Car import

During the thirty years I have lived in spain I have been aware of many cases where people have gone through the process of importing a vehicle.  The overwhelming experience is that it is not worth the expense not the effort

There are about 19 threads on the forum which explain why never again !

Yes I heard about it all but I have no choice the car is already here in Spain, driving it back to UK and selling it there is just too much effort and money, if I do that I will still need to buy a car in Spain where they re much more expensive than in UK
So any idea of cost to register it here in Spain please?

Hamed.   I have no personal experience but I cannot remember hearing in the past thirty years of even one person who went through the process and said they would do it again.

What you do is of course a matter entirely for you but I really do believe you will be recommending anyone to do it after you have.   

Selling your vehicle, even in Spain to someone maybe returning to U.K. might be a much cheaper and less stressful experience.  I did that some years ago when the law changed, meaning that I would have had to import my left hand drive, fully road legal in spain, car.   The car was fully Spanish Type so would not have entailed changing anything to comply with spanish law.  Having sold it,  I bought a spanish registered car.

Another thing to be aware of:   If stopped by the police driving a spanish car (and with a spanish DL and insurance ) you would just be another car and driver. Thus less possibility they might find, or look for, problems with the car, paperwork etc

Good luck whatever you decide to do

Right hand drive vehicles are not the most convenient thing to drive in Spain, but if you already have the vehicle here you will know. You will find many adverts in the English newspapers offering the services you require for a fee. If you are wanting to do everything yourself it would be an advantage if you speak Spanish or at least have an interpreter.   

Good luck
Steve

Hi
Thanks for your reply.
What are the names of the newspapers and where can I find them please ?

Hello Hamed

You will usually find the free English newspapers in bars that expats visit, also some expat shops and supermarkets.

Steve

Hamed

I am sure you are aware that just because someone puts an advert in a newspaper that is no confirmation that the advertiser is genuine nor competent .

As a rule of thumb people who are competent and therefore recommended don’t need to advertise in newspapers

Hi Hamed,
If my experience of registering a vehicle here in Gran Canaria is similar in mainland Spain be prepared for a very frustrating next few weeks/months and a considerable amount of money! If the vehicle is very very special to you and you are willing to put up with the beaurocracy that controls the ITV station who are the officials that will need to register it and plenty of cash good luck to you , my vehicle means a lot to me but if I lived on the mainland and is just a short trip back to the UK , I would have turned it around and sped out of  Spain as fast as I could , unfortunately from GC it’s a five day trip including two periods on ferries and at least £1,500.
I am still waiting for mine to past all the hurdles after many months and several thousand pounds bringing it up to GC specifications, when it is finally legally drivable I will put my experience on the GC forum .
Also,do you realise you have to have a Certificate of Conformity for your vehicle (in Spanish) as part of the process.
I could go on and on and on ,.....................
Regards Martin

How about importing a car that is in Tenerife to Peninsula?  Is that as difficult as coming from UK?  I found a nice furgoneta for sale there but I don't really want to get into all the trouble that people have in coming from UK

Take a look here

https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/tramites-y-m … domicilio/

Extract
Mi coche viene de Canarias, Ceuta o Melilla, ¿tengo que tener algo en cuenta?
Sí, para vehículos procedentes de Canarias, Ceuta y Melilla a la Península o Baleares, para anotar la importación del mismo, deberás abonar:
La tasa 4.1 de 8,50 euros
Además deberás pagar previamente y presentar el documento acreditativo de que se ha despachado el vehículo en la Aduana. Si no aporta dicho documento, se pondrá en conocimiento del departamento de Aduanas.

Google translation:_
My car comes from the Canary Islands, Ceuta or Melilla, do I have to keep something in mind?
Yes, for vehicles coming from the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla to the Peninsula or Balearic Islands, to record the import of the same, you must pay:
The 4.1 fee of 8.50 euros
In addition, you must pay in advance and present the document confirming that the vehicle has been dispatched at Customs. If you do not provide this document, the Customs Department will be informed.