Importing a car into Spain or Gibraltar

To have a car on Gibraltar plates you have to be resident in Gibraltar

You would probably be better off selling your car in Dubai and purchasing another in Spain.

Does your car conform to European specifications?

Gibraltar Insurance companies can at the moment insure Spanish registered cars, I use

http://www.ibexinsure.com/gibraltar/car … nefits.htm

Hello,

I am currently relocating to Gibraltar from Dubai and wanted to know how much it would cost or an estimate to import my car with the relocation. Any information is highly appreciated.

The car is a Seat Ibiza 1.6 CC , 2012.

The import duty is 18% of the customs officer's estimated value of the vehicle.

They used to use Glass's Guide to check values but I am not sure if that is still the practice.

This assumes you drive into Gibraltar via the frontier, if you ship the vehicle in you will also be charged 18% on the shipping cost.

It will have to undergo a test and be fitted with local plates, cost about £100
Plus insurance which is fairly competitive locally.


The above is to the best of my knowledge, I last did this 5 years ago.

Thanks for the information. I figured from glass website the cost of the car would be around 7000 GBP . And got quotation for shipping to be around 1600$ USD to Spain .

From Spain you would drive over the frontier reducing your import duty obligations relating to shipping,

Also I believe Glass's guide relates to street prices in UK and therefore tax paid in UK so you should be able to reduce that valuation by the tax value.

Does the car that you intend to import need to be in your name? For example if importing a car from the UK would the V5 need to have your name on it?

For example, if buying from a private seller in Spain can you just hand over the money to the seller and drive to the border and register in Gibraltar in your name? Do any Spanish car related documents (log book or proof of ownership etc) need to be in your name?

Well the car is under my name , I will import it to use it there. Or sell it if I found a buyer

Ok, but for arguments sake what if the car was not registered in your name?

Perhaps I should have started a new thread, I just wondered if anyone knew the answer to my question: If buying from a private seller in Spain can you just hand over the money to the seller and drive to the border and register in Gibraltar in your name? Do any Spanish car related documents (log book or proof of ownership etc) need to be in your name?

You would have to prove indisputable ownership.

Whether this could be done by the owner arriving in Gib and the sale taking place at Gib customs may be worth investigating.

However Spanish cars are generally overpriced and you would also be buying any debts / fines etc. and someone would have to pay the Spanish sale tax on the vehicle.

So I doubt it's worthwhile

The above is my best guess

Hi Grumoyoldman

You seem to know your stuff! I am relocating from the UK and wanted.to drive my UK normal/regular car down and keep and use it as I would here, do you know if that is ok? Thanks Claire

ClairetheNurse wrote:

Hi Grumoyoldman

You seem to know your stuff! I am relocating from the UK and wanted.to drive my UK normal/regular car down and keep and use it as I would here, do you know if that is ok? Thanks Claire

Hi Claire
Yes it is fine to bring your own car here.

HOWEVER you will have to import it and pay duty at a rate of up to 35% of it's value as assessed by a local customs officer, they are usually very fair in valuations.
If you let me know the model / year / condition etc. I can possibly be more specific.

Other things to remember we use LHD vehicles and drive on the right, parking can be a nightmare but fuel is much cheaper than UK as is insurance and there is no road tax.

Grumpy

Hi, I would like to know what is the best way to buy a car in Spain and import it into Gibraltar then have it put on Gibraltar plates, and pay the least amount of import duty.  Is there a difference to the import duty if the car is new or second hand?  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you, Cherrypie

Hi Cherrypie

What currency are you dealing with?
If £GBP then the present € exchange rates will probably make a Spanish purchase uneconomical.

However if you go ahead with a new car then get the  Spanish dealer to deliver it VAT free to Gibraltar where you will have to pay all duties, registration etc.

If it's a secondhand car get the owner, who will have to supply correct up to date documentation, to drive it to Gibraltar and do the purchase in front of a customs officer, you will again have to pay all duties registration etc.
But also be carefull that the Spanish owner pays the Spanish taxes due on the sale and that the car is free from any debts, a minefield in Spain that you may fall into at a later date.

Why not buy in Gibraltar?

Grumpy

Hi, Thanks for the help.  The showrooms in Gib simply do not have the choice.  My preference is to buy a nearly new or test model but unlike in the UK, a test model in Gib can be up to two years old and doesn´t drop hardly anything in price.   If I order one from a garage in Gib it can take weeks and weeks to arrive.   So I would buy from an authorised dealer in Spain (in Euros) where they have the cars readily available.  If I do that, what is the best (easiest and cheapest) way to get it into Gib and then put on Gibraltar plates?
Thanks Cherrypie

HI
If you buy a nearly new or test car from Spain then it will have paid VAT which is non refundable and you will still have to pay customs duty etc in Gib, although on a lower value than new.
If you insist on going down this route then I would suggest you find an agent in Gib to help you do this.

However when I bought a new car in Spain admittedly 15+ years ago I had to wait four months for it.

Grumpy

Thank you for your help.

Hello Grumpy and Everyone  : )

As for bringing cars into Gibraltar, I have a slightly different problem ...

How long after arriving in Gibraltar can I use a car registered in another EU country before it has to be put on Gib plates ?

The thing is, I will be relocating from Krakow, Poland and I do want to drive to Gib (despite the distance) because it is the best way to take my dog with me. Additionally, no limits or extra charges for excess luggage  ;-)
As I am carless now, I am planning to buy a car just for the purpose of relocating, so  it is very likely that I will want to get rid of (mean sell) the car soon after relocating to Gib.

Also, is there any difference regarding using a car in Gib if the car is on UK plates or Polish EU plates? And will it affect selling it in Gib or in Spain ?

Finally, is there a website with official info on such issues ?
I tried to find something on gibraltar.gov.gi, but with little luck so far  : /

Thank you in advance for help and info.

AnnG

Hi AnnG
I believe you are theoretically supposed to import your car as soon as you become resident, many do not.
Parking is a nightmare here so if you buy a cheap car and import it the cost will be minimal and you will not worry about getting it scratched etc., and it will give you time to check around.
It will have to pass the local vehicle test which is not too stringent.
The country the car is plated in will not make any difference however being Polish it should at least have the steering on the correct side unlike one from the UK

Grumpy