Spanish Reg car to the UK

Information and questions about driving in Andalucia, buying or importing cars and motorbikes plus legal issues surrounding taxes and licenses.
MartinEB
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Location: Spain

Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby MartinEB » Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:35 pm

Plenty on here about bringing a UK car to Spain and re-registering, matriculating etc onto Spanish plates, Just wondering if anyone has taken a Spanish (LHD) car to the UK recently and put it onto UK plates and what the procedure is and whether it was fairly pain free or not?

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Miro » Tue Feb 16, 2016 3:43 pm

Most questions answered here: https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-i ... k/overview
Don't have any personal experience, although I know someone who took his ES Kangoo back and re-registered it fairly easily.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

User avatar
Enrique
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 9488
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:47 am
Location: Mytchett/Alcala La Real

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Enrique » Tue Feb 16, 2016 4:18 pm

Hi,
"whether it was fairly pain free or not?"............depends on your definition ....

If you have to change the Headlights and rear light clusters...........£££
Speedo....at least some of the latest ones are Digital and switch between the two (KPH/MPH ) easily .
All my best learning experiences start with a problem I need to solve.

masterob
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2165
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:08 pm
Location: Previously Álora but now in Milton Keynes UK

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby masterob » Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:05 pm

When I moved back to the UK in Nov 2014 I took my LHD Spanish registered car back with me. As it was less than 2 years old I planned to keep it a while. However, when I found out the cost of the things that needed changing - headlights and speedo (it was only calibrated in Klms) was- around £1,000 plus labour costs, I thought again! The registration costs were not unreasonable - can't remember exactly how much, and the process was straightforward. After a month driving it on Spanish plates I concluded that paying that amount and having a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side was not a good idea for the longer term. I therefore sold it to the LHD Car Centre in Basingstoke at a pretty good price. I put the money towards a new RHD car!

User avatar
knowal
Resident
Posts: 1911
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:35 pm
Location: England

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby knowal » Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:35 pm

I documented my experiences here:
http://www.kn0wall.co.uk/wordpress/2015 ... in-the-uk/
I hope that you find it helpful.

MartinEB
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby MartinEB » Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:12 am

Absolutely perfect, thank you for taking the time to share it here.

Did you de-register your vehicle in Spain with traffico beforehand?

https://sede.dgt.gob.es/Galerias/tramit ... 2-2014.pdf

Image

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5878
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Wicksey » Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:48 am

Friends who had brought their UK car here and registered onto Spanish plates then took it back to the UK some years later to reregister back onto UK plates. They found it quite a job owing to the forms they had to fill in over there which included questions about the measurements between the axles ....?? Not sure why it was so tricky as eventually they got their old original UK registration number plates back, so you would have thought that somewhere they were holding all the original car information.

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Miro » Wed Feb 17, 2016 2:43 pm

masterob wrote:...sold it to the LHD Car Centre in Basingstoke at a pretty good price. I put the money towards a new RHD car!
Seems a sensible option. I actually bought a (UK reg) LHD car from them 20 odd years ago to move to Spain with. One thought - when you "sell" the car to them, presumably it is still registered to you until they sell it on? How can you be sure that the new owner transfers it to their name and that you are not liable for ever more for speeding fines, parking tickets etc., when the car returns to Spain?
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

masterob
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2165
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:08 pm
Location: Previously Álora but now in Milton Keynes UK

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby masterob » Wed Feb 17, 2016 7:22 pm

They had all the relevant Spanish documents for me to sign. OK that's no guarantee that they will be processed but I have no reason to suppose they won't. If they aren't I doubt the Spanish Authorities have the ability to track me down in the UK at some future date! Fingers crossed!,

User avatar
knowal
Resident
Posts: 1911
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:35 pm
Location: England

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby knowal » Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:51 pm

MartinEB wrote:
Did you de-register your vehicle in Spain with traffico beforehand?
No, I didn't because I was still using the car in the UK until it was re-registered. So, I gave a solicitor in Almería instructions to do it for me. She had power of attorney included for that when we sold property and went to the UK.
When I sent the "Permiso de circulación" to the DVLA I also sent a letter telling them I needed it sent back, otherwise they do not return them. They sent it to me and I sent it to my solicitor to do the "baja"

MartinEB
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby MartinEB » Thu Feb 18, 2016 9:16 am

Once again, thank you for response :thumbup: really helpful

I read somewhere, but can't for the life of me find it again now, that once you de-register at traffico, you then have 2 months in which to use and re-register the vehicle in the Country you are moving to? Maybe they give you something like and export licence?

It doesn't make sense that you de-register with traffico on transfering the vehicle to another Country and cannot then use the vehicle ever again (although this is Spain, so nothing will surprise me!)

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Miro » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:17 am

headlights and speedo (it was only calibrated in Klms) was- around £1,000 plus labour costs
I suppose you could save quite a bit by sourcing the parts on e-bay, if you don't mind second hand bits. Changing the lamps shouldn't present too much of a challenge, but I wouldn't fancy dismantling the dash to change the speedo card myself.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

User avatar
Enrique
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 9488
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:47 am
Location: Mytchett/Alcala La Real

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Enrique » Thu Feb 18, 2016 11:29 am

Hi Miro,
Have a Google of your specific Make and Model, there are loads of info/tutorials on how to remove Speedo units. The info White Horse Posted lists a Firm that will do the change over on the unit by return.

