importing english car without recidencia!

Hi I am new to the forum. I have a house in Spain and have left my car over there. I have NIE and local council number but not residencia as still live in UK - I tried before to get spanish plates but could not without residencia. Does anyone know if this has changed otherwise I would need to bring it back to UK to get MOT although insurance company in spain is happy to insure it there so long as I have a voluntary ITV to say it is roadworthy

Many thanks 

I'm afriad thats correct Gaye, your car can't become resident if you don't. It's EU law that all member states have signed up for. A Spanish resident couldn't register a Spanish car in the UK unless they became resident. All EU citizens can keep their car in another country for six months they then either have to register themselves and their car or go home.

More here

That's odd!

I am non-resident, but re-registered my imported car  some five years ago without any problems whatsoever!

Steve

Both my neighbours are non-resident but transferred their UK cars to Spanish plates, again about 5 years ago. Have the rules changed since then?

One of them has been stopped for a docs check (his ITV had run out) but, although fined for that, they didn't say anything about him being a non-res.

Edited to add:

Mind you, this was when town halls were allowing non-res citizens to sign on the padron, something which has now been clamped down on.

My friends who own a house on the Costa Blanca South and who are not residents have had Spanish plates put on the jeep they own so they can keep it in Spain, I fitted the plates on the jeep for her Last September,  it caused them no problems getting the car changed from UK plates to Spanish.

I'm not a Spanish resident but had no problem putting my pickup on Spanish plates a few months ago. Why wouldn't a regular visitor be able to own and keep a locally registered vehicle in Spain? What's he supposed to to do? Air-transport a UK reg vehicle for his holiday use?

I did post with trepidation, fearing, knowing what was going to ensue.

Them are the rules though, I would be pleased to stand corrected if anyone can post anything of substance to prove me wrong.

Gaye, try and get a gestor to do it, you may be lucky

Thank you all so much for you very helpful replies. I am fascinated to know that it has been possible to register a vehicle so recently so that should mean it is possible after all although Team GB have obviously encountered the same as me.

GuyT I know it will possibly be complicated to explain but what happened when they asked for your residencia - or didn't they? How did you do it? We followed the advised check list for vehicle compliance etc etc 

many thanks 

It's  all to do with signing on the Empadronamiento. Changed our plates within 2 months of living in Spain and with only a rented property as an address.

I know the guardia, in my area, constantly stop non resident property owners driving legally Brit plated cars until they conform and matriculate them. So check with your local council.

But it sounds like you are a resident floella ?. There have been ongoing campaigns,rightly trying to get resident foreigners to re register their cars within six months, I'm sure we all know plenty of foreigners who are resident (here more than 183 days) that have never re registered their car when they should.

Again from the official europa.eu website.

Wherever you live in the EU, you must register your car in the country where you normally live or have your permanent residence.

You are not usually allowed to register your car in a country where you have a secondary residence or holiday house.

Where they use the word "usually" I think they are refering to cross border workers

Sorry, thought I made my posting clear that , although it was our intention to be, we were not residents when we first matriculated our car and  it is the non resident  property owners who are being targeted by our local guardia .

Example.

Friends of ours are frequent visitors to their property but never stay for more than 4/5 months in 2/3 weekly visits. They always opt to drive here in their Brit plated car because wife has a chronic  mobility problem.  Recently, after constantly being stopped by guardia, who assumed they were residents, they signed on the local padron and replated their car. 

Because car is needed for journeys from UK to Spain our friends had to buy another car to also be legal in their main country of residence.

So signing on a padron is the key. However, if as Mariedav states councils have tightened up on non residents signing on ...then could be a problem. However worth checking.

A non resident neighbour of mine has just bought a new car. As he is here less than 6 months of the year he does not have a Padron. The garage just needed to see that he has some 'roots' in Spain, i.e. utility bill, bank account and either lease or escuitura. This all was provided and everything is ok. It would be the same for reregistering a car, i.e. prove you have some 'roots' and everything goes through smoothly, usually!.

I remember about 8 years ago I tried to reregister my U.K. plated car and when it went to the ITV station I was told my tyres were wrong, I needed a certificate of conformity and a few other things. I went away and took it back a few days  later and the car sailed through the ITV. Different tester, different ideas! Go figure.

The best advice is to get a 'professional' to do it for you as he probably knows the tester and little things will not need to be done!!!!

 it is the non resident  property owners who are being targeted by our local guardia .

They are targeting everyone, residents or non residents that have had a foreign plated car here for longer than six months

steone

A non resident neighbour of mine has just bought a new car. As he is here less than 6 months of the year he does not have a Padron.

I'm assuming thats a Spanish registered car. Absolutely no problem for non residents to buy new or used cars in Spain, 

Hi Yes it appears to be the non-resident bit which is the problem in terms of importing - no problem to actually buy in Spain.

G 

Friends of ours are frequent visitors to their property but never stay for more than 4/5 months in 2/3 weekly visits. They always opt to drive here in their Brit plated car because wife has a chronic  mobility problem.  Recently, after constantly being stopped by guardia, who assumed they were residents, they signed on the local padron and replated their car. 

Floella

Your friends could have quite legitimately kept their UK plated car and saved the cost of buying another in the UK. All they needed to do was to keep ferry and travel tickets with them. But it's not nice getting stopped all the time so if they have found a loop hole fair play to them

Didn't realise friends signing on the padron was finding a " loophole" .

By using a gestoria, I presume, they took the route the guardia wanted and matriculated because believe me it is the easiest option trying to explain to the guardia and also dealing with a mature passenger who has a degenerative physical problem.

The question on this thread  isn't about residents still driving Brit plated cars, who in my opinion should abide by the rules of Spain, but non residents.

Can't buy a new or 2nd hand car where I live without signing on the padron. 

And that is the problem with Spain....one size/ law  doesn't fit/ suit all.  But hopefully Gaye you will find a solution.

Gaye

Simple solution

Trade your UK car in for a Spanish car - many expat car sales will do this for you

again thank you all for your considerations and advice - very helpful

BW Gaye

Dear all i thought I would give you all the news - I have spanish plates!!!! and without residency!!! In the end I went to a local garage who had managed to do it for someone else  using a local gestor. They required all the usual info on the car and importantly my padron (ayuntamiento home owner tax number NOT NIE) and eventually my car became legal on 1st Novemebr - a result!!! 

Gaye

Great news and always nice to hear someone doing something right and persevering

unlike the disrespectful numpties who drive UK registered cars here permanently / illegaly