poollounger

Apologies, I know this has been posted before but I can't find the info via a search. I am considering taking my ancient diesel Saxo (11 years old )and leaving it at my house in Spain for use when I go over. I know I will need Spanish insurance, but are there other regulations to conform to ?? Will I be able to get TPFT insurance on a British registered car ??

zel

All the info can be found in the free beer sticky at the top of the forum or click here : http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=422251

If you're going to be a resident of spain then you will by law have to register it in Spain.

If you're 'just' a British citizen who owns a holiday home which you visit here and there then it's against the law have the vehicle in Spain for any 3 month period without it returning to the country it's registered in (ie the UK)

And basically no to the insurance question, the Spanish insurance on a UK registered car isn't worth the paper it's wrote on.

mikelincs

How will you get its MOT done? You will just become another of those Brits driving round in an illegal car like so many others. just pray that the only other cars you are invloved with in scrapes accidents etc are other illegal british cars, if they aren't then I hope you have very deep pockets for the fines and costs, which will NOT be covered by insurance as your car will be illegal. Why risk it? Insurance companies will sell you insurance, but as the car will be illegal, then they will never honour any pay outs as you will be in breach of the regulations. The Spanish ITV places will do a test, but it will be worthless in law. British registered cars MUST have current UK tax and MOT and not have been in the country, and you would have to be able to prove the fact, for more than 6 months.

damian harris

So if i want to and bring a u.k car and i have residency in spain. will i have to .
Tell the d.v.l.a here in want to regerster my car in spain
Get a i.t.v
and have full spanish insurance cover.


Just so i know for when i move over.

zel

As i said it's all clearly set out in the above thread.

The basis is if you have residency within Spain then yes, you tell the DVLA you're perm exporting it.

You then re-register it in Spain.

mikelincs

Even if you don't have residency in Spainit will have to be re registered. You will have to have it matriculated onto Spanish plates, which means lights changed etc. Once the car has been over here for more than 6 months, failure to ahve had this done could, if stopped by the police or involved in an accident, lead to the car being impounded. The police here can, and do, impound vehicles with immediate effect, that is you can remove personal belongings, but the car remains with them, so you would have to find your own way home

damian harris

Cheer's for the info.

poollounger

Thanks everyone....guess I will sell it over here.

Ray51

A friend is thinking of retiring to Spain and importing his old C-Class Merc , petrol , automatic ;
the vehicle is so far regularly MOT-ed in U.K. , no problems , allthough it is :
- LHD ( steering on EUropean side ) and also
- exceeeds prescribed emmissions' standards ( no hassle , as U.K. DVLA accepted manufacturer's confirmation that the car was originally supplied outside the EU , therefore : no cat installed ) .
What might the likelihood be of him being successful in getting it imported and registered in Spain , even if it meant a change of headlights and a few other similar expenses ?

zel

If he has owned for it for longer than six months and the European version of the same car didn't have a cat then it shouldn't be a problem.

In theory even if the original Euro version did have a cat it shouldn't be a problem as it's classed as a personal import (owned it for longer than six months in the UK) but you never can tell from different location to location in Spain.

Casa Santo Estevo

No matter what the age of the car is if it is newly registered the ITV will check the emissions. We imported a 40 year old (at the time) Austin. Last year it failed the test because of the high emissions.
Our friends have a 20 year old Renault. This car has been all its life in Spain as it was built here. The car is also tested.
But we don't understand is what happens to all of those smoking cars when it is time for the test? They must pass somehow.

zel

Just like an MOT each cars emissions are tested to the specific spectrum for that make/model or if it's a really old vehicle to a specific level.

So if the vehicle the Mercedes was supplied at the time without a cat then that's the figures they will go on, if however it was supplied with one in europe and the one tested didn't then it would fail.

Mitzyboy

In the UK if the car was more than 10 years old it didn't need a cat, even if it was originally fitted. I took mine of a car at 10 years and it flew through MOT every year. It was the MOT tester that told me this

zel

10 years old is 'really old'

Casa Santo Estevo

Yer but we are talking Spain here. And as you know every place in Spain has its own rules, like your car being tested as a relativity new car.