Originally Posted by jdr

There is a residencia still that everyone has to apply for, although it is a sheet of paper now rather than a card.
It is also illegal for a European host country resident to own and drive a foreign plated car unless it is in the process of matriculation.
There is also a time limit on how long a foreign car can be in Spain without being matriculated.
Just letting you know so that you don`t whinge if you get your car cubed.

Originally Posted by flood

I've had all my cars on Spanish plates since 1994.... So I'm not going to whinge ! I love living in Catalunia, BTW, it's paradise to me.....

Originally Posted by El Capitan

As I am in the middle of rematriculating a vehicle to Spanish plates, I assure you that it is illegal to keep a non-Spanish plated vehicle on the roads in Spain for more than 6 months in any one year. It is also illegal for an UK insurance company, to cover the risks of a UK plated car in Spain for more than 6 months. However, a lot of people have got away with it for years and still get away with, at least for the time being. How does anybody else know for sure how long your vehicle has been in Spain? With the new penal code to be enforced from 1 May this year, we can expect a general tightening of enforcement in this direction. It is true that the old residencia card for non-Spanish EU citizens no longer exists but you are obliged to get a NIE after only 3 months in Spain and it is this certificate which is being used as equivalent to residencia although strictly they are quite different things. Beware also that whilst your non-Spanish EU driving licence must be recognised in Spain even if you are fully resident in Spain, they cannot insist that you change to a Spanish licence but you do have to follow the same rules as if you had a Spanish licence. I posted elsewhere on my experience of that one. Did you know that under the old Spanish law, driving without a licence was a minor misdemeanour but under the new penal code it is a criminal offence. It is reported that thousands of Spanish nationals are driving around without licences and you can bet your last euro-cent that come 1 May the Guardia will step up their checks on vehicle and driver papers.

Originally Posted by flood

The Guardia Civil ? We have the Mossas d'Esquadra in Catalunia.