Buying a Spanish Registered Car in UK

Is there anything we need to be aware of if we are buying a Spanish reg car in UK?

Will it be straightforward bringing it over here?

Hi Kate,

YES - Jenny and I bought our first Spanish Car in Southhampton and luckily the sellers where very good, to get the new documentaion in Spain you need to make sure you get the original paperwork.

Permiso de Cirulation
Ficha Tecnica
last tax receipt

Bill of sale in Spanish

Copy Residecia Card or Certificate

Seller has to be the owner on the Veh docs as you need a copy of their Passport

And something to prove the sellers previous address in Spain

Sounds alot but with out evidence the car has been sold to you and without the Veh docs you can't have the ownership transfered. If you don't get all the above Doc's you will still be able to insure the Veh easily enough but you will never officailly own it

Hope this helps

Daryl

Bought our car at Left Hand Drive place in Basingstoke. Brilliant company, very helpful especially when it was discovered that the previous owner had bought the car with his girlfriend, by then ex-girlfriend, who was not mentioned on the paperwork. They tracked her down and managed to get her signature so that we could re-register it in our names.

Thanks guys

My sister is moving over and looking at a car to drive over in so I will pass on all the info for her

We did all of that too. Lovely car. All documents in order. Insured by a Spanish insurance company. All ready to go! Sadly it never got back to Spain.
My "better half" wrote it off 2 days after we collected it from the dealer!

oopps

Yes. I recall saying something like that at the time.

I bought one back in 2006, but I never managed to get it transfered to my name. The original owner was an elderly English lady who lived in Alicante. She flew back to England for medical treatment but passed away, leaving the car to her brother.

Her death was never recorded in Spain, but she died owing a lot of money in taxes, plus a 3,000€ bill for parking in the airport short stay car park.

I don't know how someone managed to get the car back to the UK without paying that one, but I would have had to pay-up in full to complete the paperwork.

I think it would be a good idea to check the previous owner with an abogado before parting with any cash.

I know someone else who's fallen foul of this one. Make absolutely sure that there are no unpaid fines relating to the car before you sign anything, otherwise you'll be liable for the lot. I'd have thought that would all have been taken care of before exporting the car to the UK, but Taught2BCautious's experience proves that's not necessarily the case.

Silly me for trusting the UK dealer, but the car passed through several hands before I got it.

The dealer did give me a full bill of sale and told me that they have never had problems with buyers transfering the car to their name in Spain, but the bill of sale was perfectly legal in the UK (and probably several other countries) but worthless over here because the authorities were never notified of the original owners death.

Even if I could prove that the car had left her ownership in a way to satisfy Traffico (which I couldn't) I would still have had to pay the outstanding debt,

I still have the car, but not sure what to do with it!

How about transporting it back to UK and selling it there if it's worth the expenditure? Spicey

It is back in the UK now, but it would be difficult to sell it to someone who wanted to bring it over to Spain - I was told that Traffico would check the VIN number as part of the process, thereby discovering the outstanding debt - which must surely be into 5 figures by now!

As far as the authorities in Spain are concerned, the original owner is still the legal owner of the car (not me), not officially dead, and still running up taxes and interest on unpaid bills.

Put it back on a V5

And another thing I watched on TV the other night that shocked me

If you have a car that's insured with a Spanish company, make sure that the insurance company is recognised within the whole of Europe inc UK.

one motorist had a car, UK registered plates etc, but just come back from Spain, even though he had the cert with him etc, the copper was a jobs worth and checked it all out and the insurance company wasn't not recognized within the UK!!!

it all went this way because the guy was cocky because as far as his concerned he was legal, and I believe he was like anyone else he done everything right and had all the paperwork itv, insurance etc l and was goading the copper to prove him wrong

He was nicked, had their car seized, points on licence and a whopping fine.

Col

Ami just missed out on a Spanish registered LHD Renault Espace on eBay so ended up buying a RHD Fiat Doblo. The plan is now that she'll drive over here with her little doggie and sell the Doblo once she's settled. Listening to these horror stories, I'm quite relieved that she changed her plans! Thanks all for your help and advice. x

Taught2BCautious wrote:It is back in the UK now, but it would be difficult to sell it to someone who wanted to bring it over to Spain - I was told that Traffico would check the VIN number as part of the process, thereby discovering the outstanding debt - which must surely be into 5 figures by now!

