Insuring a foreign-plated car while living in Spain

Key rules

• Compulsory cover: Every car used in Spain needs at least third-party insurance, whatever its plates.
• Time on foreign plates: You can generally keep foreign plates for up to 6 months after your residence starts.
• Home insurer: Tell your home insurer in writing that you moved, because it may cancel or refuse claims.
• Green card: Insurers issue the green card free on request, and you need it only outside the covered countries.

The short answer

Third-party insurance is compulsory for any car used in Spain. Your home policy may stop covering you once you move, so tell your insurer now and get its answer in writing. Plan to switch to a Spanish policy when you register the car in Spain.

Tell your home insurer you have moved

Home policies usually cover the car in other EEA countries, but insurers expect the car to stay mainly in the country where it is registered. Many limit cover to temporary stays. If you move permanently and say nothing, the insurer may cancel the policy or refuse a claim.

• Tell your insurer in writing that you now live in Spain.
• Ask in writing whether the policy still covers the car in Spain, and for how long.
• Keep the reply. It is your proof if there is a dispute after an accident.

How long you can keep foreign plates

You can generally keep a foreign-plated car on the road for up to 6 months before it must be registered in Spain. The clock runs from the day you arrive or your residence starts, so write that date down. A car you own while spending more than 183 days a year in Spain is treated as resident-owned. After the 6 months, the car needs Spanish plates, payment of the import tax (IEDMT) and a technical inspection. Check the exact deadline and any exemptions with the traffic office (Jefatura de Tráfico) or the tax agency.

If your home insurer drops you

Most Spanish insurers will not cover a foreign-plated car on a standard policy. Their policies are tied to a Spanish plate. A few insurers and brokers offer temporary policies for foreign-plated cars. Ask brokers who specialise in expats. Expect conditions such as:

• proof of your residence status in Spain
• the car's registration document from its home country
• a short duration, while you complete re-registration
• third-party cover only

This market is small, so confirm what a policy covers before you buy it.

Proving the car is insured

Insurers report every policy to a national register of insured vehicles. Police and traffic cameras check plates against it, so you do not need a paper certificate in the car. Keep your policy receipt anyway, because it helps after an accident. You or anyone else can check a plate on the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros online service. Do this once a temporary policy starts, to see that your plate shows as insured.

Driving without insurance risks a fine, and a car missing from the register can be flagged.

Trips outside Spain

Spanish third-party cover is valid across the EEA. It also works in countries that have joined the EU multilateral guarantee agreement, such as Switzerland, Andorra, Serbia and the UK. You do not need a green card (carta verde) there. For countries like Morocco, Turkey, Albania or Ukraine, you need a green card or must buy border insurance. Insurers issue the green card free on request, so ask before you travel. Cover for breakdown, legal defence or damage to your own car abroad depends on your policy terms. Cover for trips outside Europe is not automatic.

When you register the car

Take out a Spanish policy as part of registering the car, and cancel the old one only once the new cover is active. Do not leave a gap, even for a day.

Timeline and deadlines

• Drive on foreign plates and keep valid insurance in place the whole time: for up to 6 months after arrival or residence start

• Register the car in Spain with Spanish plates, pay the import tax (IEDMT), and complete the technical inspection and traffic office paperwork: before the 6 months end

• Move your insurance to a Spanish policy for the car with Spanish plates: when the car is registered in Spain

Documents you need

• Proof of your residence status in Spain, which a temporary policy for a foreign-plated car often needs. The insurer or broker tells you which document it accepts.

• The car's registration document from its country of registration, which the insurer usually asks for with a temporary policy.

• Your policy receipt, which you no longer have to show at checks in Spain but which is useful to have after an accident, together with the amistoso accident report.

Insurers set their own paperwork for foreign-plated cars, so ask the insurer or broker for its exact list before you apply.

Checklist

• Ask your home insurer in writing whether your policy still covers the car in Spain.

• Write down the date your residence in Spain started and count 6 months from it.

• Take out a Spanish policy when you register the car in Spain.

What to watch out for

• Your home insurer may drop you after you move: Home insurers often limit cover to temporary stays. If you move to Spain permanently, they may cancel the policy or refuse claims. Tell your home insurer you now live in Spain and ask in writing whether the policy still covers the car. Move to a Spanish insurer when you register the car.

• Third-party insurance is compulsory for any car used in Spain: Driving without compulsory third-party cover risks fines and a problem on the national insured-vehicles file. Do not let the home policy lapse until a Spanish policy or a temporary policy is in place.

• Cover for trips outside Europe is not automatic: A Spanish policy's third-party cover works across the EEA and the other countries in the EU guarantee agreement, but countries such as Morocco or Turkey need a green card. Extras such as breakdown or legal defence depend on your policy terms. Ask your insurer for a free green card before you travel, and check which extras apply abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to carry a paper insurance certificate in the car in Spain?

No, you do not need to carry a paper certificate in Spain, because police and traffic cameras check your plate against the national insured-vehicles database. Keep the policy receipt in the car anyway, as it helps after an accident when you fill in the amistoso (joint accident report).

How can I check whether my car shows as insured in Spain?

You can check any plate's insurance status for free through the online service of the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros. Insurers report policies to the national insured-vehicles file, so a policy that is not on it can cause trouble at a roadside check.

Will a Spanish insurer insure my foreign-plated car?

Most Spanish insurers will not, because their policies are tied to a Spanish plate. A few insurers and brokers offer temporary policies for foreign-plated cars, often with third-party (terceros) cover only, for a limited time while you re-register. Ask brokers who work with expats.

When does Spain treat my foreign-plated car as resident-owned?

Spain treats a car as resident-owned when its owner is in Spain more than 183 days a year. From then on you cannot keep it on foreign plates permanently, so plan the re-registration and a Spanish policy.