Importing your car to Spain

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. By the end, you will know whether to bring your car, what it will cost and how to register it legally.

Start with "Import your car or sell it and buy in Spain?". It helps you compare the cost and hassle of importing with buying locally, so you can decide before you spend anything. From there, follow the pages that match your car: one for cars from another EU country, one for cars from outside the EU, and others on the foreign plate deadline, registration tax and approval.

Household goods and shipping a car out of Spain are not covered here.

Key rules

• Non-EU duty and VAT: Without relief, a non-EU car pays 10 percent customs duty and then 21 percent VAT on the customs value plus duty, with registration tax on top.
• Non-resident stay: A non-resident may use a foreign-plated car in Spain for up to 6 months in any 12-month period.
• Registration deadline: If you become resident in Spain with a foreign-plated car, register it in Spain within 30 days.
• Residence test: Staying more than 183 days in a calendar year, or having your main interests here, makes you resident.
• Import test: Import only if tax, technical and fee costs are below the price gap to a similar Spanish used car.
• EU used car: A used car from the EU carries no Spanish VAT, but registration tax still applies.

Importing your car to Spain: the whole process, step by step

• Work out whether you count as a resident (see: How long you can keep foreign plates in Spain): before you bring the car

• If you are a non-resident, keep the car legally on foreign plates with valid insurance, home roadworthiness test and papers (see: Foreign-plated cars for part-year residents in Spain): up to 6 months in any 12-month period

• Decide whether to import the car or sell it and buy in Spain (see: Import your car or sell it and buy in Spain?): before you move

• If the car comes from outside the EU, claim customs and VAT relief at customs on import. You need to have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and owned the car for at least six months (see: Bringing a non-EU car (UK, US or other) into Spain): at import, when the car enters Spain

• Check the car will pass Spanish approval and the import inspection (see: Will your foreign car pass Spanish approval and ITV?): before you start registration

• Estimate and file the registration tax on modelo 576 with the tax agency, and ask for an exemption if you are transferring residence (see: How Spanish registration tax (matriculation tax) is calculated): before registering the car with the DGT, the traffic authority

• Register the car and get Spanish plates (see: Registering a car from another EU country in Spain): within 30 days of becoming resident Deadline: 30 days after taking up residence.

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your ID or passport — Registering a car from another EU country in Spain

Income and work

• The modelo 576 registration tax declaration with proof of payment — Registering a car from another EU country in Spain
• Proof that you paid the municipal vehicle tax — Registering a car from another EU country in Spain

The home and the lease

• Your valid driving licence — Foreign-plated cars for part-year residents in Spain, Driving your own car to Spain: papers, insurance and tolls

Guarantees

• Valid insurance certificate from your insurer — Foreign-plated cars for part-year residents in Spain

Other documents

• The certificate of conformity — Registering a car from another EU country in Spain, Will your foreign car pass Spanish approval and ITV?
• The ITV certificate and the ficha técnica reducida — Registering a car from another EU country in Spain
• Proof that you paid the Tráfico fee — Registering a car from another EU country in Spain
• Vehicle registration document — Foreign-plated cars for part-year residents in Spain

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Importing your car to Spain: questions that cross several articles

Do I pay VAT when I bring a used car from another EU country?

No, you do not pay Spanish VAT on a used car from another EU country, because VAT was already paid there. The exception is a car under 6 months old or with fewer than 6,000 km. Registration tax still applies, reduced for age: read Registering a car from another EU country in Spain, then How Spanish registration tax (matriculation tax) is calculated.

Does becoming resident start the clock for my foreign plates?

Yes, once you become resident you must register the car in Spain within 30 days. Residence is judged on the facts, such as staying more than 183 days in a year or having your main interests in Spain, not only on paperwork. Read How long you can keep foreign plates in Spain.

What fees will I pay to register an imported car?

You pay the DGT traffic fee for first registration and plates, a separate fee to the ITV station for the import inspection, and the registration tax on modelo 576. The ITV fee is set by each region, and the registration tax depends on CO2 emissions.

What do I pay if I bring a non-EU car without relief?

Without relief, a non-EU car pays 10 percent customs duty and then 21 percent VAT on the customs value plus duty, with registration tax on top. Relief may remove the customs charges if you are moving your residence to Spain. Read Bringing a non-EU car (UK, US or other) into Spain, then Import your car or sell it and buy in Spain? to compare costs.