jdr

Yes, you could take a chance of not having your vehicle impounded till you sorted out the paperwork to get it changed to Spanish plates, getting fined and the storage and Grua charge and the taxi fare to the pound to get your car.
Or just tell them Tele addict said it was OK.

jdr

Sorry, but you are wrong again.

"Residents importing a vehicle must register it with the local authorities and obtain Spanish national plates. They should surrender the British vehicle's Registration Document to the DVLA in the UK and from them obtain a certificate of permanent export (V561) to present to the Spanish authority.

As a Spanish resident, your car with foreign number plate can only be driven from the Spanish border or port of entry to the place of residence in Spain and registration with the department of Transport and application for Spanish plates should take place during the first 30 days of arrival in the country.

For further information, requirements and fees, contact the "Direccion General de Trafico" in the area where you set up residence. "

Facts from HERE, by a guy that makes his living collecting legal information and publishing it in driving books to assist people moving to and living in Spain.

avocados

I would suggest driving the car in Spain for 6 months and then matriculate it on Tourist plates for a further 6 months.

This is the process for non-residents and what seems to have happened in the Canary Islands when the police took all the foreign registered cars off the road, a few years ago.

The website Ciudadanos Europeos seems to agree with this approach.

bfg69bug

its up to the OWNER to prove the car WASNT here all the time. not the other way round.

its guilty until proven innocent in spain

Tele Addict

Well that is where the dispute lies. If the car is a UK tagged car that is normal stored in the UK more than 183+ days at the owner's second residence it is not being "imported". The reason people have trouble is because they are here in cars without road tax, MOT and even worse sometime, no insurance. Of course, in these cases, the police are going to take action.

whitelinen

TA..I was just wondering why if you have a full time business in Spain would you bring over a UK reg car for 2 months each year when you would surely have a Spanish Reg one for the other 10 months?

Not arguing just wondering

jdr

Try proving that to the Spanish customs while the Guardia have your car in the pound for a few months.
PS if it is a good one it may end up in the garage of the Marbella Mayor.

jackytoo

There was once an abandoned UK plated removal van on a main road in Las Chapas, took Marbella Police about 8 months to move it

Rotor

I `m not sure whos right on this one and dont care either, Im sure most retired expats spend most of their life worrying about what you can and cant do in Spain (and delight in telling others `you cant do that`!!) and the rest of the time they spend in ques wasting time talking to civil servants,

Just get on with life and enjoy Spain and worry when problems actually arise,

Mitzyboy

Or maybe they just remember the help and assistance they got on this forum when they moved to Spain themselves, and come on here to give up their tiume to give the same help and assistance to others, eh?

Rotor

Conflicting opinions help no one