jestomi

I wonder if anyone can help .
We are moving to Spain from the usa next year.I have 2 motorcycles i want to bring with me along with 1 jeep wrangler car.Does anyone know who i can find out from exactly how much the import duties etc cost.
Thanks
Geoff.

valenciatim

There is a "First registration" tax on all imported vehicles and that is based on a combination of the value, age and emissions of the vehicle, the value being laid out in a government document. The vehicle also has to have a european certificate of conformity.

whitelinen

I am sure that i read that these can be accessed online, I guess you wil have to wait until Fred James comes along to help you out.

jestomi

Thanks Tim,do you or anyone have a number over there i can call to get the info?
Thanks

paintermujer

I heard some US vehicles are refused entry to Spain. Not sure which ones though.

Fred James

Here you go

http://www.aeat.es/AEAT/Contenidos_C...ha36972008.pdf

whitelinen

and www.tuv.es for the homogxxxxxx(cant spell it) docs in Spanish

Dxf

Hi

There are loadsa pitfalls in your plan; No1 is you will have to change to european tyres - american tyres are not acceptable. The lights especially the indicators will have to conform to European standards.

Europeans can avoid the first registration tax if they have owned the car for at least six months (they are considered as "Goods & Chattels".

Davexf

valenciatim

There is certainly an issue with obtaining a Certificate of conformity with some vehicles and it can get very expensive because of the need of an rigorous technical inspection. This can even be the case with cars built in Europe, if they were first registered in the USA.

whitelinen

which is why it is essential that the OP emails TUV who can check their database.

ibz1492

I imported a car from USA to Spain several years ago.... What a pain in the ****. BUT, if you knowwhat you are doing, it can still be worth it...

First, somehow get a shipping company to handle the ENTIRE movement oof the car from the moment you hand it over until they give you the keys again in Spain. I thought all was OK, but ended up with two companies involved and they broke my 4 wheel drive gear so the car was on the dock with no way to move it and NO ONE was responsible (except me having to get it to my house).

Second, get an HONEST (very hard to find) gestora to handle ALL the paperwork and ask in advance what the cost would be.... Part of this need is to prevent the inspection people at the ITV (where they inspect all cars) from ripping you off blindly. It cost be about 1000 Extra because they raped me of a brand new set of expensive USA tires saying I needed Spanish tires (cheap crap); I had to change my steering wheel; had to change ALL of my lights (a couple needed to be changed to meet EU standards, but not all); I needed European brake shoes and not the manufacturer's brakes (problem was that brake shoes don't exist in Spain for this model car so they had to be hand-made).... You get the point... And most mechanic shops are in on the scam too.

Ultimately it was finished and I paid the piper but learned how corrupt most things can be here. And I have been coming to Spain since I was a teen.

As for the duty, it is based on year and model regardless of condition. That can easily be determined by having the gestor/ gestora refer to the guide.

So the two big cautions are the transport and the changing to Spanish plates. Can't recall, but I think you have at least 3 months, maybe more to change over. So use that time to get to know an honest and good mechanic. It is worth paying him to take the car to ITV and instruct him to fight the people there NOT to require that many things get changed...

In the end, it was still worth it even with all the time and money wasted, because cars in Spain are about the highest in Europe and USA cars are far less expensive than anywhere in Europe, so the transport and modification costs, even in my case, were less than buying the same car here.

Long answer to short question, but be careful...

jdr

Why not buy a yankee car here ?

jestomi

thank you all for your help

Rotor

Would not bother, your setting yourself up for loads of grief , I used to import U.S to U.K , taxes were 8% import duty then 17.5% VAT (sales tax ,16% in Spain) ,a 20` container used to be around 2200 UK pounds Long Beach to a U.K port ,you will have loads of problems and huge expenses with getting them through the ITV ,tyres, lights, speedo,seat belts etc, if the Wrangler has been modified(most have) more problems.Then you will have to pay all the ITV fees which will be higher than normal as your car is not EU vehicle,extra testing /inspections.

Dont do it unless you enjoy tearing your hair out and banging your head against a brick wall!!!!!! There is no logic in Spain and your rights are not worth the paper they are written on...but I still love living here

Rgds

Rotor