Taking my LHD UK Plates car to Spain

Hi All,

Ok!

Purchased a LHD car here in the UK on the 4th of June this year. It is a 2002 BMW on British plates and was 1st registered in France and then re-registered in the UK a year later.

We are moving to Spain at the end of the Month and the car will be on Spanish soil from the 1st December, therefore I will have owned the car for almost six months prior to it's arrival in Spain.

Now I have read all the posts in this section of the forum about re-registering the car onto Spanish plates, however I just want to check my facts:

If I re-register the car within ONE month of becoming a Spanish resident AND at the POINT of becoming a Spanish resident I have owned the car for OVER SIX MONTHS, then I don't have to pay the matriculation tax as I can classify the car as a 'personal possession'.

However, is there a time limit after which the car has been imported into Spain in order to do this, as I have heard it can take some time to get your Spanish Residencia sorted out?

Good question. I think your "facts" are correct, but I must say, I've never actually heard of anybody successfully re-registering a car without paying the matric. tax. It will be very interesting to hear if you manage it! You may need professional help to deal with it. As for how long it takes to get your residencia, maybe this is the catch - they make sure you  can't comply with all the requirements to avoid the tax! But I would think that the application for your residencia should be sufficient? Presumably you already have an NIE? And anyway, since doing away with residency cards for EU citizens, the new green certificate which replaces it should be issued immediately at your local foreigners office / national police station.

Hi Roberto,

Yes! We already have or NIE's. had them for well over two years now.

Thanks for the quick reply, I thought I had got it rought, just wanted tio check.

Well, if I manage to save the matriculation tax, I'l  let everyone know.

Hi

I "imported" a left hand drive car on English plates and have re-registered it. The point that the authorities say you entered Spain is when you get your Padron. If you register within 60 days of getting your Padron then you only pay the matriculation. Unless you speak good Spanish it is worth getting a company to do it for you. The cost of the ITV, Spanish MoT, the paperwork, number plates etc. will be in the region of 500€ plus the matriculation.  If you are in the Alicante/Murcia area drop me a line and I can let you know the name of the  company I used.

Good luck

And if you don't register it within 60 days, what else do you pay? I'm confused dot com.

I do not know exactly what the import duty is but I think it is 12% of their value of the car. Gets a bit painful at that rate. However so long as the car is fully legal in the country of plating then it is legal here. That means tax, MOT and insurance. However as a RESIDENT you are not allowed to own a foreign plated car. Welcome to the paper chase in Spain.

That Import Duty you are talking about is I believe the Matriculation Tax that we are talking about.

For cars over 2.0l in Engine size it is 12%, however under that I believe iit is 8% and is based on the current value of the car.

I'm not 'Importing' a car as I 'Own' the car and am moving to Spain, so therefore I can classify the car as part of my 'Personal Possesion's' when I move to Spain.

Therefore, If I get the timing right, I shouldn't have to pay this tax!?!

Appologies. The import tax is now called matriculation tax and it is based on the CO2 emmissions of your car. It is on a sliding scale depending on these emmissions. As  said if you re-plate the car within 60 days of "entering" Spain then you do not pay this tax as it is p[art of your household possessions.  However you might need to get a document form the British Consulate that states that you have just brought the car here. This "letter" costs 158€!!!!. and takes 10 minutes for them to issue it. All that happens is you state that you have just driven the car over. We think the Spaniards are good at ripping us off but the UK authorities are nearly as bad. Once again it is advisable to get a specialist to do this for you and the costs will be in the region of 500€ for everything, except for the equilivant of road tax.

No apoologies needed buddy

I wasn't sure of my facts, that's why I asked the 1st question and am very greatful for your input.

Thanks from the info from you and Roberto, I think that I MAY be able to get away without paying the Matriculation tax, but we shall see!

So, it looks like I have to re-register and re-plate the car within 60 days of entering Spain, at which time I will have owned the vehicle for more than 6 months. However I can ONLY do so if I am at that time a Spanish Resident and I have my Residencia!?!

I think Roberto was right when he said confused dot com - and then some !?!?!

Now the other question is, the Mrs wants us to drive over in her RHD car, as it's bigger and more room for the dog, so therfore I was going to have MY LHD car sent over with the removals company who are taking all our other stuff. As I'm not driving the car over, and it is coming over with all my other possesions, and I've owned the car for almost 6 motnhs, I'm pretty sure this still means that I can declare the vehicle as part of my possesions and not that I am buying the car AFTER getting to Spain and therefore Importing it!

