We still get many questions about this issue and I will try to explain the situation.
As a resident or non resident, you may bring an Irish or British car to Spain, but if the car is here more than 6 months, you must register the vehicle onto Spanish plates.
The police are now clamping down heavily on illegal cars and imposing fines of up to 3,000€ on cars which they can prove have been here more than 6 months. Any UK or Irish plated car that has been here longer, must be registered with the Spanish authorities, Spanish plates issued and Spanish taxes paid. I have known personally of two people in this area who were stopped and told by the police they had noted them over 6 months ago and they had to now do this or be heavily fined
Occasionally you can avoid import tax on newer models by obtaining a Baja Consular from the British Consulate, which we can do, but this does depend on your particular circumstances.
Non residents who keep a car here pay import the duty, which is calculated according to the make and model of the car and it´s CO2 emissions.
We can matriculate your car which includes several visits by us to Alicante to deal with the paperwork. This fee does not cover the cost of changing headlights to European type ones and fitting, the ITV (MOT) or engineer´s report.
When purchasing a car, be very careful to ensure it has a valid ITV certificate, up to date road tax and legal sellers´ documentation. When there is a change of ownership, you should be aware that the Traffic department charge a 6% government tax on the book value. We will complete the paperwork for you on a change of ownership (there are also Trafico fees).
28 Comments
Cat freeland
How much would it cost to have irish plates changed to spanish ones,and how long would it take please?