Guardia Civil introduce new rules for foreign cars

 Hi, trafico are definitely tightening up on UK cars as one of our clients purchased a car in the UK last November brought it over to Spain in December got stopped in San Javier in January and given 5 days to import the car or put it on temp plates.

** EDITED - Self-Promotion - Against forum rules ** 

Last week the traffico sent me a summons, speeding I thought  but even more petty when translated it was because I was driving without lights.  I was driving a hire car back to Malaga airport,  back in October.   it was not even dark.  No appeal process, they do give you 20 days to pay, but by the time I received it, the summons had to be paid that day to qualify for a 50% discount.

But although they give a link on the summons to a web site to pay.  I could not sort it out.   So next time I'm over the lights will be on day and night.

Out of interest, Derek, how much was the full fine (without the discount)?

I forgot to mention the fine was 200.00€

Could there ever be a case of being fined for using dipped headlights when the visibility is good ie; they're not needed, as derek55 has mentioned?  I'm starting to ge worried about bringing my our over to Spain when we stay for the winter, a stay that we will ensure will be less than 6 months!

The most common nick for lights are people not putting on their lights when they go through a tunnel and on the approach to Alicante airport I have seen the Police waiting at the end of the tunnel plus setting up a photo station to record numbers

Hi Maddie

Ian posted a bit of news a little while back about the Guardia Civil being told to fine as many people as they can in order to raise funds.  We were fined 100 euros last spring for not coming to a complete standstill as we turned left on a completely empty road, when to come to a stop in the middle of the road, rather than slowing right down before turning, which was what we did was completely counterintuitive.  If cars had been coming behind us it would have also been safer not to stop as with some of the silly drivers on the main road, if they tried to overtake there was then more chance that they would slam right into us.   Sometimes you have to weigh up whether you want to risk death on the road by obeying the letter of the law or risk a fine instead  and conduct a safer manoeuvre.

Shortly after this a local Spaniard's car was checked for the triangles, the jackets etc.  The Guardia didn't have any particular reason for stopping him as he had been driving safely.  Ashe had done nothing wrong, they were then racking their brains how to get him.  They then noticed that it said on his licence he should be wearing glasses.  He said his eyes were now fine after an operation but they insisted on following him home to see the letter from the hospital that confirmed he no longer needed glasses to drive.  Luckily he found the letter.  The officer said he would have been fined 500 euros without it.

The Guardia Civil sit on a roundabout near us all morning every day nabbing drivers and have been doing this for at least a year now.  Criminals or anyone else who want to drive on the roads freely, just have to arrange their journey any time that isn't 9am to 1.30pm as they then go off duty and are not to be seen for the rest of the day, presumably having raised enough funds for the daily quota.

I think you should also look closely at the other thread about registering UK cars on Spanish plates as according to my cursory reading of that it might be that you are supposed to change your UK plates to Spanish ones once you've been in Spain for three months.  It's obviously bonkers - for example if you are staying 6 months in Spain and 6 months in the UK every year, are you supposed to change your plates over on the border each time?  Completely crazy, but also presumably a revenue-source if they can keep fining you for it...  and also presumably lots of fees for making the changeover, applying for all the paperwork to be in order etc.  If I were you I'd seriously consider a car rental if that could fit in with your plans - maybe a cheap one month's rental, then a gap using public transport etc., depending on where you're going to be.  It could work out much less of a headache.

Hi eggcup and thank you so much for your comprehensive reply.

Yes, I think you're right...we should rent a car for spells and use public transport at other times. That's a great idea...and we won't have to keep on the look-out for hidden Guardia cars whilst we're driving, something we did the last time we brought our car to Spain for 5 months.  It's far too nerve-wracking!

"Sorry Gus but I suspect that you are making it very confusing"

No, you are trying to over-simplify what can be a very confusing and complicated issue for some. Just because you have been lucky for many years, does not mean that others don't sometimes find themselves in an impossible situation caused by Spanish bureacracy. Just because you haven't experienced the problems some others have, does not mean those problems don't exist for others.

"I believe you are trying to split hairs for the sake of disagreeing, and thus, unless you have a practical question I will leave it here".

Trouble is, you can't just leave it, can you? Your statements about residency / fiscal residency border on patronizing. I could tell you that after religiously filing tax returns in Spain for 15 years, Hacienda have refused to issue me with a certificate of fiscal residency with no apparent reason, and that this year I will have to file both a non-resident tax declaration (210) and my normal IRPF,  but you would probably say I am wrong, because that situation has never happened to you.

This must be a UK plate thing as both my wife and I have been driving around on French plates and other than a stop so that the lads could look at the car we have had no problems.

Rossetti

I kept an English plated car in San Javier for 18 months and never had any problems.

After 6 months I started the import process and had an importation ITV done, which gave me some basic paperwork. The car was insured with Abbeygate and when, 11 months later I finally got my Spanish plates they were able to re-insure it as a Spanish car.

I never once had any issues with the GC nor local police in San Javier and as the car was parked on the road, we have a policeman in our street and I everyone (incl me) got a ticket for parking with 2 wheels on the pavemant, they had plenty of opportunity .

In my Spanish plated car in which I got nicked for speeding and got a €300 fine and two points. They were patrolling a stretch of road which has a very short 50km/h section which I failed to spot.

Vantage -you were just lucky-you WERE driving an illegal car if you were living permanently in Spain.  It should have been reregistered onto Spanish plates within 1 month of signing on the the foreigners register. It is not a UK thing, it applies to all. I refer you to Graham Shelton, in the Costa Blanca News and Brian Deller, author of Motoring in Spain.

i have been in spain for 10 years with an english car

and i know lots and lots of people and so far nobody has had a problem

scaremongering and bull

Mungry-if you were in an accident would your insurers pay out, especially if you hit a car and someone in that car was injured or killed. Do you think your insurers would say you were legal on the road?  Do you not care about the law?

What about the Spanish road tax you are not paying?what about the  MOT/IVA

Do you have the same attitude to other things in Spain eg income tax, reporting assets etc?

It,s not difficult to get a UK lated car onto Spanish plates, my wife has done it for friends of ours. It's time consuming but not expensive. We do know quite a few people who have been fined and their cars imounded until they were put onto Spanish plates. How many time sin the UK have you seen a foreign plated car and thought to your self"bloody foreigners" well we are the foreigners in Spain so why don't people just play the game.

Mungry is strangely quiet!

@camposol. My car was fine. It was always either MOT'd or ITV'd (importation ITV, not the Mickey Mouse one) and fully insured with my insurance company. If I had had an accident I would have been covered.

If the GC decided to stop me I had proof that from 6 months in, the matter was under process. Prior to that the car was in my fathers name!