PS. Also, I purchased the car on the 04th June and it won't arrive with the removals company until 5th December. So, does the date of arrival go from when it arrives with me in Spain and I sign for the delivery or does it go by the date the transporter arrived on Spanish soil?

Hi

Just to clear up another misunderstanding. Resident status has absolutely nothing to do with re-plating a car. The documents you need are a PADRON which you obtain from your local town-hall and its free!!!!!. This states that you are living at the address you say you are. Although the pardon lasts forever, when you use it to buy a car for example, or register one, it needs to be under 3 months old. As a word of advice do not get this until you are ready to re-plate the car because this is the “proof” as to when you came to Spain. It does not matter how the car gets here as to whether you pay the tax on it. If you have a pardon and it is over 60days old then you have to matric your car.

Good luck

Ok!

So, if I get my Padron within say 2 or 3 weeks, and then apply to re-register the car,  as I already OWN the car and have done so for more than 6 months prior to obtaining the padron, then I won't have to pay the matriculation tax!

I think this is getting even more confusing.

1) "The import tax is now called matriculation tax"; when was it called import tax????? There is, and never has been, import tax charged when bringing goods from another EU state. Matriculation, or registration, tax is charged on ALL cars when first registered in Spain.

2) the tax used to be based on engine size, and charged on the depreciated value of the vehicle. It is now based on the CO2 emissions instead:

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

CO2 emission of between 120-160 g/Km = 4.75% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of between 160-200g/Km = 9.75% of the vehicle value

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

3) As far as I know, anyone with an NIE can register a car in Spain, so I don't think you necessarily need either residencia or padron.

4) Although I have heard about this exemption rule if you re-register within ??days, it is unclear as to whether it applies to the time from when you arrived in Spain, or when you officially became a resident. Also, as I mentioned before, I've never actually heard of anyone avoiding paying this tax on this basis, and don't really understand why you would be allowed to, since matriculation tax is charged on all cars when first registered in Spain. I wonder, in fact, if it does actually apply to import duty, which would be charged if bringing a vehicle from outside the EU. I will try to find out.

5) The padron is not proof of when you arrived in Spain, since you can get it at anytime. Nor is it proof of when you became a resident - some town halls in fact happily issue padron certificates to non-resident property owners (maybe they shouldn't, but they do!) So even if there is an exemption available for newly arrived residents, I don't think the padron is likely to have any significance.

Hey, Techno......I bet you wish you never asked?!

I was told by one of the many companies who register vehicles that I only need a Padron and copy of my UK passport to register my car.........nothing else.

You would need proof of ID - passport would do that. And something with your NIE - padron would have that.

Was told that I don't need NIE number for Padron??

Hi TechNoApe

I'm in exactly the same position as yourself ... I will be making enquiries within the next couple of weeks.

I too understand that if you bring the car with you from UK as your personal possession (and you have owned it for 6 months)and register it when you register yourself, the matriculation cost is around 500 euros.

I am already in Manilva and have had a recommendation for a local person who may be able to help ... apparently he can deal with everything for a small fee (?) ... I will post further details here as and when I receive the information ....

I look forward to hearing how you get on, because there seems to be so much confusion and contradictory opinions on ths issue. Nobody has yet posted with actual recent experience. (I "imported" a car 11 years ago at the same time as becoming a resident, but I hadn't owned it for more than 6 months, so cannot say whether the tax would have been waived had I owned it more than 6 months).

There seems to be equal confusion over the padron. I think the "rules" vary from one town hall to another. Some have encouraged non-resident foreigners to sign on, in order to secure extra funding from central govt., but I'm doubtful as to the legitimacy of this. My understanding of it, is that it is a census of the actual population living in the town. On my certificate, it has the following statement: Este documento tiene carácter informativa en relacion con la residencia y el domicilio habitual en este municipio. To me, that says that the document is for information purposes in relation to the residence and habitual domicile in this municipality. That last bit surely means you must be resident in Spain, and if you are resident in Spain, you must have an NIE. Perhaps you do not need to provide it at some town halls in order to sign on the padron, but I cannot understand why they would not require proof of your residency status. On the other hand, I have heard that some foreigner departments won't issue the new residency certificate until you are signed on the padron. It's the old chicken and egg conundrum. Perhaps Maria can enlighten us all?

I "imported" my car a little over a year ago.

I had owned it for over a year prior to that and did not pay any import duty on it.

