Vehicle registration in Spain

According to the spanish law, a vehicle imported from another european country or from Switzerland to Spain, must be registered at the latest after 6 months. Always, when the vehicle owner applies for a residency card or has his permanent residence in Spain.

You have to go through different processes before you can get the car registered in the traffic licensing department in Spain. In the first step a technical engineer has to take all measurements of the vehicle and draw up the so called “Ficha técnica”. After that the car has to pass the MOT inspection and it will be checked if all dates and measurements (motor number, length, wheels, etc.) taken out of the vehicle registration document, matches with the vehicle. If the car has passed the inspection without any defect, the MOT badge will be handed over. After a couple of days the definite vehicle registration document is ready to collect. Then it has to be submitted to Tax Office and to the BASE office (or the municipality) for tax purposes.

Spain charges motor vehicle tax once a year. The amount to be paid depends on the type of the car, type of registration and the place of domicile (municipality). Before the car can be registered in the traffic licensing department, the tax has to be paid in the BASE office or in town hall.

With the first registration of the vehicle in Spain a licensing tax (impuesto de matriculación) has to be paid. This tax can be avoided if the vehicle is registered within 30 days after bringing it to Spain. The amount of tax depends on the type of the car, year of construction, type of fuel and cubic capacity. To create a change of residency (Cambio de residencia) different types of documents have to be submitted to Tax Office, then the tax will be waived. It is very important to meet the deadline of 30 days. To get everything sorted out within that deadline you have to carry out the steps in the right order.

For vehicles brought from Switzerland, an importation tax (impuesto de importación) has to be paid. The amount depends on the actual value of the vehicle, established by the customs authority. Tax Office and traffic licensing department demand customs documents. They can be issued directly by the customs house at the border or if not, you can still get it sorted out at a customs office here in Spain. The same procedure here: the car has to be registered the latest after 6 months, if not the importation tax has to be paid. If the vehicle document together with the customs document are submitted within 30 days to the Tax Office, the licensing tax does not have to be paid. Not meeting the deadline of 30 days, means paying the licensing tax to the Tax Office.

When all taxes are paid or the necessary documents to enable the tax to be waived are ready the vehicle can finally be registered in the traffic licensing department. All papers have to be submitted to the department, so they can be checked. If all documents are correct and complete, the finale vehicle registration document can be collected the following day at the traffic licensing department. The number plates can then be ordered in a garage.

There are two types of documents with each car in Spain. One includes all details of the owner (Permiso de circulación) and the other one contains all technical dates of the vehicle. Both have to be carried in the car. You should bear in mind, that the car insurance company has to be informed about the new registration or you should cancel your insurance in England or Ireland and take out a new one here in Spain. The spanish number plates should not be installed without valid insurance.

I hope I have explained the process clearly. For any further information please do not hesitate to contact me at any time, of course without any obligation.

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