How to Register a Car in Spain

How to register a car in Spain

Registering a car in Spain yourself is a fairly straightforward process if:

1) All your paperwork in order.

2) You speak Spanish

3) You don?t mind waiting a long time in queues

The paperwork required by an owner of the vehicle wishing to register their car in Spain is:

- Original V5 logbook of the vehicle

- Passport (No photocopies)

- Original NIE

- Original and updated Padron (This is a certificate stating you are living at a particular address in Spain. It will also include your NIE number)

These documents will needed to be presented to SUMA (Local Government building where you will pay your road tax), Local Tax office and Trafico (Traffic department). Many of these places will require a photocopy of each document so it is well advised to take 2-3 photocopies of each document.

The following is a step by step explanation of what needs to be done to register a car in Spain .

First of all a technical report of the vehicle (what is known as a "Ficha Reducida") needs to be written by a certified Engineer (often referred to as a Perito) These vary in price, but you should not have to pay more than 80 Euros. Some charge up to 175 Euros but with the economic crisis and shortage of work it is very easy now to negotiate a good price!! Do shop around too as there are many Engineers out there that can write a technical report of a vehicle.

Once you have been issued with a technical report you will then need to book a time with your local ITV (MOT station) to get your vehicle passed. Although your vehicle may possess an up to date MOT certificate, in order to register a car in Spain it MUST pass a ITV test.

The ITV test is fairly rigorous, but if your car has no serious faults it should pass first time. If you have any doubts about whether your car will pass the ITV test for one reason or another it may be best to have your local garage do a pre-ITV check-up so it definetly passes first time.

Once your vehicle has passed it?s ITV then you need to wait a couple of days to get all your paperwork back. Once the paperwork has been picked up it?s then time to prepare to test your patience and Spanish and finish the job of registering a car in Spain!!

I can only vouch for Alicante but many of the local Government building are fairly close to one another. First of all you will need to pay the road tax for your vehicle at a SUMA building. Here you will need to show your passport, NIE, Padron, ITV paperwork and your V5 logbook. Road tax is calculated on the region the car resides in, the engine size and the Carbon Dioxide emissions. To register a car in Spain the road tax must be paid during the re-registration process, otherwise the paperwork will not be accepted when you finally reach the Traffic department. Once the road tax is calculated you can either pay the amount on the spot by credit card or pay it at a local Bank.

The next step to register your car in Spain is to head over to the tax office. Here you will need to pay the "impuesto de matriculacion" (Special Registration Tax) This tax figure is calculated by the Tax office?s value of your vehicle, the age of the vehicle and it?s Carbon dioxide emissions. Once this is calculated you then pay this amount at a local Bank and then return to the tax office to be issued with a paper stating you have paid the amount.

The final step to register a car in Spain is to visit Trafico (Traffic Department) and fill in a form (576 - Solicitud de Matriculacion) and pay an administration fee of 91.80 Euros at the cashier. Once this is paid you will then be issued a number, you will then wait for your number where you will present all the paperwork. The paperwork will be your Road Tax receipt, your ITV paperwork, receipt that the Tax has been paid, original V5 logbook. You will also be asked to show your passport, Padron and NIE.

Trafico will keep your paperwork (except your NIE, Padron and Passport) and process it. You will then be able to collect it along with your new logbook the next day from 10.00 am. With your new logbook and NIE you will then be able to have your Spanish plates made up. These cost between 15-20 Euros and there are a few places around the Trafico that can do this for you. There are also a few bars near the Trafico where you can de-stress and enjoy a well earned drink...

If, however, you prefer to let a professional, experienced and friendly person living in Alicante City handle all the paperwork and stress for you, then please visit http://www.registeracarinspain.com/

View the original article here