patsywhitehair

please can you tell me...
brother in law has his english car in spain, has been there for a year, now, he has mot'd it in spain, insured it in spain and has british tax on it.
NOW... is he legal ???? looking on this sight I told him he is not legal as he has not changed the car over to spanish reg. £10 on this is riding.... who is right.

Lionda

You've won £10 Has he informed DVLA?

Rosemary

You can keep a foreign registered car in Spain permanently, but you will have to garage it for 6 months of each year because you can only drive it on Spanish roads for 6 months.

You and the law in Spain. David Searl

Rosemary

I question how he has MOT'd and insured in Spain on UK tax.

Rosemary

Rosemary

Sorry but my OH has just said to say that we were told by four different insurance companies that a car can only be insure by insurance companies in the country of registration.

Rosemary

jdr

Correct.
For any foreign plated car it has to have test certificate, road tax and insurance in country of registration.
Most UK ins companies will only insure it to be out of UK for 3 months.
If it is in Spain for more than 6 months and not re-registered it is illegal.

Read HERE


.

Mitzyboy

Can I point out that apparantly due to a change in the law if you move to Spain to live .... then you must re register your car within 30 days, not 6 months.

jdr

Yeah thats in my link. ;-)
I think thats to co-incide with the UK ins cover as well.

Big_john

The only thing is you [B]can insure a foreign car at you address here in Spain and Spanish companies will do it

I have done it and did it from new when it was first registered in the U.K. in Jan 2006, insured by a Mallorcan Company for 1 year, before put in for the change of placas

jdr

You mean they will take your money for insurance, but how can the insurance be legal on an illegal car ?

Big_john

JDR,

Not really sure now that the question over the 30 day's has come into it, as it used to be for a longer period.

But when I lived in Gib many years ago you could insure cars from the U.K. in there as well so

Not really worried myself though now as mine is in the process of being transferred

Seems a bit weird though if people are saying you can't insure a brit car here because I have done it and it is on one of the cars that I am transferring at the moment, and from when the car was new it was 1 year old in Jan 2007, and I have just re-insured it again.

jdr

I spoke to somebody high up about taken policies out on illegal cars and he said "if the clients dont tell us about cover changes, ie being in the country too long, tax or mot running out then its not our problem"
You have been here long enough to know the conseqeunces of injuring a Spanish person with a foreign illegal car, straight to Alhaurin for an extended holiday. ;-)

Mitzyboy

I always challenge people in these situations to actually have the situation confirmed in writing by the insurance company, and stating that they will cover the insured under those circumstances in the event of an accident. Its at this point they usually come back to me and say, no ... they won't confirm it in writing. What does that tell you.

mikelincs

No, it's definitely NOT legal, it has been in Sapin for more than 6 months, the ITV is also illegal, but they won't care, they still get paid. A UK reg car MUST be changed onto Spanish plates within 6 months of it's arrival in Spain. If he is stopped for any reason, hen they will tell him to PROVE the car hasn't been here 6 months, the only way is the ferry ticket. If he can't then they are likely to impound the car until he can prove it is legal, if it isn't then hee is in all sorts of trouble, which would cost him far more than the cost of getting it re registered. How does he get UK tax as he needs a UK address for that, unless he got it taxed just before he left. There are LOADS of threads on this subject and they ALL SAY THE SAME. Tell him losing the £10 to you is a drop in the ocean compared with what it will cost him if her gets caught, and he may still lose the car.

Mitzyboy

Mikelincs, as I keep mentioning, the law has changed and it is no longer 6 months if you move here with the intention of living here permanently ... its now 30 days.

mikelincs

Doubt very much that that is the case, despite what the book says, you would have to PROVE that is had been garaged and not used on a road during that 6 months, and how could you ever do that. It would NOT have a valid tax disc from the UK, making it illegal in any case. To be driven on the roads in Spain a car HAS TO BE LEGAL IN THE COUNTRY OF IT'S REGISTRATION and as one garaged for 6 months here would not have a tax disc, or UK MOT then it could not be legal