Note: some vehicles will need the whole of the Front end removing to get at the Headlight units.... :evil:
All my best learning experiences start with a problem I need to solve.

masterob
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2165
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:08 pm
Location: Previously Álora but now in Milton Keynes UK

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby masterob » Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:37 pm

After reading the report by White Horse on the procedure for re- registering in the UK I'm glad I decided to sell and buy a RHD car!
As to trying to sort out the headlamps and speedometer myself, that could affect the warranty (it had a 5 Year warranty) assuming I knew where to start!
Just like driving a RHD car in Spain, driving a LHD car in the UK is the major issue. It's one thing to do so for a few weeks holiday but long term, not for me especially living in Milton Keynes which has many many roundabouts!

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby Miro » Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:49 pm

Ahh, Milton Keynes! I remember it well. Hemel Hempstead and it's magic roundabout too. Imagine the chaos if they tried that in Spain :crazy:
It seems the cost if you can do the changes yourself would be fairly negligible, and the rest is just the usual bureaucracy - but at least in English! On my old Mondeo I think the lamps are fairly straightforward to change.
But yes, I agree about LHD/RHD, so not a good long term proposition anyway. Might be easier to sell in the UK with a UK reg though.

I notice on the UK gov website they say "contact DVLA if you’re importing a vehicle into Great Britain that’s over 10 years old." Anyone know why / what further complications this might involve?
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

MartinEB
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby MartinEB » Sat Apr 09, 2016 7:56 am

Thanks to White Horse I now have most things in place for taking my Spanish Reg car back to the UK (I think the total cost will be about £800, incl headlights, speedo, MOT, taxes, CoC etc), so not too bad considering the cost of bringing a UK car to Spain!

I have one question which remains unanswered, maybe somebody could help?

According to the DGT website (https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/tramites-y-m ... che/bajas/) I go to Traffico with the following form completed to inform them I am taking my vehicle (permanently) to the UK. I presume that I will also have to show them the Permiso de circulación for my vehicle?

My question is, will traffico then give me the Permiso de circulación back? As I need this in the UK to send to the DVLA or do they give me some other kind of paperwork? If it is too difficult I will simply do as White Horse did, take the Permiso de circulación with me to the UK and send it back to a Gestor in Spain to de register for me?

Image

gus-lopez
Resident
Posts: 1572
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:55 am
Location: Lorca, Murcia ,Spain

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby gus-lopez » Fri Apr 22, 2016 4:56 pm

You should actually lose the existing registration number & be given one starting with "P" & which are on green plates.


Image
Todos somos Lorca.

MartinEB
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby MartinEB » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:26 am

Thanks Gus, interesting, but are we also given the Permiso de circulación as I understand this is the document (original only) we need to register it with DVLA?

Seems that the simplest thing to do is not de-register in Spain, drive to the UK, register in the UK and then send documents back to Gestor for them to de-register? In fact we asked our solicitors (and Gestors) and this is their reply:

In response to your e-mail please note that we usually do in the contrary way. When the clients return to the UK and register the car there, they send us the registration form as proof that the car is now registered in the UK and with that document plus copies of the Spanish car documents, passport copy, copy of the NIE number and the signed form from trafico (which we can send you), we can de-register the car in Spain.

They have said it can all be done by e-mail (they don't need original documents), and with a charge of just 50€ seems the easiest and most convenient way to do it?

MartinEB
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Location: Spain

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby MartinEB » Sun Oct 16, 2016 7:39 am

White Horse wrote:I documented my experiences here:
http://www.kn0wall.co.uk/wordpress/2015 ... in-the-uk/
I hope that you find it helpful.
Anyone thinking of taking their Spanish Reg car back to the UK and registering it in the UK should start by reading this superb account by White Horse. Absolutely priceless and something I have just used to guide me through the process.

I would add a few other points to help anyone else thinking of doing it:

1. When using the NOVA system to notify HMRC that your foreign reg car is now in the UK, it is not necessarily 2 weeks from arrival, but 14 days from date of intent (i.e. I might arrive in the UK on 1 Oct intending to drive it back to Spain or sell it, but on 10 Oct decide to register it in the UK instead, therefore 10 Oct becomes the date of intent from which I have 14 days to notify HMRC).

2. I obtained 2 x copies of the DVLA registration pack (wrote everything out in draft first).

3. No problems in changing headlights and dash overlay (into MPH/KPH).

4. Obtained the EU Certificate of Conformity direct from Peugeot (cost £100).

5. The Vehicle Certification Agency were very efficient and issued a mutual recognition certificate within 5 days (cost £100).

6. Chassis number insurance (which is required when sending of documents to DVLA) is expensive and cost me £218 for 30 days cover on a Peugeot Partner Tepee!

7. When sending off the V55/5 application form, DVLA requires proof of name and proof of address. The information leaflet (INF106) gives all the necessary details. There is no need to send original documents (passport, driving licence, birth certificate etc), photocopies are accepted.

User avatar
costakid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5754
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:55 am
Location: malaga este

Re: Spanish Reg car to the UK

Postby costakid » Sun Oct 16, 2016 8:11 am

6. Chassis number insurance (which is required when sending of documents to DVLA) is expensive and cost me £218 for 30 days cover on a Peugeot Partner Tepee!

On this point I have insured cars on the chassis number in the past. I have taken annual insurance and been given 30 days to notify the insures of the registration number.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests