A foreign car must be registered with the Spanish authorities when it arrives from another country. In Spain, it is not legal to drive a car with foreign registration.

When the car enters Spanish territory, you are only allowed to drive it from the port to your place of residence. It is important to register the car within 30 days after arrival.

coche azul en españa

Citizens who are from the EU but are not official residents of Spain may be authorized to drive a vehicle with foreign license plates for a maximum of 180 days. People who are not from the EU or who are not official residents of Spain have a similar period of time.

To register a vehicle, there are certain requirements that must be met; for example, the car must undergo an inspection known as the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (or 'ITV'). You must request an appointment first, and then, you go with the vehicle to a ITV official examination station. Whether the car is new or second hand, you need a copy of its technical specifications — including a Spanish translation — a copy of the receipt to show that the import tax has been paid and the original purchase receipt.

When the car passes the inspection, you will obtain the technical inspection card.

It is also important to have a unique certificate issued by the local traffic department. However, this requirement is usually only obligatory for cars from countries outside the EU. A copy of the technical specifications of the car is also required, as well as the proof of payment of the import tax, proof of purchase and a copy of the original vehicle registration documents.

If the car is considered a classic car (known as historic vehicles), a special examination and a certificate of authenticity must be issued by the regional authorities (the corresponding autonomous community).

Payment of the registration tax must be made before the vehicle can be registered, and when making this payment, the original registration documents must be presented.
Importing a car into Spain
Legally, in Spain, you are allowed to drive a car registered abroad for a maximum of six months. If you keep the vehicle there longer, officially, you must re-register it as a Spanish car. Many foreign residents completely ignore this rule and continue to use their vehicle registered in their country of origin. However, you need to be careful because the local police have the right to seize a car that is registered abroad if they suspect that it is being used permanently. In many cases, driving in this way makes your insurance invalid because the car's use in Spain is not legal outside the established term.

Importing a car into Spain  VAT


If you are officially a tax resident in Spain and are thinking about importing that you have bought in another EU country and where you have paid the corresponding taxes, you should be able to do it without a VAT. If you have had the vehicle for more than 6 months, then you should also be exempt from paying the municipal registration tax. However, if you purchased the vehicle tax free in another EU country, you have to pay the VAT when importing the car into Spain. For cars purchased  in other EU countries, the municipal registration tax must be paid along with the VAT. Cars purchased outside the EU are subject to another import tax. All these taxes are usually based on the original price of the car.

These procedures can only be performed at the 'Provincial Traffic Headquarters' in the capital of the province where you reside. You can find a complete list of these headquarters' addresses on the website of the Directorate General of Traffic (www.dgt.es), which also contains a lot of additional information — much of which is in English — regarding the laws on vehicles and traffic in Spain. However, please note that there are only offices in the capitals of each province.

Documents cannot be sent by mail: they must be presented at the office although not necessarily by the owner of the car. Therefore, this is one of the bureaucratic formalities that most Spaniards do automatically with a professional, saving themselves the trip and time.

Buying a car in Spain
Given all the above, the option of buying a new or used car in Spain instead of importing one becomes much more attractive. Even for owners of second homes who only need a car while they are in Spain but do not want to drive all the time, it may be worth buying a car in Spain, even when compared with long-term renting of cars, especially if you take into account that cars in Spain are usually cheaper than in other countries. In general, if you buy a new or used car from a Spanish dealer, the dealer will register it as part of the sale. The registration certificate is called a 'circulation permit' and is proof of the transfer of ownership. However, if you buy a secondhand car from an individual, you must submit the application to register the car within 10 days after the purchase.

This is, again, a procedure that is much easier if you hire a lawyer.

Driver's license

Whether you buy a car in Spain or are importing one, you will have to decide what to do with your driver's license. Since the 1996 agreement on the mutual recognition of driving licenses within the EU, anyone from another EU country can drive in Spain with his or her original license while it is valid, all without having to obtain a Spanish license.

Having a Spanish license can reduce problems and the time spent during road checks, especially if you ever meet police officers who find your license is not correct according to Spanish law. EU citizens can change out their old license for a Spanish one quite easily without the need for a new exam, but then, they will have to hand over their previous license.

In any case, if you are a resident in Spain and have not obtained a Spanish driver's license, you are legally required to present your foreign license to the 'Provincial Traffic Headquarters' so that your data can be entered in the computer system. Citizens from non-EU countries residing in Spain can drive with their old licenses for a period of up to one year, after which they must obtain a Spanish license. Therefore, non-EU citizens will usually also have to take the exam to obtain a Spanish driver's license, which includes a brief medical examination and both written and practical tests.

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