Buying & Owning a car for a non-resident

Hi there,

We have our own apartment in Cox and use it  when ever possible, but we are getting fed-up paying out hundreds of pounds to car hire companies.

Can someone tell me if it is legal to purchase and own a car in spain for a non-resident.

Ian Sturdy

 Hi Ian, 

Don't really know anything about buying a car(though I'd be interested), just wanted to say hi 'cos we must be neighbours! We have a townhouse on the outskirts of Cox. Its on the Sierra Sol development, which is yours?

Tony.

Hi Tony,

had the apartment for almost 3 years, Mirador De la Vega 2, on the outskirts of Cox to the east, just off the road to San Calos, going out for 10 days in April to warm the bones.

Ian

No problem buying a car in Spain, I'm classed as non-resident was in similiar position fed up of paying several thounsand euros out throughout the year on  hire charges. So I decided to buy a Spanish car, car prices are up on UK prices, but in my case more cost effective in the long term. Requirments for purchase Cash, Car Insurance, Driving Licence, Passport, NIE and Padron available from local Town Hall.

Please remember that if you buy privatly to get the vehicle checked out as you can inherit any unpaid fines and taxes, by the way my Focus road tax 59 euros for the year.

Thanks for that info, have heard so many different stories, but like you fed up with hire car costs. Couple of questions, do you need a spanish licence and is the insurance competetive ?

Hi,

If you have an EU issued GB photocard licence, no you dont need a Spanish Licence.

If you have a paper licence the best advice is to visit the Post Office in the UK and obtain an International licence. It costs about £5 and is valid for one year. It carries information relating to the types on vehicle you are qualified to drive and is translated into dozen or so  languages. It is issued on the spot but you will need your current lience when you apply for it. The International Licence is only valid when presented with your UK Licence. You do not need an International Licence if your UK Licence is the EU Photocard type.

When in Spain all of the documentation relating to the vehicle must be available for roadside inspection.

Car insurance is more expensive over here, but is balanced out against the much lower car tax.

Car tax bills are sent out once a year from your local town hall to your Spanish address. although I believe it is possible to have them paid by direct debit from a Spanish Bank account. The bill, when issued has a 'latest date for payment' note attached. Late payment involves s surcharge.

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Hi Ian

Like already posted uk licence ok, regarding insurance I don't think it's that bad really 300 euros for the year fully comp. with breakdown cover. Also bear in mind the insurance covers anybody to drive the vehicle over 25 (as it's vehicle that is insured not the driver).

 I've been put off buying a car as I don't think I want to sign on the padron. It is only my holiday home and do not want to declare that is my full time home when in fact I spend most of my time in the UK. If I have misunderstood can someone tell me. Thanks Kevin

Kev2006n,

I am not a resident and brought a Ford Focus here on 1st September 2009. All I needed was my driving license, NIE, Escritura and of course money. They did not seem to require me to be on the padron and they also did all the paperwork. Make sure you go to a reliable dealer and you shouldn't go wrong. I went to a main dealer. As said cars are more expensive here. My estimate is by about 20% or so.

Before you pick up the car you must have proof of insurance.

 I'll try different dealers next month. Last week I went to both Citreon and Renault. Ford maybe a better bet. Kevin

I bought a second hand car in Manilva in February 2009 and I needed a copy of my NIE and padron certificate.  I needded the same for when I bought my scooter in October 2009 and bizarrely I needed to be registered with the Spanish tax authorities (presumably so that any fines can be added to my tax bill?).

If you're not on the padron, where would they send the road tax bill to each year? 

We  bought a new car from a dealer and only had to produce our escritura and residence certificate (husband's) - nothing else!! (maybe my husband's passport copy!?).  Padron certificate was never requested.

kev...

So far as I am aware, signing on the padron is not a 'declaration of permanent residence' and it allows the local council to claim more funding from local government for essential services. How do you pay for your annual council tax...

See this link

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 foxbat. Thanks for the link. Very interesting. Just wish one could look on one site and find the correct thing to do. It sounds very straight forward. Kevin

Sanchez1,

In your case it was different as you don't own a property in Spain.

We purchased a Spanish car for the Mrs in November last year and as we own a property, she only needed her Driving License, NIE and the Escritura. However I believe there was a change to the law as from 1st January this year, in that you have to be on the padron.

The car was purchased from Manilva Autos and they did everything for us, including the transfer of ownership.

It was a very good deal and I would go so far as to personally recommend them.

We bought our car at the end of January and weren't asked for the padron registration.  Although, still waiting for the papers from the dealer ......

What you have to remember is that the Uk plastic licence is ok as long as you have the medical certificate to go with it. This is required every 5 years For Spanish nationals over 45 & 10 years under 45. You won't necessarily be asked by the police but in the event of a serious accident, where death or serious injury is involved , the 1st .thing the lawyers ask to see is the medical cert. to go with a foreign licence. If you do not have it you are deemed to be driving without a licence. A lot of regional police forces now consider anyone with an NIE number to be resident .

Sanchez 1   "If you're not on the padron, where would they send the road tax bill to each year?"  They don't send them anywhere here unless you elect  for "domicilio de pago". You go to the town hall with reg. no. & they print off a form you pay @ the bank. Even if you buy a new car after the 1st year you still have to go to the council to get a form to have it paid from the bank for the following years.

I also purchased my 1st.car with only my passport, nie, & money.The 2nd. with just my residencia.

guslopez,

The medical certificate is only used to apply and renew a Spanish licence.  My borther in law is a driving instructor in Spain and he confirmed this.  The certificate only has a validity of 90 days.  Before the 90 days is up you have to renew/apply for the Spanish licence.  So if what you're saying is true, you will need to get a medical every 90 days for it to be valid.

Yes, It is used to apply for renewal for a Spanish licence but they then know that to obtain the licence you had a medical. When the EC told Spain that Changing of Uk & other foreign licences was illegal under EC legislation the Spaniards went back to the EC & stated that as the UK licence ran until the age of 70 & the German licence until the person died , it was unfair to Spaniards that they were required to have a medical, whilst the foreigners had not. The EC agreed & required that all foreign licence holders are required to comply with Spanish medical requirements by taking the medicals. By taking the medical & retaining the cert. you are deemed under Spanish law to have complied as long as the age / date of medical etc; is within the right time period.

The above has already been tested in court & found against a non-medical certificate holding UK citizen.

Re; only having a validity period of 90 days  for learners , yes that is correct & you have to keep renewing it until you pass the driving test when it then covers you for the 10 year period. ( if you're under 45 )

What happens then when you hire a car, the same thing must apply as the car is insured not each individual who drives it.

I've bought a car and am non-resident, I will be carrying my flight details in the car to show when I'm due to return to UK.  I haven't arranged insurance yet but I'm going to ask them if I am covered as a non resident.  I'll also ask fro it to be confirmed in writing.

In Torrevieja non residents are unable to sign on Padron.  When the car is transferred into your name then the address of where you are residing is taken from your Escuturia or a rental contract.  I'd imagine that's how they know where to send the road tax.

Unfortunately mine has been filled in incorrectly as the person in Traffico has missed out a page of my escuturia and my address has been registered incorrectly with the plot number rather than the correos.  If I had been able to sign on Padron this error might have been spotted.

Hi,

Very interesting thread as i would like to buy a car as a non resident. Gus appears to know something about this matter, but can anyone confirm the medical issue. If this was the case then it would probably be a step too far for me, Its not a health issue but just another hurdle to jump and yet another expense to be budgeted for.

To overcome any language barrier would a UK, or indeed respective EU national medical certs for be acceptable.

Guslopez,

Can you give me a link to the trafico website that confirms that you need this medical?  Also a link to the court case would be good.

Hi Sanchez, no not to the trafico website ( I only go in there when I'm desperate! ) but this is from Brian Dellers updated book  Motoring in Spain. He's red hot & always spot on regarding traffic law.

EU DRIVING LICENCES IN SPAIN - Medicals

New laws have been recently introduced and these state that if you hold an EU driving licence, you need to hold a medical certificate, the same as a Spanish national. For drivers aged between 18-45, your medical examination is every 10 years. From 45-70 years, every 5 years and for 70 years of age upwards, every two years. If you are caught for ANY driving offence and your medical examination is not current, you will be deemed to NOT HAVE a driving licence.

 The medical examination is a very simple procedure and most private medical centres carry them out. Costs vary but an average cost would be 30-40 euros.

http://www.idealspain.com/Pages/Information/DrivingSpain.htm

The court case was about 2 years ago & widely reported in the Costa Blanca news. The lady concerned was from The Alicante area & was in no way to blame but  was found to be liable as she didn't have the cert. Even the Judge sympathised with her. Hope this helps . I didn't bother to keep the article at the time as I thought it would be widely publicised but wasn't & is now starting to come to light as the trafico have to get some money in to fill the gov. coffers & far more of the officers appear to be aware of he need for the cert. now.

Hi, raff, There's nothing too hard about the medical. Round here it's just blood pressure & can you see the bottom line on the eye chart. In some other areas they ask you to do a co-ordination test which is basically like the old fairground test of maneouvering a metal ring along a bent coathanger without setting the bell off! lol. It costs here, 28e & you just have to find a  'Center de reconocimientos'.

 The more I read the more I get put off buying a car in Spain. No wonder there are so many English cars driving around. Makes me think this has to be an easier route to having a car in Spain. I've even heard you do not need to take it back to the UK each year if you are a non resident. Fact of Fiction?

Are car repairs more expensive in Spain than the UK?

Kevin

Hikev2006n, Her's the answer to that one from the DVLA yesterday, which I needed for a query on another site.

Hi ******, I e-mailed the dvla with your query re; leaving the car in Spain & bringing it back to mot it & they replied with the following.


"It appears that the vehicle will be taken to Spain and only brought back to the UK to obtain an MOT. Your acquaintance is not able to keep the vehicle registered in the UK under these circumstances if it is being kept abroad."