The only spanish paperwork that I needed was my NIE and a recent copy of my padron.

At that time I had not completed the residencia process - having said that I had not even started the process when I signed on the padron.

Again, "import" duty is not charged when bringing goods from another EU state. Do you mean you paid NO taxes or fees to re-register your car on to Spanish plates? No registration fee?

The only fees I paid was for the ITV (MOT) and a pro rata annual road tax.

Great! Did you handle the paperwork yourself, or use a gestor? Are you able to elaborate any further on which forms etc. are needed, did you have to go to Tráfico to register it, how did you obtain your Spanish plates and so on? Maybe we can finally get definitive answers on this one.

Hi

THESE ARE THE FACTS.

I re-plated my car in July/August this year.

I used a firm to assist me with the replating.

Stage 1)      I made certain that the car was fit to drive here, lights, tyres etc.

Stage 2)    I obtained a Padron

Stage 3)    I went to the British Consulate in Alicante to obtain a document  to state that I had just "imported" the car. This cost was158€

Stage 4)    The car was ITV'd at a special ITV centre. Not all ITV stations are equiped to do an imported car ITV. I understand that this first ITV cost between 100€ and 200€

Stage 5)     the firm took all original paperwork ( padron, cars papers, ITV paperwork, my passport, certificate from the British Consulate) to traffico and other places.

Stage 6)     a few days later the firm told me my new number and gave me everything back including my new plates.

Cost so far.     550€ to the firm to include ITV, number plates and all work. 158€ to British Consulate and remainder of the years "road fund tax".  This is all for an owner that has a padron under 60 days old.

Now IF my padron was over 60 days old I would need to matriculate my car and the formulae have been set out before. The calculation is done as follows: They look up the year of registration of car and find out what their cost of that particular model was. Then they use a formula of what percentge reduction against the suggested new price.(if a car is 5 years old it might be 50% of original value, or if it was 10 years old it might be 25% of original price)  if your car cost 20,000€ and the 'value' today is 50% of new price then you use this 10,000€ as the figure that the co2 percentge is based upon. If you go down this route then you dont need the certificate from the British Consulate.

The simple reason as to why they need a padron is that this is the only formal/official document that is up to date with your present address. One could have obtained  a resedencia 10 years ago and might not have informed the authorities of your new address. It is simple and FREE to update a padron. Be warned most  but not all traffico, or whichever office they use, will look at the original date of the padron and also the current date. There are a few offices that will only look at the current date.

Another point to inform you is that your car insurance is normally voided when you change your "english" car to a "spanish" car. Most insurance companies will start a new year of insurance and will give you a pro rata return of your unused part of the insurance IF YOU REINSURE WITH THEM. If however you change to another insurance company then you will pay short term rates which usually means you dont get any refund.

Good advice is speak to other Brits who have done this as different firms charge different amounts and some firms are not very good at their work. Personally I had a major problem as my car was first registered in U.S.A. before it was imported into England. This means that the car does not have a European Certificate of Conformity which means some firms will charge you a lot more when there is no additional work for them.

Although it appears a very tortuous proceedure it was painless except for the costs. I used a good firm that operates in the Costa Blanca area and was recommended by a few other Brits who had used them.

Everyone who has posted here is talking about a LHD car. The above is exactly the same for a RHD  and costs the same.

There is no need to rush into changing the plates because if it is fully legal in country of plating then it is legal here.This means Road Fund Tax, MoT and insurance. Best advice to anyone bringing their car over is to MoT it just before they leave British shores. Dont forget to inform DVLA that the car has been exported.

Good luck to anyone who "imports" their car.

Like Stephen I used a firm to hold my hand through the process.

The costs were similar but less - it was a year ago!

I think I was lucky on the matriculation front as I fell in the category of one who got away with the wrong date being looked at on the padron!

The only other cost I incurred was having my headlights replaced as they did not dip to the right side.

I've been the process and it's a real nightmare, I almost gave up till I found someone who imported cars from Germany to help. My suggustion is to pay someone to do it. I tt can be done on your own but it's a hassle. Regarding the CEO tax it really like so many other things in Spain, depends. Of 5 people I now who brought vehciles in only 2 had to pay the CEO tax.

Ok!

So it looks like we finally have the answer!

And it depends on many factors being done in the correct order.

Thanks to everyone for all your input on this subject, as I think we finally have sorted out 'myth' and 'fact'.

