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The
procedure for changing your car over to
Spanish plates is a fairly simple one though
it may incur some additional costs depending
on the condition of your car.
The traffic
department in Spain has very specific rules
and regulations for Spanish registration.
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A
foreign car will be put through a fairly
detailed inspection to gain a pass the ITV
certificate. This is the Spanish equivalent of
an MOT certificate for road worthiness.
First you will need to check the cars headlights
to ensure that they conform to Spanish laws.
This means they have to point to the kerb on the
right hand side as you drive. If you are
bringing your car over from the UK you may have
added stickers to the headlamps to redirect them
to the correct angle. This will not be
enough on Spanish registration so you will need
to change the headlamps over.
Your tires must be the correct ones according to
the car manual. They must also match on each axel. If one tire
has a different manufacturer than the other then
you need to change it over. You can use this as a
spare for emergencies.
An
other point to look out for are tow-bars. If your
tow bar has not been fitted in Spain then it is
probably illegal. You will have to remove it or
change it to a Spanish model.
The
ITV inspection will also look at the registration
plate in the sill and will make a copy along with
the cars details under the bonnet to ensure it is
legal. They will then focus on your headlamps,
indicators, brakes, steering, traction, and exhaust
emissions.
The main focus of the test is road safety though
they would fail you if your exhaust emissions
are too high. If your car fails you need to
correct the points outlined and put it through a
retest.
Next
to all ITV stations are mechanical engineers who can
look over your vehicle to see if there is anything
obvious that needs to be rectified before the test.
They work with the ITV though is not actually part
of the system.
You will also need a padron from your
local Town Hall. To obtain the padron you will
need to take with you your passport, NIE number,
utility bill and a copy of your property deeds. This padron enables you to drive a Spanish registered
car because of proof of residence.
You will need to pay either import duty on the
car or you would send a payment to the British
Consulate. In many cases it is better to pay the
import costs. This would depend on the type of
car you are importing.
Once the car has been registered you will need
to pay the road tax at your local Suma office.
This is much lower than other Countries in the
EU.
If
you do not like the hassles of doing all of this
yourself then there are legally registered Companies that can
take care of everything for you. They normally
charge between 500-550 Euros plus the costs of
changes to your car such as headlamps, tires etc and road tax.
All you would provide is the padron, NIE number,
passport and
the Company will do the pre ITV
inspection, make the changes and then put it
though the test.
After you have your ITV certificate the car can
be registered at the Traffic Department who will
issue the new paperwork and you can fir your new
Spanish plates.
The time scale on the whole process of
registering your car onto Spanish plates is around 5-10 working
days.