As far as the authorities in Spain are concerned, the original owner is still the legal owner of the car (not me), not officially dead, and still running up taxes and interest on unpaid bills.

This is what we were told by the police and gestor

the thing is as far as spain is concerned you are not the registered owner so you are no liable for any debts or fines or anything, its all down to the original owner!!! the owner is the one that taxes etc are running up, not you!!

it was a catch 22, I wanted to register the car and pay my taxes but the system would let me so was told no problema, keep using the car!!!!

In fact was told theirs a black market for cars like this, and much sought after!!!!

In Spain it is a nessesity and legality that the seller makes sure all the papper work is done, and this is why the sale normally includes notary etc.

Col

True, but outstanding debts have to be paid before the sale can become legal in Spain. The small matter of the original (legal) owner being dead, could have been overcome by obtaining a copy of the UK death certificate and making a declaration, but I could have bought a brand new car in Spain for a lot less than the total cost.

Does this mean that you don't need to be the registered owner to tax, insure and test the car?

Hi trainee Trog

Correct, this is also so in the UK,
We Used our car for over a year, never had a problem, in fact I know that up to a year ago, they still have the car!!!
We had the car ITVed and were insured,we never paid tax, as the car was registed in Alicante to the previous owner, who had moved with no forwarding address.
We went to Trafico in baza, and the concesious was that No problema.

poss problema for the registerd owner as he would be responsible for parking fines etc!!!

I sent a recorded letter to this address and kept a copy of letter and reciete, as confirmation that I have tried to find the owner to register the car.

Mosess from thegarage on the benemerel road was the gentleman that serviced the car and arrange the ITV, also at the time took me to the gestrorio in Baza and this is where I first got the information and told the position.

This is great if you have a car of not great value up to 1500 euros

But as a driver, or drivers you are legal to drive

Lets be honest if you have a licence, ITV and insurance, you will be more legal that over half the spanish,tyres with tread on them and lights that work!! lol

My wife was stopped for having a loose dog in the car in Benemerel and although they checked at all he paperwork everything was fine.

Ps she was fined 30 euros for the loose dog!!!!

Col xx

Interesting. So you don't need to be overly concerned about outstanding debts on the car until you want to register it. Then when you only register it when you are sure it's clean. I'm missing the point somewhere, is there no legal requirement to register the car? The trail could go on until the car was scrapped.

Yove got it!!!

I always want to be in the right side of the law, but the system wouldnt let me register the car in my name so as long as I was insured and ITVed, I never had any trouble.

All this because I bought the car from ebay, and didnt get photo copies of their residentia etc, but hey ho I tried to do wots right, but as the car was not mega money so as long as the car was legal We and drivers were okay.

facts

A)you buy a car you cant register because the original owners arnt arround or reply to your recorded letters
b)you ITV IT
C) you insure it
d) you have a licence

Or you scrap it!!! Idont think so!!!


the thing is if you get some speeding tickets or a parking ticket they will be sent to the original owner, it be down to them unless they can contact you and if they do then get the car registered.

I know their must be plenty of folks reading this and saying rubbish, but im only going by personel experiance and whay we were advised by traffico and the Gestorio.

At least the car is spanish registered

You must do what you feel is right

but you as a driver are legal 100%

as long as you have a licence,ITV,insurance, and you havent nicked it

Anotherway at looking at it say grampa in Madrid let his daughter use his car she lived in Baza and she used it insured and ITVed it and she kept it for years, but she was never the registered keeper. Nothing ileagal about that.

Col xxx

Sanish folks like buying a old jelopy/car which isnt registered to them.

but when there selling they always make sure that the car is registered to the new owner.it is very very important for the seller to get all the paperwork done

As a buyer of a old car, I wouldnt care

If the car was of value then it be totaly diferent though

if youve got a recite of sale even better either from ebay or whatever