Any rules on buying a spanish car if a non resident?

I have a house in Cadiz where I go as often as poss.   I am not a resident of spain yet.    I am told a non resident cannot buy a spanish car.  I cannot believe this.  Can someone help.?   I wanted to bring over an Brit car but now so much hassle its not worth it.  In the past I had a brit car for 2 years on spanish IVA, now I am told this was a waste of time, not legal etc.  Maybe a stupid question but going over to Gibraltar for a MOT is obviously not allowed !!    Spanish cars were much dearer than Brit ones but I  hear they are cheaper than before.

i think you need to put this on a different forum.

We bought a Spanish car in October and did not have our residency, just needed our NIE certificates and passports but  we had a friend who bought a car about the same time and she was told she needed her residency, so you may be well to ask the question from a Gestor you would consider using to do the paperwork.

You can buy a car here, no problem as long as u fill certain criteria you must have an NIE and Passport. but different areas have different rules, in our area you must also be on the padron  not necessarily be a resident.

This is for the vehicle registration documents so they know who owns the property the car is registered at and rightly so in my opinion & it is only my opinion, why should you benefit from all Spain has to offer and put nothing back in to the economy, if you are on the padron for your area then the Ayuntamiento gets 200€ per person registered and it also has its benefits when it comes to concessions such as free bus travel as happens in Torrevieja. Cars here are more expensive becuase they age better then in the UK you can bring a UK car over but have to take it back every year for an MOT it is illegal to have it ITV'd when it is not registered in Spain

Hi;

NIE, Passport and proof of address (preferably padron document)

If you are paying cash for the car,the dealer should arrange all of the ownership documentation transfer on your behalf.

As with buying a car in any country, if you are not technically minded atke someone with you who is, and who preferably speaks the language...

In our case it was a three stage process;

1) Visit car lot and sort out car that meets your needs. Pay over a small holding deposit, usually non-returnable if you change your mind, take car for test drive. At this point advise dealer of any rectification you feel is necessary. If the car is acceptable, pay over balance of deposit, in cash or bankers draft.

2) Dealer will give you a copy of the documentation enabling you to obtain Insurance. Visit Insurers and sign up, obtain copy of insurance documentation. Take insurance document to dealer; he will not allow you drive the vehicle without sight of the Insurance document.

3) About a week later, revisit dealer. By this time he should have carried out the documentation transfer and made sure that any outstanding fines or finance payments owed by the previous owner have been settled... Hand over balance of purchase price. Cash or Bankers Draft. See whether he is putting any breakdown insurance in place as part of the deal. Pick up keys and documentation and drive off...

And thats about it...Job Done...all very painless.

If you buy the car privately rather than from a dealer its a bit more complicated since you will have to arrange the transfer yourself; haven't had to do this so I cannot comment.

Hope this helps

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Hi Guys

For someone who's very new to Spain, what is a "NIE"?

Mike

Not my own work but it explains the basics!

"NIE is an abbreviation for Número de identidad de extranjero, which translates as ‘Identification number for foreigners’. The main purpose of the NIE for Spain is fiscal control. Without a Spanish NIE number, the Spanish tax authorities are unable to assess or process annual tax payments such as income tax (IRPF), and the annual wealth tax (Patrimonio), both of which are paid by non- resident property owners. Not paying these taxes (or making provisions with the Spanish tax authorities to pay these taxes in your country of residence under a double-taxation treaty) can incur heavy fines."

Download the pdf application form here:http://www.costatropic.com/nie_form.php fill it in using the guide on the same page, take the completed form with a copy of your passport, 2 photo's, an s.a.e. and an envelope to put it all in, to your nearest Spanish Consulate(I went to the Manchester one, but there is one in London). There is no charge for the service and your NIE will be sent to you home address in the U.K.! 

Tony.

This message was last edited by tonynault on 31/01/2010.