motor home

[sue52]

If someone brings a fully legal motor home UK reg. into Spain to tour Europe during the summer months would they be legal to drive it with a UK driving licence AND a Spanish Residencia. thanks

[El Cid]

Unless your "residencia" is very recent the answer is no.

Residents are not allowed to own/drive UK reg vehicles. They have to be re registered in Spain within 6 months of becoming resident and preferably within a month or so to avoid the registration tax.

RHD motor homes will not be allowed to re register on Spanish plates.

Sid

[gerryh]

Sid is undoubtedly correct if you want to use it and keep it in Spain.
However if you are using it to tour Europe and it is fully legal, UK registered , taxed, MOT and insured
and you have a UK passport whose to know that your are "resident" in Spain?

Cheers
Gerry

[El Cid]

True, but that's much the same as saying that if live in Spain and don't pay your income tax, who is to know.

It's OK until you get caught!

Sid

[gerryh]

Caught by who?
If you are driving in France or anywhere else in Europe, except for Spain, whose law are you breaking?
As you have said before, you can have a Spanish "resedencia" without living in Spain.
Cheers
Gerry

[El Cid]

I don't understand your point.

If you are resident in Spain you cannot drive a UK plated vehicle.

Sid

[sue52]

many thanks for the replies, it seems from what i have read on the forum that I am now allowed to drive on a new style european driving licence albeit issued in the UK but would need to register on the list of foreign drivers.

Therefore, with a 1) spanish residencia 2). a registered UK european licence and 3) a fully insured and itv'd Spanish motorhome that would seem to be the right combination to be TOTALLY legal here. Am I right? or are there any more suggestions.

I would prefer an English motorhome as it would be used for summers in the UK and there is more choice. many thanks again

[El Cid]

You can drive on a UK licence with a Spanish medical certificate. It is probably better to exchange your licence for a Spanish one.

As I said before, you will find it almost impossible to re register a RHD motorhome in Spain.

Sid

[gerryh]

Caught by who?
If you are driving in France or anywhere else in Europe, except for Spain, whose law are you breaking?
As you have said before, you can have a Spanish "resedencia" without living in Spain.
Cheers
Gerry

I don't understand your point.

If you are resident in Spain you cannot drive a UK plated vehicle.

Sid

The OP said they wanted to tour EUROPE.
As long as they don't use/ keep the vehicle in Spain I can't see there is a problem, or am I missing something?
Cheers
Gerry

[peteroldracer]

If you are resident in Spain you cannot drive a UK plated vehicle.

Can you quote the law that says this Sid? It would be nice if it were true, I suppose, but what if we have visitors from the UK who have driven over - can I, as a Spanish resident, not drive his car, assuming that his insurance covers me? It does seem a bit stupid - but then again most of the laws here are, and as some of the more sensible ones are either not enforced, or enforcement depends upon the area, the actual Guardi or copper, and the phase of the moon for all I know, I can fully understand why some people just shrug their shoulders and carry on regardlesss!
Just look at the photos in the free press of the classic car rallies, with all the old bangers that obviously live here (the cars, I mean) running around on Brit registrations, or even worse, personalised plates that the over-ego'd will not give up! All totally illegal (apart from anything else, 99% of them lacking a valid UK MoT certificate) yet gaily being waved on by all sorts of constables...
This would of course have nothing to do with the fact that these owners have more than a bob or two?
If I was a trafico copper.....

[El Cid]

If you are resident in Spain you cannot drive a UK plated vehicle.

Can you quote the law that says this Sid?

Probably but, quite frankly I can't be bothered to look it up.

If you were living in the UK do you really think you could drive around in a foreign plated car? PC Plod would be down on you like a ton of bricks!

Yes I know that thousands of residents get away with driving UK reg cars but that just proves that the Guradia have better things to do that pull them in.

Sid

[Retro P]

As a "resident" of Spain how the hell would you insure it??

[Retro P]

Wait a minute, it's not, no it can't be, is it?? who has been telling us recently about living in a motor home

[sue52]

Is it possible !. to drive a German or French motor home on a UK licence as a resident of Spain or 2- re-register a German or French LHD motor home in Spain? or would that present a problem too and if not, any ideas of what the cost might be? thanks

[dxf]

Hi Sue 52

If you have not got a "european certificate of conformity" then I question whether it is worth it. To obtain a Ficha Technical they will need to a full inspection - last time I asked it was 1,800€ !!!

Plus cost of getting it to either Barcelona or Madrid where they do the tests

Davexf

[peteroldracer]

Anyway, motorhomes are even more of a pain than caravans - at least once they have arrived, they park the thing and do shopping etc in a car - not block up everywhere with a great lump on wheels!

[katy]

You can drive a UK/Swiss/Italian or any country in Spain if you are not the registered owner. Likewise in the UK.

Lots of Germans come down for 6 months in winter with motorhomes and don't get bothered.

[DavidSearl]

FROM DAVID SEARL

FOR SUE52

To respond to your question, it is perfectly legal for you to use your UK driving licence to drive a UK-registered motorhome in Spain, if you are an official resident. That is, unless you own this motorhome. In which case, as several posters have noted, you may not.

And, yes, if your brother-in-law lends you his UK car briefly while he is on holiday here, you can legally drive it.

There is an apparent conflict of law here, but only apparent. The Traffic law states that you, as a Spaniard or an official resident, may not own and operate a vehicle on foreign registration. Full stop. El Cid is correct in that observation.

However, if you are a Spaniard or an official resident and you let us say purchase a nice used BMW in Germany or a nice UK motorhome, you can drive it back to Spain and have three months in which to import the vehicle , pay the taxes, and have it matriculated in Spain.

So if you wish to drive a UK motorhome, owned by you, a resident, on your tour around Europe, you can pass through Spain, but don't stay over three months. As noted by other posters, if you are questioned by the traffic police, do not rush to mention that you hold a residence certificate.

If they find out you are a resident, mention the three-month period, which ought to convince them. And remember the same rules apply to Spaniards themselves. So it was necessary to make provision for the situation where a Spaniard buys a car in France or the UK and drives it back home, for example.

As someone pointed out, you cannot matriculate a motorhome with RHD because there are problems of visibility. A regular car has more glass, so this is permitted.

Yes, your three point suggestions in your last post is the only way to be legal. Yes, you can buy a motorhome in any other country and import it.

And, no, you do not have a "European" driving licence. You have a UK licence in a nice "European" format.

Good luck with it, David Searl

[sue52]

Many thanks David for taking the time to post your very informative response. Would a UK registered left hand drive motor home previously registered in Germany for example be qualified to be transferred into Spanish Registration? I can't think of anything else to aks and appreciate all the replies - gratefully received with thanks.

[DavidSearl]

FROM DAVID SEARL

FOR SUE52

YES, YOU CAN IMPORT INTO SPAIN SUCH A MOTOR HOME. YOU NEED ORIGINAL SALES RECEIPT, THAT CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY AND LOTS OF OTHER PAPERS.

GOOD LUCK WITH IT, DAVID SEARL