Personlised number plates

I am bringing my vehicle over full-time to Spain and have my own reg.no i am better to put it on retention prior to leaving the uk? i am concerend i shall loose it if i dont anyone ever done , Thanks

You will lose the cherished plate if you intend to stay in Spain..The only way you could keep it is to return home each year if the Car requires a MOT....Better to lodge it on retention. put the original number back on and then replate the car it when you get to Spain... That's the best way...unless you do the same as zillions of other Brits and just run around in a totally illegal car bearing neither tax,MOT or insurance..And once failing to renew your road tax in the UK and the car not having a SORN registration....You will lose your cherished plate anyway !!

Better to have it on retention and at least you can keep it for a few quid a year.

when bringing a UK car to Spain with the intention of keeping it in Spain for more than 6 months you must register it under the Spanish system and you will receive new number plates after registration and paying import tax.

Going back to the UK once a a year to tax, mot etc is illegal as any foreign car in Spain for more than 6 months in ANY given 12 month period (i.e.the 6 months does not reset if you leave and come back) must be "imported" by transferring  registration and paying appopriate import tax

I think (not sure) that you can avoid import tax if you transfer the car at the same time as you move as it will be deemed as part of your assets of the move

Not sure if Spain has a system for personal number plates - maybe they do and you can transfer you personal number plate then. If not then either sell the number plate or put it on retention until you decide one way or another to stay in Spain or buy an old banger, transfer plates, decalre it SORN with DVLA and store it somewhere

i still never understand why anyone wants to bring a UK car to Spain as a RHD car, much better, easier and safer to have a Spanish car in Spain

Buy an old 50cc moped, transfer the number to it, put it on SORN and stick it in the shed 'til you decide what you want to do! I believe (not sure, but it's what I'm told) that nowadays retention has to be renewed every year, at a silly fee! I used to have a personal plate and that's why I let it go with the car.

'i still never understand why anyone wants to bring a UK car to Spain as a RHD car, much better, easier and safer to have a Spanish car in Spain' - I appreciate what you say, Tadd, but my main reason for doing it was the saving in cost.

For example, 5 years ago I bought a 7 year-old car for £500 on ebay, drove it to Spain, total cost (ferry, fuel etc) about £250, spent two weeks of my retirement putting it through the system (using S/H parts as necessary) cost under 200 euros. All in all, a shade over 1,000 euros total, whereas the equivalent 'local' vehicle at the time was around 2,000+. It's current insurance valuation - their figure, not mine - is 1.500 euros. I have to confess, after being a professional driver for over 45 years, and having driven RHD lorries on the continent, a RHD car does not bother me, and neither my wife or daughter are phased by it.

Steve