The following information will be useful to your acquaintance.

"It may be helpful if I explain that, if you are taking your vehicle out of the country on a permanent basis (over 12 months) you must notify us immediately of the vehicle's intended export."

I then asked the question regarding what the situation was if the vehicle was taken out of the UK whilst remaining taxed & mot'd ( being brought back to be mot'd ) if the owner still had a UK residence. In addition I asked what was the situation re: motorhomes that stay out of the country for over 12 mths. only returning for mot's. Here is the reply.

" I can confirm that all vehicles, if taken outside the UK for more than 12 months, should be notified as exported, regardless of whether the keeper still has a UK address."

"This would include motorhomes."

"It is also important that keepers contact the licensing authorities of the country their vehicles are being used in, to establish their requirements."

If anyone wants the complete e-mails, pm me with your e-mail address.

I have asked where you would register your motorhome if you were permanently touring & await there reply.

So it would seem that if it's abroad over 12 mths. it must be exported.

So the ones running around ,even with t&t +ins. are illegal.

"So the ones running around ,even with t&t +ins. are illegal."

Unless they have been here less than six months, and have adequate European (green card) insurance. Then as long as it is road legal in the country of registration, then it is road legal here.

However once a car has been in Spain for more than six months, it must be imported and re-registered, if it is intended that the car is to remain here permanently.

Arguably, one could keep a road legal UK car here in Spain for less than six months, take it back to the UK, ensure that it is road legal, and then bring it back for another six months.

As the DVLA have stated, as far as they are concerned they car must be re-registered if you intend to "permanently" leave the car outside the UK.

But if you were to take it out, then bring it back, once or twice a year... then really you are not doing so!

So, again arguably, you are sticking to the letter of the law!

My cars are registered at my parents address, as until we 'officially' move to Spain, that's where we "reside".

If you're not on the padron, where would they send the road tax bill to each year?  Gus Lopez

Why not just have them send it to your postbox like all other bills? Some people seem to cross the road to find problems. If I'm ever stopped driving my UK car I tell them I'm on holiday and if they ask since when I say since a couple of weeks ago when I departed my French holiday home. We are in the EU for Christ's sake and if I chose to spend one month a year in each of twelve EU countries what business is it of some peanut as long as my car is insured & taxed somewhere in the EU and I have an EU driving licence? It all comes out in the wash, I pay a fortune in UK taxes that go down the drain in Greece and Spain and I don't quibble, so I don't expect some Spaniard to quibble that I'm driving on his roads - which I probably paid more towards than he did. I don't get hassled by Scots when driving around Scotland wanting to know how much time I spend north of the Clyde. This "we're in their country, after all" bull cuts no ice with me. I have as much right to live in Spain as Zapatero does - and I have no more right to live in UK than any Pole. |That's about the sole upside of belonging to the EU.

Forgive rant. Back to sipping teensy weeny glass of Manzanilla before supper.

Interesting thread.

Concerning the medical certificate. I am a resident of the UK, own a property in Spain, have an NIE number but not on the Padron and not Residencia - each time I fly into Spain and hire a car - do I need to obtain a medical certificate? If I do need to obtain a medical certificate then why do the car hire companies not ask for this? They ALWAYS ask for driving licences.

Also, if I drive my UK car to spain for the summer holidays for about six weeks (the car will be insured, taxed not MOT as it is new) will I need a medical certificate?

This is the first time I have seen reference to medical certificates, and I want to be totally legal when in Spain. As I am sure do many others. I have read the link, and very worried that it states if you do not have a medical certificate you are deemed to be driving without a licence and can face an immediate 6 months in prison.

You see, this is the interesting thing about EU law, and the fact that the UK decides which EU laws to adopt... and which to completely ignore!

And this new law regarding EU Driving Licenses and having to carry a Medical Certificate stating you are fit to drive, appears to fall into the latter category.. ignored by the UK.

So it would appear, and I think we need to clarify my assumption, that if you are a UK resident, and hold a UK "EU" photocard licence, then you do not require to carry a medical certificate stating that you are fit to drive within the EU, as this is not required to hold a UK "EU" license.

However, my assumption goes further...

That if you move to another EU member state which has obviously had to adopt this law, and you then become resident in that country, that you have to acquire such a medical certificate and a Spanish EU driving license, as your UK "EU" license has now become invalid, as you are no longer resident in the UK.

Seems to make sense.

I've never been stopped by police/Traffico but my husband was.  They looked at his paper licence and passport, asked if it was a hire car and waved him on.

I have heard of people being stopped and fined for not having a medical certificate, but no further information than that.  Similar to when the not driving in flip flops rule surficed.

When I sort out my insurance next week I'll ask them what their take is on this new rule.  The car I bought is an ex rental so I'll ask the company if they have heard of this new ruling or perhaps they have a different insurance policy.

By reading the literature it would appear that you only need to have a medical certificate when you renew your licence, the problem arises when you have a paper licence which doesn't run out until your 70.