Registering your car when you decide to go live in Spain can sometimes become a waste of time and a headache if you do not prepare enough. In order to import and register your vehicle in Spain you will have to follow certain steps and provide a list of documents and forms and of course, pay fees and taxes. The subject comes back regularly to the forums and sites of mutual help and the answers are sometimes vague and often different on how and also why to register his car In Spain. Is it compulsory to change its plates for Spanish plates? What is the risk if you do not register your car in Spain? How much does it cost to import one's car? How to register your car in Spain? Lisbob, the expatriate assistant in Spain, tells you everything about this registration process which can sometimes turn into a real administrative labyrinth.
1. Obtain a certified translation of documents
In order to register your car in Spain, you will first need to request and obtain a certified translation of all documents that are in English. Your V5 or other car documentation, the purchase invoice and the technical sheet. It is mandatory to go through a certified translator so that documents are accepted to register your car.
It is very important to order the Certificate of Conformity of you vehicle before moving abroad
2. Obtain the Certificate of Conformity (C.O.C.)
Called Certificado de Conformidad Europeo in spanish, this document is like the identity card of the vehicle imported in Spain. It is essential to pass the technical control and must be asked directly to the manufacturer or the dealer of the vehicle. Do not hesitate to ask for this document long before your move to Spain: it can sometimes take several months to be delivered if you choose a wrong provider. Keep this document carefully in order to continue the steps to register your car in Spain.
3. Pass the technical control
Once the European certificate of conformity C.O.C. received, you can now pass the technical control of your vehicle. This car inspection is different from the usual check, and it must be made clear when you arrive that it is the import and registration of a foreign car from another EU country. In Spain, the technical inspection centers are called ITV.
4. Fill Model 576 and pay Impuesto Especial sober Determinados Medios Transporte
The Modelo 576 form is the essential document to complete to continue the registration process of your car in Spain. This form, available directly on the website of the Agencia Tributaria, allows the Spanish tax authorities to calculate the amount of the import tax of your car. Indeed, registering your foreign vehicle in Spain involves the payment of an import tax Impuesto Especial sober Determinados Medios Transporte. Its amount is calculated according to several criteria, such as the net worth of the vehicle, its engine capacity or its CO2 emissions rate. This car import tax can represent up to 15% of the net worth of the vehicle. If you bought your car from an individual, you will also have to pay the tax transmissions heritage called Impuesto Transmisiones Patrimoniales.
It is possible to be exempted from this tax if registration procedures are carried out within 30 days after the entry of the vehicle into Spain. In this case it is essential to go to the Consulate of the Member State of the European Union where you previously resided and to request a certificate of residence by presenting them with supporting documents (proof of your last residence in the previous country).
Impuesto Especial sober Determinados Medios must be settled with the Spanish Public Treasury (Hacienda), which is also the competent body to decide and issue the certificate of exemption of this tax, once the proof of the Consulate obtained.
5. Set the tax Impuesto de Circulación Municipal
Then you have to go to City Hall of residence in Spain (Ayuntamiento) to pay the tax on the traffic, Impuesto de Circulación. The amount of this tax varies depending on the city hall and the power of the vehicle. This municipal tax must be paid annually and applies to both foreign and Spanish vehicles.
6. Go to Dirección Provincial de Tráfico and settle the Tasa de Matriculación
This last step will finally allow you to register your car in Spain. To do this, you must go to the Dirección Provincial de Tráfico with all the documents obtained during the previous stages. You must also provide all proof of payment of taxes related to the import of your car in Spain. It is mandatory to go to the Dirección Provincial de Tráfico on which your residence depends. Another last effort and a checkout with the payment of the Tasa Matriculacíon. If your file is well prepared and complete, the Spanish authorities will give you a certificate of registration of your car in Spain, the equivalent of the registration card, as well as your new number plates.
7. Change license plates
With the valuable registration certificate for your car in Spain, it is now possible to go to a car mechanic to change your foreign registration plates for Spanish registration plates.
One of the last step is to install Spanish license plates
8. Insure your vehicle
The last step in order to drive serene and in good standing in Spain is of course to insure your vehicle. Provided with your Spanish gray card and your ID, you can go to your insurer to purchase the car insurance that suits you best.
