nx1106

Hi just joined the forum, heres a new one, I have just bought a LHD car with spanish plates to take to Spain.It is registered in spain, it has no tax and no itv will I be able to drive it down and then get the tax and itv, as long as i have the insurance or is this going to be orkward.

Mitzyboy

Well, if I remember correctly from what has been said here in the past, apart from the problem that you will be driving a car illegally in Spain on the way down, you may also be faced with paying all the outstanding debts on the car, i.e. outstanding "road tax" from the last time it was paid

Welcome to the forum

Patrick2976

I am going through the same dilema. It seems such a shame to sell our nice vehicles here in the uk (wife won't drive RHD in Spain) to have to get ripped off in Spain for some old piece of crap that's had the arse ragged off it just because it has Spannish plates. I'm looking for a LHD Spannish registered in the UK (which is sticking a bit with a dealer) to drive down instead and at least save a bit of money.
Interesting point though - how do you do the Spannish equivilent of a HPI check whilst you're in the UK and what would the consequences be of being stopped by the cops whilst driving it to Spain before you've registered it and not yet having an NIE number?

jdr

Apart from being illegal in Spain it is also illegal in the UK.
Put it on a trailer. ;-))

Dxf

Hi Chiclanagir,

If you buy in the UK then :-
Take into account the cost of driving it to here;
You WILL have to pay "Import tax" (First registration tax) as you will not have owned it for a minimum of six months
You will have to change the headlights and possibly the "High intensity rear light" and the reversing light if there are not two of each.

It will cost upto 600 euros in fees to get the plates and take about 12 hours of your time over a perod of three weeks (average)

Not impossible and very rewarding when you get to the end of the process (and you will have built up a massive amount of knowledge).

Good luck

Davexf

Chiclanagir

Dave if it is LHD why would you need to change the headlights?

If it is on Spanish plates why would you pay an import tax?

If you did have to pay an import tax. Why didn´t we when you did ours and we went to the British Consul in Malaga to do our swearing if you remember.

Re the cost of going back to the UK. The people involved are going back to visit friends anyway.

However I know how careful you need to be. There was an Audi advertised in Exchange and Mart but when making more enquiries they were told that the "owner" lived in Germany and wanted the money sent direct to him there. A possible scam.

pete_l

At a guess, you pay import tax if you haven't owned it for 6 months prior to registering. Although it would be interesting to know what would happen if you could keep it in england for 3 months, then take it to Spain and keep it there for 3 months (as a "tourist") and then register it as a spanish car that you've owned for the prerequisite amount of time.
Would that work?

Fred James

The 6 month rule applies to "personal imports" of your possessions when you move into an EU country from either the EU or from a non EU country. If you have not owned them for 6 months they are not considered part of your possessions and you would have to pay any tax due.

The taxes that may be due are import duty and IVA if from outside the EU, and the Spanish matriculation tax that is paid on all cars when they are registered in Spain - new or old. The tax varies depending on the CO2 emissions and the age of the car. The rates are from 0 to 14.75% of the value.

If you have owned the car for 6 months and start the registration process within 30 days (or 60 depending who you believe) of becoming resident in Spain, then the matriculation tax and import duty from outside the EU will not be charged.

twistedmelon

A word of warning. That can be a very risky business unless you know all the in's and out's of spanish paperwork.

These days I see that UK LHD dealers prices are not that far off what you would pay here and it's far less hassle.

Chiclanagir

Thank you Fred that is quite a clear explanation.

nx1106

So as I understand. the car has spanish plates and is registered in Spain. the itv has run out. the tax has run out. for me to drive this car to Spain firstly of course i have to insure the car. Secondly if i have booked the car in for a itv in the week and have the documents of sale, the NIE from the previous owner and a copy of his passport then do I have to pay import tax as im taking it back to Spain? then when i get to Spain I register the car with my Spanish address, tax this and ITV this and alls good.

valenciatim

Did you buy from a dealer? Because at the moment, you cannot drive the car anywhere legally!!
No, as the car is already registered in Spain, you won't have to pay the "first registration tax" (not import duty!), but you could well get stung for any outstanding local taxes or fines that are due on the car.

nx1106

Yes bought the car from the LHD Leeds they say they have done a HPI on the car and there is no outstanding loans or taxes owed. They are going to give me a certificate of the HPI Check. I have looked for a company that does an HPI for EU cars but cannot find one.

valenciatim

An Hpi check will only work with UK reg cars! Normally, you would use a Gestor here to check any outstandings as they have access to the town hall records!
Seeing as it has no UK mot or tax and no Spanish ITV or tax, the only way that you can legally drive it anywhere, let alone to Spain, is to get a UK mot on it, register it there on UK plates, then tax it but retain the Spanish registration for when you transfer the ownership here in Spain. And normally, both the seller and the buyer have to go to trafico to change the ownership details as there is a tax to pay on transfer!!

jdr

Read post 19. ;-))