Guide to Register Vehicles from Abroad

The registration of a vehicle is a prerequisite before you can drive it on public roads. You must register and affix the number plates before you can drive any motor vehicle, as well as trailers and semi-trailers with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 750 kilograms.

Once the registration procedure has been completed, you will be issued with a car number for your vehicle and a registration certificate. With this documentation you will be able to acquire your number plates.

You must complete this procedure for any new vehicle and for used or new vehicles coming from abroad. If the vehicle you intend to register is a historical vehicle, or if what you need are temporary number plates to circulate with the car while you manage the final registration of the same, the procedure to be carried out is different from the usual one.

What do you need?

  1. Official form properly filled out.
  2. Electronic ITV card (NIVE) or ITV card in paper format. Having the sales diligence or, in its absence, an invoice or awarding certificate if it comes from auction.
  3. Proof of payment of the corresponding registration fee of the DGT or receipt of the same.
  4. Proof of payment of the necessary taxes to carry out the procedure at the DGT:
    • Proof of payment or exemption to pay the road tax of the Town Hall where you have set your domicile.
    • Proof of payment or exemption to pay the Registration Tax (model 576, 06 or 05 of the Spanish Tax Agency), except in the case of trailers

SPECIAL CASE: IMPORT OF VEHICLES

In addition to the general documentation, you must provide the following documentation depending on whether the vehicle is new or used and where it comes from:

New vehicles (not previously registered):

  1. Purchased within the European Union and Northern Ireland.:
    • VAT proof of payment (form 309 or 300 of the Spanish Tax Agency) or proof of being included in the census of VAT taxpayers.
    • Data sheet issued by the ITV.
  2. Acquired in countries outside the EU:
    • Single Administrative Document (SAD) issued by Customs, unless the ITV card shows the vehicle’s import diligence.
    • Technical data sheet issued by the ITV.

Used vehicles:

  1. Purchased in the EU and Northern Ireland.:
    • Original vehicle documentation.
    • Technical data sheet issued by the ITV.
    • Document that justifies the corresponding payment at the tax office:
    • If it is a sale between private individuals, contract of sale accompanied by translation and Transfer Tax.
    • If the vehicle is purchased from a dealer in a country other than Spain, you must provide an invoice showing the VAT number.
    • If the vehicle is purchased from a Spanish dealer, an invoice and a document issued by the Tax Authorities must be provided, proving that the vehicle has been registered in that activity during the corresponding fiscal year.
  2.  Acquired in countries outside the EU:
    • Original vehicle documentation.
    • Single Administrative Document (DUA) issued by Customs, unless the ITV card shows the vehicle’s importation diligence.

Vehicles, new or used, from the United Kingdom, except Northern Ireland, imported after the 1st of January of 2021 must comply with the requirements applicable to vehicles purchased outside the EU. In the event that the vehicle has the status of EU statute, the requirements required for vehicles acquired within the EU will be applicable provided that the certificate issued by the AEAT certifying this condition is presented.

Processing Costs

To process the registration of a vehicle: Fee 1.1 of 98.78 euros.

For mopeds: Fee 1.2 of 27.57 euros.

Who can carry out the process?

The registration of a vehicle must be carried out by the buyer-owner o any person who has been authorised by him.

To make the authorisation so another person can act on your behalf, you may designate a representative through our Register of Representatives.

Also, if making the process in person, the representative can be present as long as you he has a document signed by the concerned party authorising him to make the request and where it expresses its free nature. To do so, please download and complete the authorisation model of the DGT “Granting of representation”.

If the process is going to be carried out by another person on your behalf, at the time of arranging you appointment in advance calling on 060, you must indicate the ID number of the interested party as well as the ID number of the authorised person.

Source: DGT

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