Next step ... well, when I get over there in three weeks time I will also do a bit of digging around. Will let you all know how I get on in the weeks/months that lay ahead before I re-register the car.

I have recently joined this forum and I note several answers have been received which seems to have settled the matter.

However, we will be importing a new LHD vehicle from the UK which will be registered in the UK, VAT paid, but be EU compliant - lights etc. Only BMW will do this.

I presume the procedure is the same as stated by Steone but can ignore the ITV element and what about the six month rule?

Can it still be a personal import and not subject to the CEO tax?

We have not yet obtained Padrons but have N.I.E. and own a property.

Thanks

Robin

<p>Robin</p> <p>The rules are as follows:</p> <p>If you wish to import a car from another e.u. country you have to pay the metriculation charge UNLESS you bring it over with your home goods etc. To qualify for the tax exemption you must have owned the car for 6 months before reregistering it and you do it within 60 days of arriving in Spain. The date as to when you arrive in Spain is the date on your PADRON. So you do the maths.</p> <p>As far as the ITV is concerned&nbsp;this is part of the system of making certain that the car is compliant with Spanish regulations and has nothing to do with the cars age. It is not the normal ITV hence the additional costs of it.</p> <p>If you do it yourself you will need to speak and understand Spanish fluently and might need the assistance of a lawyer/gestor. It is much easier to use a reputable company to do it for you.</p> <p>I can not suggest in an open forum that you do not register at your local Town Hall to get your padron until the car is 6 months old but I understand that this is not illegal nor unusual. So long as the car is fully legal in the country of registration then it is legal to drive it in Spain. Just make certain that you have insurance. If your U.K. insurance will not cover you for a long period in Spain there are several insurance companies that are available here that will cover a foreign plated car. Try asking the Sun newspaper about their policy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

I'm a little puzzled why if you are purchasing a new car in the UK to export, you are registering it and paying VAT on it there. This is from HMRC website:

Exporting your motor vehicle to another EU country from the UK

If you buy a new motor vehicle in the UK to take to somewhere else in the EU, you'll have to pay VAT on the vehicle in the other country when you arrive there. You won't have to pay UK VAT when you buy the car if you do all three of these things:

• you or your authorised chauffeur personally take delivery of the new vehicle in the UK
• you export it within two months of its supply to you
• you and your supplier complete and sign form VAT 411 and send it to the address on the form

Maybe you will have it for more than 2 months before exporting it? Maybe you are thinking that the VAT if paid in the UK will be less (15% as of today!) than in Spain?

With regards to the padron, I would just like to warn that, as with many things, the situation appears to vary depending on where in Spain you are. As far as I am aware, there is no actual legal obligation to sign on the padron (I could be wrong) so I am not convinced that it is this that will determine from what date the authorities will deem you to have "arrived" in Spain. I have heard recently in our town from more than one source, that from applying to join the padron to actually getting a certificate, currently takes two years. Why, I have no idea and cannot find out, but if true, it would certainly put a spanner in the works for anyone trying to use it to obtain exemption from tax on their car, since by the time thet get the certificate, they will have been resident for more than the 60 days permitted!

To make it clear.

You have a choice as to where you pay the VAT, either in the UK or Spain but the reason for the former is so that the car can be imported as a personal goods and so avoid the CEO. So it is not a car for export only but a British one but EU compliant (lights/speedo).

Can't see the point of the test but if it is a requirement then no choice.

My wife does speak fluent Spanish but we would be using a firm with the requisite experience and to avoid any mistakes.

We live in Alicante province, near Moraira.

Regards to you both,

Robin

As has been pointed out before, you have to have owned the vehicle for at least 6 months prior to bringing it to Spain in order to avoid the tax. So in effect, the car will be used rather than new. If you were bringing in a new car, it may be that you would not need the test if you can provide a certificate of conformity from the manufacturer. Years ago when I imported a car into Spain, the test was known as a "homologation" test, basically certifying that the car had not been altered from the manufacturer's spec. If the car is new, maybe this isn't needed?

This from the direct.gov.uk website:

New vehicles must have a certificate of conformity as proof of type approval from the supplier or vehicle manufacturer. Left-hand-drive vehicles from within the European Community will need a certificate, issued by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), under the Mutual Recognition scheme. This shows that changes have been made to the vehicle, making it suitable for use on British roads.

Obviously, this is in relation to bringing a new car to the UK from another EU state, but I suppose the same should apply the other way round (yeah, right!)