importing car from UK

[cc2000]

We are moving out to Frigiliana in 7 weeks and after much deliberating are going to bring our car with us as we will only be staying for 11 months. As I will be resident I think I have 2 months to register it and change the plates etc . That said, does anyone know if my husband, who won't be resident and therefore not changing his license to a Spanish one, will still be able to drive the car once it has been done unto?

[MrsP]

Why will you be resident and not your other half ?

[Karipentti]

Residency does not have anything to do with somebody's driving a car in Spain. Most insurance companies accept anybody over the age of 27, provided she/he has had a valid licence for two years.

[Retro P]

I'm not sure you're right about that, my friend has Russian girlfriend who been refused cover on his fully comp insurance, he has residency and is doing everything by the book but they refuse to cover her under the present circumstances!

[pwwm]

Both our insurances cover anyone over the age of 25 provided they written authorisation from us to drive the car, does not stipulate what or where they come from.
pwwm

[spanish_lad]

probably european licencing laws ? ie : russia not a part of it?


good luck moving to frigiliana, we would if we could afford anything decent over there, the money we have, near on a quarter of a million, wouldn't get us a shed there i love the area over there, we turned a few houses down on the beach along that coast (chilches, niza etc) before moving inland, big mistake.

i wouldn't bother with a uk plated car any more, i've just picked up a spanish plated cabriolet for €200, and my spanish megane for €800, itv'd ready to go etc.

[Retro P]

Hi, probably not my business but I'm curious, given the time it takes to go through the process of applying for residencia, driving licences etc I wonder why you say you'll only be staying 11 months, is there a specific reason?

[Karipentti]

Retro, actually there's no more "residencia" - it's more like you let them know that you've decided to spend more than half a year here and have them confirm this statement. No more residencia cards.

Anybody with a valid NIE number can have a car registered in Spain, resident or not. I happen to know this because I sell motor insurance.

[El Cid]

It's not half a year - after 90 days you have to apply for a residency certificate. The only thing that has changed is the document you get.

Sid

[peteroldracer]

Sid - maybe the confusion is that a Brit-reg car may only be used for six months, then must be officially laid up for a further six.
Checks are getting more and more frequent - thank goodness!

[cc2000]

Thanks for all your replies; it's great to know I won't be the only one who can drive up all those very wiggly bends to our house! For all those interested - hubby works in London and so will come "home" every 3 weeks or so for about 3 weeks (he does it at the moment between London and Tenby) and we're only staying 11 months because it's a sort of gap year for my 10 year old daughter who otherwise would be going off to senior school a whole year early (she's quite bright) and we thought it would be a good thing for all the kids to learn Spanish so we're dropping them in at the deep end and hoping they'll be floating by Christmas! If my husband were out with us permanently I'd prefer to buy a LHD car, but ours is reliable and not very old so it seems easier to just import it. I could live to regret this!

[Miro]

"Importing" your car will cost you a fairly substantial amount - make sure you check your facts first. Most things here take rather a long time to do also, so by the time it is re-registered, you'll probably be on your way back, and facing the reverse process with DVLA. Are you sure it's really worth the hassle? Perhaps you'd be better looking at long-term rental and leaving your RHD where it belongs - on the left hand side of the road!

[spanish_lad]

tell me what car it is and i'll tell u how much it will cost to transfer to spanish plates. (make, model, year, any idetifying marks etc). it will more than likely be over a few thousand if its not very old.

diversely, its only £37 to re-register on uk plates

[Miro]

"diversely, its only £37 to re-register on uk plates"

Wow, how often does that happen, that something is significantly cheaper in UK? Maybe this is just to even out the ridiculous difference in the cost of renewing a UK and Spanish passport?

[peteroldracer]

Not my usual style, but I think if I was in your situation I would just bring the thing, ensure it has relevant MoT, tax and insurance and if you are pulled after the six months just deny that you have been here that long - loads of others seem to get away with it, and in your case it seems the only realistic option!

[*rach*]

i have just attempted to send pm to spanish-lad.not sure if it has arrived. we are moving over next wk and driving our car just wanted an idea of what it is going to cost to put on spanish plates, i keep ringing round different places and still none the wiser, really appreciate if someone out there would be able to help,

[spanish_lad]

it didn't, what car is it and what year etc ..

[dido72]

Hi SL, we have a 1998 Mercedes V class (6 seater van) which we are thinking about bringing over. How much do you reckon it would cost to change to Spanish plates?

[peteroldracer]

I hope you potential importers can get an idea quickly enough to decide what to do, but I still think it is always wrong to permanently bring a Brit-car here! A guy in Nerja was stopped last month, given 30 days to do the changeover, with the car impounded (at a mutually agreed venue), so he was without his wheels for a month, at no notice, plus has to pay for the headlamps to be changed (right/left converters are not acceptable except for visitors) and all the duty, fees etc. A friend here changed over his '51' plate Honda CVR and it cost him a total of £3500 - all to sit on the wrong side of the car!
For me - it is madness, especially as there are more and more roadblocks, impoundings and re-plating - at last!

[El Cid]

Hi SL, we have a 1998 Mercedes V class (6 seater van) which we are thinking about bringing over. How much do you reckon it would cost to change to Spanish plates?

I understand that you cannot reregister RHD vans in Spain due to visibility requirements. Has anyone heard of it being done?

Sid