Hello all , we have heard that sometime this year the law is changing in spain regarding the change of number plates , we have been told that you can keep your english plates on. Can anyone confirm this information and does that mean you can get an itv and have a spanish insurance on the english plates?.
thankyou

I'd be interested to see if this were true, although I just can't see that it would be, as logically why would the Spanish agree to not collect road tax on the foreign populations cars

Yes there are loads of rumours from "hopefuls" who run illegal cars. Think about the reverse, would the brits let you get away with no road tax, MOT or insurance on a Spanish registered vehicle if you returned to England permanently. QUe ???

Dave

I wish the Spanish Police would really clamp down on them as zero tolerance, as most of them must have their insurances voided by being illegal in the country of registration anyway, and if one of them is involved in an accident then the consequences are unthinkable

There is a german lady lives near us and we have been here a year, she drives around on German plates, she seems to think that it is OK.
It makes me angry when she pushes out into the road.

This is one of the old chestnuts that does the rounds of the Brit hangouts from time to time. As far as I know it carries no more validity now than it did ten years ago!

Yes for sure its not just Brits .... theres been a German motorhome just down the road from us since we bought our place years ago ..... I really don't understand how they get away with it ..... I've been stopped three times since we lived here and had to produce full docs. My Uk car is now converted to Spanish plates within the 6 months.

We were able to have our car ITV'd on British plates and the insurance company told us it was legal for Insurance purposes.

Couldn't pay any road tax though.

However, the car is any day now about to take its Spanish Citizenship and should have its new plates shortly!

I would change your ins company, a UK reg car has to have a UK mot and UK insurance and is only allowed in Spain for 6 months, that is if the insurance will cover you to be out the UK that long.

Agreed. There's at least three British teachers at my daughter's school, who have been here for years, who have British plates with no UK tax discs and therefore illegal. It's one of my biggest bugbears.

Yes that would bug me too, When i come down i fully intend to get my car switched to spanish plates within the 6 months.. or take my car home sell it and buy one in spain. Coincidently 6 months after im in spain my car will be coming up to 3 years old so might be getting ready for a change, and its already high mileage (48,000 atm!)

I did also notice UK Plated cars without tax discs running about the costa del sol on a couple of visits. And to be honest getting the spanish plates and paying the spanish road tax and insurance etc is a symbol of respect more than anything else. We wouldnt want polish cars etc infiltrating our roads in the UK and not paying into our system. Everyone would be complaining like mad. How come the foreigners dont have to pay road tax / itv /mot etc when we do its not fair.

They should clamp down on it.
My insurance covers me for 3 months in spain which i will use to start with then get new insurance! then start looking at changing the plates. My car being a seat ibiza would look better with spanish plates too

So many threads on this in the past. Yes there are rumours, but that's all they are and it may never happen, in the meantime you are driving illegal. Currently your car MUST be re registered before you have been here 6 months, or less if you are on the padron and applied for residencia, when I believe it is 30 days. The huge number of UK cars here without tax discs, and therefore illegal is appalling and I think soemthing should be done about it. If you are stoped with a UK car, and even if the tax disc is in date, YOU will have to PROVE that it has been in Spain less than 6 months, so you will need you ferry ticket with the other car documents, otherwise you ae liable to have the car confiscated THERE AND THEN. Also don't forget that it is a legal requirement to have all documents with you, including insurance and log book, also you need two warning triangles, a spare lamp bulb kit, and a first aid kit. If you are a glasses wearer you also need a spare pair in the car, along with yellow 'coats' for each and the coats must be on display at all times.

And the rubber surgeons gloves, you are supposed to have them for tending the injured at an accident.

Hi
Just a quickie, if you import your car within 30 days of "abandoning" England, then there is no import duty to pay. It is not difficult to get insurance year on year for your English plated cars, and whilst many think the insurance company will "duck out" of their responsibilities if you have an accident, I have not heard of a case yet, so I assume that it is actually possible.
p.s. I help people in the Chiclana area change their plates to Spanish so have no axe to grind

Dave

How can the insurance be legal if the car is not ?