Change from UK to Spanish plates on car.

I have UK plates on my car and considering changing to Spanish plates.
I have been told that I would have to pay import tax, which in my case would be very substantial, because of the make and age of the car.
I have heard from another source that, the plates can be changed over and as long as you keep the car for a minimum of two years, you don't have to pay import tax.
Can anyone clarify this for me and tell me what other costs are likely.

THey only time you can not pay import tax is when you first come to live here and bring the car as personal goods

JPEG is correct.
The import tax is based on the book value of the vehicle according to the tables used by the Spanish authorities. You should enquire what the amount would be, as you may be making a false assumption.

Re-registration isn’t an option once the vehicle has been on Spanish soil for 6 months.
If the vehicle has been modified in any way from the original specification, or if it’s not a vehicle manufactured to EU standards, then you could be wasting your time anyway.

Pete.

I have previously transferred English to Spanish, its VERY expensive. Better to sell your car in UK, THEN buy a new Spanish car, secondhand are usually mega expensive with high kilometres

Hi contact Graham or Leigh they tell you anything you need to know and costs involved.

Graham Shelton,
Spanish number plates
[email protected]
www.spanish-number-plates.com
966-753-375
605-319-889

I second Spanish Number Plates, they changed my old car onto Spanish plates 5 years ago. Highly recommended.

Leigh from Spanish number plates did ours easy, friendly and great service highly recommend.

Also I used Leigh and he was excellent took all the stress out of doing it for me, have used him twice now, highly recommend him, also very nice guy easy to talk to. Mine were German plates to Spanish but still no problems

I would agree with getting someone to do it for you. Most people say the average cost for changeover is about €1000. Here is the table with the emissions cost and how it is calculated depending on the age of the car and a guide to doing it yourself. You will see there is a good bit of work involved. The other sticky bit is changing the headlamps.

Bee

These are the emission rates:
Percentage tax Emission
0% less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre
4.75% from 120 to 160 grams of CO2 per kilometre 9.75% from 160 to 200 grams of CO2 per kilometre 12% not rated for CO2 emissions 14.75% more than 200 grams of CO2 per kilometre

Each of the above tax rates is applied to the original price of the vehicle, with a reduction for each year of its age up to ten years, e.g. 20 per cent after the first year, 30 per cent after two years, 50 per cent after four years, and 80 per cent after ten years.

How to do it yourself from KittyGal

ITV
2. Get a Cambio of Matriculation cert from the ITV station saying that vehicle is currently going through re registration process
Next: To Hacienda to get Import Tax bill and a Modelo 576
Next: Go and pay tax at bank
Next: Back to Hacienda with receipt to pay tax
Next: To my local Ayuntamiento to pay road tax
Next: Matriculation: Take Modelo 576 back to Tráfico and give Tráfico the following documents:
• Application form for Matriculation (http://www.dgt.es)
• Identification - NIE / Passport
• Documentation of vehicle (Blue and pink sheet ITV card)
• Road Tax (proof of payment)
• Modelo 576 (registration tax
• Ficha Technica form issued by the ITV for vehicles purchased in the EU
• Original document of the vehicle V5


Give all papers to Tráfico and go back when told ( next day?) to pick up Permiso de Circulación from the same desk.
At same time, pick up new log book with new reg embossed
Next: Go and get new Number plates
Next: Send V5 back to Swansea to deregister it in UK and 'lose' UK number plates.


It was very straightforward. You do need some Spanish though- no one spoke to me in English at all. Mind you, I didn't ask them to!

I reckon I saved a fair few hundred Euros on the figures I was quoted for someone to do it for us.

The cost very much depends on the type of car you have. The SUMA varies dependent upon emmissions. Also how long you have been here with the car.

What is missing from the list above, is what costs the most and can be the most frustrating.

I am referring to headlamps, of course. On a very few cars, the beam can just be properly adjusted to point to the right, but they are few and far between. On the vast majority of vehicles, at least something has to be changed, whether it's just a replacement of the glass lens or a complete headlamp unit. Sometimes you can buy them at a breakers yard, but that can be time consuming and fruitless, so most people opt for new lamps supplied and fitted by a dealer; and the costs vary hugely between different car manufacturers.

Also, do not forget that the rear fog light has to be on the left hand side of the car; a few UK vehicles had only a single fog lamp on the right rear for some reason.

"Send V5 back to Swansea to deregister it in UK"

That's not how its supposed to work, or not according to the governing EU directive.

Surrendering the V5 is an integral part of the process (you cannot have two registration documents for the same car in the same way that you cannot concurrently hold two EU driving licences) so normally you will not get it back, sending it back is the job of the authority where the vehicle has been imported and registered (Spain) and it's only when DVLA officially receive it from them that they will place an export marker on it.

In practice that means that you don't actually have tell DVLA anything although of course when exporting a car properly you should send them the tear off permanent export section immediately before you leave the country with it.