Car insurance

Are there any issues regarding a non resident with property and motor vehicle (registered in Spain) obtaining insurance? With reference to the car it appears Spanish insurance companies are asking for a Spanish driving license, residency and or enrolment on the Padròn. Has Brexit anything to do with this?
Appreciate any information. Thank you.

Lord knows where you heard all that but there are many, many Brits here with Spanish cars, UK driving licences, non residency not on the padron (that's only for permanent residents) insuring their Spanish cars with Spanish insurance companies.

Not been listening to the experts up the pub again, have you?
Those parking lots at Alicante airport would go bust without them.

Actually I don’t drink. A precise answer without sarcasm would suffice! This is not a tale. A good friend, non resident, having car insurance for many years decided upon not being happy with his renewal quote to seek quotes with other Spanish companies. Many companies refused to quote him because he didn’t have a Spanish driving licence and was non resident. One such company is called “Reale” AXA insurance were also approached and they were unsure and have referred the enquiry to their legal department. Hiring a car at the airport is not the same as having a registered vehicle at a private address with private insurance in Spain.
You don’t own a hired car and insurance is provided by the hire company. Personally I believe there should be no issue regarding all of the above- I was just pointing out the real experiences of a friend. I will update if I hear anything further.

PS: I do agree with the anomaly of the cars being parked long/short term at the airport. Unfortunately I don’t know of anyone who parks there to ask. Nevertheless the fact that one company refused to quote and another (AXA) weren’t even sure if they could quote greatly surprised me.

Quote: Actually I don’t drink. A precise answer without sarcasm would suffice.

I don’t drink either but I regularly frequent bars and restaurants. There was absolutely nothing sarcastic in Marcliff’s response to your original post.

If you look at the websites of Spanish insurance companies they virtually all quote giving insurance for non residents.
Liberty Seguros, Linea Directa, Mapfre and so on. Nothing to do with Brexit.
You must have got a temp worker at Axa as they were one of the ones Mapfre quoted my neighbours.

Questioning my friend more on his experience it appears he ran into issues when he informed the companies he had a UK license and was non- resident. They didn’t ask. Possibly (like town halls that don’t ask you if you are non resident but will proceed to enroll you on the Padròn illegally) insurance companies are not making a note on the policy that the holder has a non EU license. Small print maybe, but best clarified. In any claim you can bet the “small print” will be scrutinised.
Regarding the Padròn, I know of neighbours who have been stopped at Police check-points and when they have produced a UK license the police have checked their status to reveal them on the Padròn and therefore must have a Spanish license. A hefty fine ensued.

I have a question related to this: Bringing a car over from the UK, but only looking to register it at the same time I apply for residency (which can lead to avoidance of import tax if you're quick enough) does the car need to be registered with a UK insurer rather than a Spanish one during that initial six months?

earlybay wrote:Questioning my friend more on his experience it appears he ran into issues when he informed the companies he had a UK license and was non- resident. They didn’t ask. Possibly (like town halls that don’t ask you if you are non resident but will proceed to enroll you on the Padròn illegally) insurance companies are not making a note on the policy that the holder has a non EU license. Small print maybe, but best clarified. In any claim you can bet the “small print” will be scrutinised.
Regarding the Padròn, I know of neighbours who have been stopped at Police check-points and when they have produced a UK license the police have checked their status to reveal them on the Padròn and therefore must have a Spanish license. A hefty fine ensued.

I'm sorry but I can't see where he is having a problem. The UK licence is recognised in Spain and you can drive a car in Spain with a UK licence for up to 6 months in one year (90 day rule applies) as a non resident.

Why should it be noted what type of licence you have as long as it's recognised? Plus go through all the online insurance companies and they all say you can.

Now go over to the N332 site, the one run by ex Civil Guard officers in English especially for expats, and they all state you can. The only stipulation is that you have a registered address in Spain but the requirement for residency does not apply.

I was talking about all the cars that park up at Alicante airport that are owned by Brits, not a hire car.

The padron is a different matter and it's been mentioned on here and other places many times that you should not be on the padron unless you are a permanent resident and the case you mentioned is one particular reason for that.

But you are legally allowed to purchase a Spanish registered car and keep it in Spain. You can drive it on a UK, or any recognised licence, for up to 6 months in any one year if you have an address. If you decide to take out residency you must exchange your UK licence for a Spanish one within 6 months, other EU countries can drive until their licence expires if it is a valid photo licence.

Go to Right Move or Mapre in Quesada and they will tell you of course you can. Telephone Linea Direct in English and they will tell you of course you can. They will also cover you on trips back to UK as well.

You can also insure a UK registered car with a Spanish company if you intend to rematriculate it on Spanish plates and simply tell them of the change of registration when that happens. Linea Directa actually answers that very question on their FAQ page.

I have a next door neighbour with a Spanish reg car (rematriculated from UK plates) which he keeps and insures here. There are currently 2 couples across the road with a Spanish reg car they own and actually one of them shares it with their relations when they come over. All insured with Spanish companies.

As an aside, I don't drink either but do socialise up the pub and overhear some of the expat comments and I'm sorry if my throwaway line offended you in some way. Just a comment on some of the things I hear.

My brother is a non resident holiday home owner and has a Spanish regged car registered in his name and insured with Caxia bank.

You are being fed disinformation.