the padron which only cost a few euros) around 800 euros. this included the the purchase of new headlights/fog lamp and fitting of, the baja consular, the ITV (which frankly is a rip off) car tax (for a 03 diesel Focus around 100 euros).  The lassies that carried out this work for us were great fun and did a lot of ferrying around of and for us.  In our view worth while to avoid the hassle.

Sten46.  Good luck with your project and admire you for having the cojones for doing it all yourself.

Regards

Hi Steve

We know about bringing a UK plated car to Spain & making it legal. Our friends, non residents in La Marina, have done it also we went to the people they went to, to enquire about doing it ourselves, & it's expensive with the company not making much for themselves BUT they know what's to be done. We were given a written breakdown of costs & much of the 1000€ odd was to be paid out anyway.

By the time you have spent your holiday going here & there & without Spanish you might as well have paid for Tom to do it so why not just have a chat with him as so many others have & thanked me for telling them about the company which is http://www.reregcar.info/ in La Marina urb.

You say you understand you can keep the car on UK plates for 6 months. The police are renowned around here for stopping UK cars. Tom was telling us we should re-register asap if intending keeping the car in Spain.  I think you'll find it isn't at all simple to diy, do yourself a favour... chat to Tom.

If you're driving over when you say you are we must get together. We're here till 29th June. Thanks for your PM & yes, I received your email. Say hi to your J from us both.

 

It's no so much as complicated but tedious.

I would encourage you to do it yourself just to find your way around the system and then you will be an expert.

The law in Spain statse that you are required to register your Vehicle with Spanish plates within 6 months of bringing it into the country. After 6 Months it must have Spanish registration or it must leave the country for a continuous 6 month period. Why? - Think about the situation in reverse : Imagine that you are driving your completely legal UK registered car in the UK and you are involved in a minor accident with a foreign registered car which has been in the UK for over a year but still has foreign plates on it. After being in the UK for 12 Months it would not have a certificate of road worthiness (MOT) from its own country which will automatically render its insurance null and void and leave you with a legal and financial headache!

Now reverse the above situation and you have your answer! (but this time it's you who are at fault!)

One of the popular comments that you will hear from the various expat "experts" in your local bar could be " Tell them you are here on Holiday and then take the car back to the UK and get it MOT'd and Taxed and then bring it back again "

Wrong! Unless you have resident status in Spain you can only keep a car here for up to six months. Then it has to go back to the UK for a further six months. You might bluff a routine roadside stop from the Guardia Civil (of which there are surprisingly many) once or twice with that story but, in the event of something more serious, you would have to prove that the car was only here for six months of the year in a court of law and that might be a little difficult when the local Guardia Civil has been taking notes in his black book over the last year.

In the unfortunate event of you being involved in a serious traffic incident you would probably be asked by your insurance company to provide proof of continuous residence in the UK for a full six month period within the twelve months up until the date of your accident. This would include credit card receipts, debit card receipts, petrol receipts, rent/ mortgage payments etc... They could also ask to see your passport stamped at the correct dates with entry and exit stamps.

There have been many recent cases of cars being impounded byVarious Town Halls - reason being given that they had exceeded the six month time period and had still not been re-registered with Spanish plates.

The easiest way to avoid this unnecessary hassle is to....

• Re-register your car.
• Change your driving licence to a Spanish one (or an International model.)
• Buy Spanish insurance.

It really is a simple as that.

If you are still in any doubt as to the legality of your car then simply ask your insurance company for a letter stating that they are aware that you are a permanent resident in Spain but that you are still driving a UK registered car with no Tax or MOT but they are quite happy to carry on insuring you on a fully comprehensive basis until the policy expires.

Once you have that letter, keep it with you at all times.

There are many Specialist Car Importation Companies that can do this for you, but most Gestors are also able to undertake this kind of work.

A special registration Tax of around 12% is payable which is calculated on the Vehicles Current Value (based on the vehicles original market value in Spain)

Hi

i used Morerosado's guy, Tom

Just asked him to the bits i couldn't/to time consumming

€400 all done drive it down late Sept, ITV booked

"Simples''

Thanks again More x

You're welcome David.

My husband & I met Tom & his young wife Debby, who ran the business with him till she suddenly died in March I understand, last year when we were wondering how much it would cost to legalise our UK registered car IF we brought it here to Spain to stay full time.

We went to see them after a recommendation from a friend who brought his car here & used Tom & Debby's company. They couldn't have been more helpful, listing everything for us to take away with us too.