yorkiemick

Hi Iv'e just bought a villa in Almaria Province & I was going to drive over with my 9 seater minibus but today someone told me that to drive a minibus in Spain it has to have a tachograph & speed limiter fitted is this the case even though its registered as a disabled vehicle & only insured for personal use. I was going to pick my son & daughterinlaw & 4 grand kids up from the airport in August but if this is the case i wont be able to bring it over. Any advice gratefully recieved. Thanks yorkiemick

amideislas

Never heard of that, but maybe somebody knows better.

You do need warning triangles, spare set of bulbs, and yellow fluorescent jackets in the car.

In France, you must have a portable breathalyser kit... This is to avoid inconveniencing the police and make it easier to arrest you without having to carry more crap in their car.

Oh, and beware of people eager to 'help' you at roadside. Lots of stuff goes missing whilst they are 'helping' you.

Other than that, have a good trip!

snikpoh

I thought they'd done away with this as it was so stupid.

snikpoh

To the OP - have you looked into whether it can be matriculated or not/

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

davidinspain

Your still supposed to have it.Just no sanction if you don't.Go figure.

mikelincs

Could well be a problem, the door for people to get out would be on the 'wrong' side for traffic. ISTR that vans etc cannot be matriculated in Spain for that reason

yorkiemick

Hi thanks for the reply's I thing I'm going to chance it. Hay Ho what can they do but arrest me & impound the minibus The minibus has sliding doors on both sides so we would only use the one situated behind the drivers seat if that makes sense (right hand drive)

mikelincs

What the Spanish police do if they stop you and you are found to be illegal in any way is to impound the vehicle and leave you, passengers and personal items by the roadside. you would then have to make your own way home.

Bri and Katee

I'm not sure if I can post this link or not, but hey ho.....

https://www.facebook.com/TorreviejaT...rtment?fref=ts

It is the facebook page of Torrevieja Guardia Civil traffic department. Its full of useful info for the motorist in Spain- aimed squarely at the Brits, its all in english!

They advise what is and is not required to drive in Spain, let you in on what is their objectives for the week- speeding, drinkers, overloaded etc etc. Accident blackspots, roads to avoid.

It is one of the best police pages I've ever seen.

yorkiemick

Thanks for your replies But I still can't find anything out I'm still no wiser. I've tried ringing the Guarda Civil but can't get anyone who speaks English. Looks like I'm going to just have to try it & see ?

snikpoh

If you don't mind throwing your money away, then that's a good plan!

Dxf

Hola,
driving an English plated vehicle should be OK as the laws of Europe should allow it based on it is legal for you to drive the vehicle in the UK. However, the odd Guardia Civil may be in a bad mood and stop you.

Davexf

VFR

Hi Yorkie

This may help ................ Minibus Advice - Rules & Regulations - Buying a minibus - Minibus Ltd

And this from the page ............
Minibuses which can carry 9 or more persons (including the driver) and are used on journeys to or from the continent or the Republic of Ireland, come within the scope of European Union (EU) and other international regulations governing international bus and coach journeys.

Driving a minibus abroad requires compliance with more complex legislation. The exceptions given by a Section 19 permit do not apply and a post 1 January 1997 licence cannot be used in any circumstances unless the necessary PCV test has been passed and an unrestricted D1 category added. Pre 1997 licenses could be used for some journeys where no students are being carried but in most cases these divers also need to have passed a PCV test.

EU Regulations also require a tachograph to be installed and used for international journeys and you will be required to comply with the EC Drivers' Hours Rules. For trips abroad, a tachograph must be used from the start of the journey in the UK, with a new disc for each day, continuing until the end of the return journey to the UK. There must be one chart per driver per driving day. There are heavy fines for failing to install and correctly use a tachograph. Deliberate falsification of a tachograph can also result in imprisonment.

Hope that helps ?

yorkiemick

Thanks DXF & VFR I'm trying to contact a guy in Mojocar A Brit that was brought up in Spain he has a company that sorts out NIE's but apparently he's an expert on cars ie re-regestering etc I'm told he knows the driving laws inside out ? I hope he can clarify this for me. We contacted VOSA in the UK & they reckon we can drive it in Spain for private use for short term periods & we're not using it for gain providing everything is legal for it the UK. Cheers Mick