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Honest advice from a reputable estate agent |
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Is
Your British Registered Car Legal?
So there you are, driving along, minding your own business, daydreaming as usual, when this person in a green uniform steps out in front of you with their hand raised. What do you do? “Panic” is usual. From my own experience, the older you are, the less hassle you want with the Police, (I have been stopped twice in the last 6 weeks). I assume for the moment that you are driving a British Registered car, on British number plates. The Spanish Police are not stupid and can issue an on-the-spot fine, accompanying you to a cash machine if necessary. So lets think about not wasting money, and avoiding paying out hard earned cash for something you don’t want to do, leaving you to spend it on better things Firstly the Police will ask to see your driving licence (Permiso de Conduccion), and your passport. If you are in a British registered vehicle and show a residencia card, then you are likely to be breaking the law as a resident would not normally drive a British car, and the address on the British licence is not correct (another fine of over 100 euros). Next they will want to see the documentation for the car; so what do they need. To be legal your car must :-Display a current tax disk (Yes even in Spain) Have a current MOT (new MOT’s have a sticker to display also) Have suitable insurance Have a “V5” document (the log book) Have been outside the UK for less than 6 months AND be able to prove it – did you keep your ferry crossing ticket? Have a reflective jacket INSIDE the car (not in the boot) Have TWO warning triangles Have a first aid kit (not normally checked but if they are in a bad mood, that is another 105 euros gone). Have headlight beam converters or suitable (legal) lights for the “wrong” side of the road. Yes, to be legal in Spain, your car must be able to legally drive on the roads of Great Britain, and have been outside the country for less than 180 days. It must be a “visitor” to European roads with the intention of returning within 180 days of leaving the British Isles. Are you legal to drive?You personally need a British driving license and your passport (remember that you are on holiday over here, and will be leaving the country no more than 180 days after entering it). Importing your car into Spain
permanently. You can import your car into Spain, and change the number plates to Spanish, the only criteria being that you have “all round” vision (which excludes vans and lorries). The process is tedious, long winded and frustrating, but go with a “mańana” attitude and in two to three weeks you will complete the process (better still, employ someone to do it all for you). What you (or someone else does) do is :- Obtain a “Ficha Technical” (a technical specification for your car); Take your car and the Ficha Technical to the ITV station in San Fernando and ask for an inspection for change of number plates (Cambio Matricular) (wait until the following Monday for the documentation) Take the documentation to the Ajuntamiento (Town Hall) and pay the road tax; If you have not got a “Volante de empadronamiento”, (puts you on the census) get one from the Town Hall If you have not got them, then go to the Hacienda and obtain etiquetas; At the Hacienda, buy form 565 and pay the import duty reduces according to the age of the car, and then take 7% of that figure). Take all the forms to “Trafico” in Cadiz, pay the transfer fee, and if all your documentation is in order, come back two days later to receive the documentation necessary to buy you new number plates. And that is your car legal. Whilst you are at Trafico in Cadiz, you can either swap your driving license for a Spanish one (around 17 euros), or get your British license registered (so they can put points on it) for around 7 euros. I recommend swapping to a Spanish License if you are resident, remember it is the first document the Police will see, and why do you want a British license if you live here? To swap your license you will need :- A photocopy of you license (both sides) plus the original licence and accompanying
documentation; Form
4.3 to be filled in for payment (17 euros) or form 2.1 to exchange (7
euros); NIE or residencia
plus a photocopy of both sides 3 passport size
photographs (1 is spare) And it is as simple as that. The real question is, are you living here? If the answer is yes then you should be driving a Spanish registered car with a Spanish driving license. The Malaga traffic police are currently stopping British registered cars that do not display a current tax disc and MOT certificate, and are either imposing a fine or, in some cases, impounding the vehicle. In school terms, they stand outside schools and if you take your children to school in a British registered car, then they will assume you are resident (why else would you take your children to school). Remember, if you are legal, then it will not cost you a penny and a Police checkpoint will hold no fear.
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