Replating (Registering) a UK plated vehicle in Spain

EU regulations state that a vehicle must be registered, taxed and inspected (MOT/ITV) in the country where the vehicle is normally kept

Those drivers that are part time in Spain must also comply with this if their vehicle is to be based for more than six months in Spain. Otherwise a non-Spanish vehicle can only remain in the country for 6 months in any 12-month period

Permanent residents must register their vehicle in Spain.

For further information see www.ukinspain.com or www.britishembassy.gov.uk

In most cases, yes; however recent tightening of the legislation means that they can only be imported if the vehicle has European type approval (homologation) or if no type approval, it may be possible to import as a unique vehicle (called SVA in the UK), though this is more expensive and a lengthier process than normal

If resident, before buying a vehicle registered in any country other than Spain, we would strongly recommend that you seek advice to ensure that it can be imported before committing to the expense.

When you import your vehicle to Spain and re-register it, your UK “logbook” is returned to DVLA in Swansea, so you lose your UK registration.

However, if you want to retain title to your UK registration (for instance if you have a personalised number plate), then you may be able do this by applying to DVLA to retain ownership. For a fee, they may allow you to retain title and issue a certificate to this effect

Should you want to do this, please contact DVLA directly at www.dvla.gov.uk

Road tax for all vehicle types is less than in the UK. The Road Tax is charged locally with the rate being set by your SUMA office or ayuntamiento not nationally and so varies in cost. For a full year it will be approximately 100-150 euros for a car, much less for motorbikes

Another quirk is that road tax in Spain is levied from January 1st to December 31^st, so it will also vary depending upon the time of year that it is first paid

Import Tax (or matriculation fee.)

As of 1^st January 2008, the regulations regarding import tax changed significantly.

Calculating tax takes into consideration the exact car, engine size and type and its age. The tax authority has a table that we access in order to calculate the value of the car based upon this information.

The value is then compared to the below table of the vehicle’s CO2 emissions in order to determine the level of taxation to be applied.

There are 4 bands of taxation for 4-wheeled vehicles as follows:

CO2 emission of less than 120g/Km = 0% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of between 121-159 g/Km = 4.75% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of between 160-199g/Km = 9.75% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of more than 200g/Km = 14.75% of the vehicle value

All cars registered before 1^st January 1997 are charged at a flat 12% of the Spanish valuation irrespective of the CO2 emissions

Motorcycles, as of 1^st January 2009 are now assessed for tax in the same way as cars

Using the tax authority tables, the valuation is calculated using very basic information, which is merely the age and engine size in cc’s. The model and condition of the bike is not taken into consideration

The 4 bands of taxation for motorcycles is as below:

CO2 emission of less than 100g/Km = 0% of the bike value

CO2 emission of between 100-120 g/Km = 4.75% of the bike value

CO2 emission of between 120-140g/Km = 9.75% of the bike value

Larger bikes fulfilling the following criteria = 14.75% of the bike value

CO2 emission of more than 121g/Km and more than 100 Horsepower (or 74Kw)

The ideal document for showing the true value of the CO2 emissions of all vehicles is the vehicle registration document, or “Certificate of Conformity” or the vehicle handbook

Where you have no document showing the CO2 emissions, then we will use official websites to calculate this

For an exact evaluation of taxes, please contact us with full details of your vehicle

Spanish Number Plates will arrange for your taxes to be paid and provide you with the receipts from the relevant tax collecting authority. This way you can be certain that you have only paid the right amount of tax and no “mark-up”.

Yes, the Spanish authorities will class your vehicle as part of your personal possessions brought with you to Spain and will exempt you from tax, but only within 60 days of your arrival (see below) and if you can meet the following criteria

a) You have owned the vehicle for more than 6 months (as shown on the vehicle registration document)

b) Your original “Padron” is less than 60 days old

c) You have a Baja Consular from the British Consulate (or Consulate of the country in which you last lived and in which the vehicle is presently registered)

Please note that for importation purposes, the date of your arrival in Spain is taken as the date that you APPLY for your FIRST Padron at your present address, (or “Residencia” at any address) so in practice, you could have been in Spain for a some time before obtaining your Padron

Should you need a Baja Consular, then a trip to the British consulate in Alicante, which covers both the Community of Valencia (including Alicante) and Region of Murcia, is necessary as you have to apply in person, though we will be happy to accompany you there, should you wish us to do so at no extra cost. The cost of a Baja Consular is presently 143 euros (December 2009), which is usually less than the cost of import tax.

Yes. We have successfully done so on a number of occasions, but please note the following:

If the car is being imported under the “Change of Residency” rules, there should be no problem, but please read below:

Cars originating in the USA (or anywhere else outside of Europe) often do not conform to Spanish standards. For example it is important that the indicators are orange, not red and that the car has reversing and rear fog lights, with the fog-light being fitted on the left hand side of the car

It is better if your car has a European homologation (or type approval) number; many US cars do not. The number is sometimes shown on the logbook, or on the car itself. It will look similar to this e13*97/27*0040*

Without this number, it may be costly in terms of time and money to re-register the car. We would urge you to contact the main dealer who supplied the car and ask them to provide proof of the homologation number if you do not already have one

If no European homologation exists, the car may be able to be imported as a unique vehicle, but in these circumstances must conform to modern protocols and in particular the emissions standards which are presently “euro 4” or equivalent. This process is more expensive, and long drawn out, so we strongly recommend seeking our advice before buying any car from outside of the EU.

Licenses issued by EU Member States under Community law remain valid in Spain under the conditions in which they have been issued in their country of origin with a couple of provisos

The holder of a licence issued by another EU state whose normal residence is in Spain. (Normal residence means the place where a person usually lives, generally defined as being for at least 185 days per year, because of personal and/ or occupational ties) is subject to the same provisions as Spanish licences relating to the duration periods of licences as well as control of their psycho-physical skills.

This means that licences have to be renewed in line with Spanish licences and a medical examination will be required at some stage

Normally, no medical is required for the first issue of a Spanish driving licence, though the licences have to be renewed every few years and a medical is required at the time of renewal

However, all people over the age of 70 have to have a medical before a first licence will be issued

Again, we can assist you in obtaining a Spanish driving licence.

Contact us on:

0034 605-319-889 or 0034 966-753-375

Or email: info@spanish-number-plates.com

www.spanish-number-plates.com

ALL VALUES WHERE QUOTED ARE CORRECT AS AT DECEMBER 2009

Please note that we do our utmost, with the assistance of our Spanish legal advisors, to ensure that the information supplied is factual and up to date. However changes in rules and regulations and the interpretation of these can and does occur periodically, sometimes with no or little notice and for which we cannot be held responsible.