GILBEY

I have just read that anyone who owns a Spanish property should re register their Uk cars within 30 days. In that case I am definately not risking anything - I don't fancy an argument with the Spanish Police!

I appreciate the argument against driving rhd's in Spain however the car I want to bring over is my husbands Toyota Avensis Verso diesel
as we need 7 seats. We have had the car since new (51reg) and it is an absolute work horse and never caused us any problems. To buy an equivalent in Spain (with no idea of it's service history/prev owners/treatment) seems to be much more expensive, plus you have to allow for the car dealers profit on both sides. We have often taken the car to France and never had a problem driving it there.

That said I don't know my left from my right anyway!

We are thinking then that after my career break ends we will leave the car in Spain for use on holidays. That's todays plane anyway - tomorrows could be different again!

Mitzyboy

Its to do with becoming a resident in Spain, not owning a Spanish property. You can be a resident here without owning a property and still have to matriculate your car

Rotor

Its also worth remembering that RHD`s are worth a lot less here than in the UK ,spanish will rarely touch them and if you taken it back to the UK you would have to re-register again!!

Rgds

Rotor

El Capitan

You can also own property here without being a resident. But unless you have an address here you cannot get a NIE and you cannot matriculate anything in your name.

Mitzyboy

Yes correct, although we got our NIE before we had an address, so it is possible.

We couldn't register a car in our name without lodging a copy of opur Padron as well as NIE ....... now I believe some are asking for residencia certificate also.

El Capitan

Now that is a first for me, how can you have a NIE without an address to link it to ?


Never yet been asked for padron, first car was fine with NIF but for second car they wouldnt accept the NIF and demanded a NIE.

Mitzyboy

I'm guessing the solicitor used their address, as I never thought about it at the time

mikelincs

We got our NIE before we owned property, the property company just used one of their own addresses as our address, we didn't have to show any proof that the address was anything to do with us.

El Capitan

Well I trust that anybody who got a NIE registered to someone else's address has legalised their situation by informing the relevant oficina de extranjeros of their change of address to a new real address. This is the first time I have ever heard of a NIE issued to an address of convenience. I cant say it doesnt happen if there are examples quoted as such and we all know how strange things happen in Spanish administration. Years ago it was so difficult and long winded to get a NIE some of us went to the Hacienda and in 10 minutes and at no cost at all, got a NIF. Our legal advisers said the Hacienda was illegal to issue to us and the oficina de extranjeros brushed it aside when later we went for a real NIE but for years our NIF served the purpose of a NIE with everybody except Trafico.

p.s. I got my NIF before I owned property but I did have my address in rented property to cite.

billgates

Well said Rotor.

What a load of "holier than thou" blowhards there are on this site these days.

Spain is a country with such an institutionally corrupt government administration system.

An obvious example is the black money when buying a house. The notary is in on it, the lawyers are in on it, the estate agents are in on it, every traditional Spaniard is in on it.

And what about motorcycle helmets? The police will stop someone one day for not wearing a helmet then casually wave a hello the next day when that same person rides past on their totally illegal and uninsured scooter without a helmet again.

And what about all the old landrovers and other campo 4x4s that the farmers drive? Where I live you would be lucky to see one with any rear lights at all. ITV? what's one of those?

And what about the companies that pay their staff a minimum salary and the rest as a cash top-up? Don't tell me that's the company just being good to its staff.

Get real, the Spanish are as much on the fiddle as any expats.

Fred James

There is no requirement and no process to change your address for an NIE.

El Capitan

To an extent true billgates, here around Sevilla they have campaigns and apparently if someone has a helmet with them but is not wearing it, the offence is considered mush worse than if they dont have a helmet with them at all. I cant see the point of carrying a helmet on your elbow anyway. I choose to always wear a casco but that is more normal for the big bikes than the scoots and I value my skull.

One evening I was returning from Ronda and saw a car up front with just one rear light so I assumed it could not be a police car and kept my foot down (as you do). As I passed the said police car he gave a flash of one headlight and turned off into the village he was passing. You cant trust anyone these days to be who they appear to be.

El Capitan

Well I informed the Hacienda when I changed address and now the sheet of etiquetas (sheet of sticky labels with bar codes) they issue to me has my new address on it. To register a car the gestor wanted a few of these etiquetas to stick on various forms.

billgates

That made me laugh!

I was driving home one hot afternoon the other day following a Guardia Civil car. Two police inside and the one in the passenger seat casually lobbed a great big box of rubbish out of the window.

If it were me in front and my passenger did this I would expect to have been pulled over and given some lecture on littering and me being a visitor to their country, etc.

Everyone has double standards.

Mitzyboy

So you agree that expats should drive around forever in Brit reg cars without matriculating, with no UK road tax etc?
If disagreeing with this makes me holier than thou then yes I'm guilty as charged!