Owning a car in spain. The law.

Owning/Driving a Vehicle in Spain

Although Spain is part of the EU, there are certain points to be noted regarding the rules governing ownership and use of Spanish and British vehicles in Spain.

Keeping a Vehicle with British Number Plates in Spain

Non-Residents

If you are non-resident, you may drive your British vehicle all year without changing the number plates. If the car needs an ITV (Spanish equivalent of MOT), this can be carried out in Spain but will only be valid whilst the car is being driven in Spain. You may obtain insurance for your British vehicle but will not be able to tax the vehicle here – you must apply to the relevant British authorities to obtain car tax.

Residents

If you are a resident, you will be granted a period of 6 months after obtaining your Residencia to legally “import” your vehicle. In order to do so, you must have a Matriculation and ITV inspection, pay the relevant tax at the appropriate Hacienda and apply for a Spanish matriculation at your provinces’s Trafico office. This procedure is complicated and we recommend you contact a car dealer or Gestor who deals with importations.

Documentation

You must have the Permiso de Circulación showing your name and address as owner of the vehicle, plus a Ficha Tecnica card showing the technical details.
The Ficha Tecnica must be stamped to show the vehicle has had a current ITV and an ITV disc must be displayed on your windscreen.
An ITV is not necessary for cars under four years old. In addition, you must have current and valid motor insurance, and current Road Tax.
A Road Tax Certificate is obtained from your local SUMA Office (or Ayuntamiento in some areas), and the cost will depend on the make and size of your vehicle. The tax is payable once a year in the months of March/April, and late payment will incur a penalty of 20% plus interest. N.B. All vehicles must have car tax, irrespective of their number plates or country of origin. Mopeds under 50cc should also be taxed, and your local SUMA/Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) will issue the relevant Tax Certificate.

Replacing Stolen/Lost Car Documents

If the car papers have been stolen you must attend the Guardia Civil (local police) station and make a Denuncia (statement). If the Ficha Tecnica has also been stolen/lost you will need to apply for a new one. This can be obtained from any ITV Centre and takes a week.
You must take a copy of the Denuncia with you to the ITV centre. Once you have the Instancia and new Ficha Tecnica (if appropriate), duplicate papers can be applied for at the Trafico Office.

All questions regarding driving and owning a vehicle in Spain must be confirmed by a Gestoria or Lawyer of the latest laws that can change without prior notice.

Just adding a little note. which may clear up a comment or two.
I recently lived in an area where the car taxes were sent out in October for payment between 1st November until 31 December.
These car taxes are at the descrepency of the local town halls and vary a lot

wonderful information. Thankyou. Can you get an itv on a uk registered car, if the mot runs out or do you need to take it back to the uk?

Brian Davies wrote:wonderful information. Thankyou. Can you get an itv on a uk registered car, if the mot runs out or do you need to take it back to the uk?

As I understand it, and I may not be correct.
The car must be road legal in the country of origen. That is it must conform, in your case to having an UK MOT. You can have your car insured legally, in Spain using Spanish or Spanish based UK companies.
You can go into any ITV station, have your UK car tested and be given a current test cert BUT that may not be acceptable to either the Guardia Civil or your insurance.

Probably the best source of advice would be from your insurance company and/or Brian Deller who writes comprehensibly on this subject. He writes articles for THE SIERRAS magazine and is found on the internet.

Hope this helps