Bringing car from the UK

www.carregistrationspain.com is commonly recommended on this forum.

Basically, you need to 'matriculate' your car onto Spanish registration plates; pass a Spanish MOT (called ITV); have your headlights realigned, etc.

If you are not a resident and only using the car on visits then you will be liable for Import Duty (and possibly IVA - VAT in Spain).

Depending on the value, age, etc. of the car, this could be quite expensive (around €1,000, plus Import Duty & VAT) and you will still be driving a RHD car, which makes overtaking more risky and using toll booths, using ticket machines in car parks, etc. inconvenient.

Alternatively, you could save the money that would be spent for the above process to put towards buying a Spanish car to keep here as a runaround.

Hope this helps!

Hi Niki

From what you say it seems you are a non resident wanting to bring your Uk car and leave it in Spain for future visits, in which case, you won't be subject to Import tax as previously told, but you will need to be legal at all times, ie, returning the car for its mot every year and keeping up the tax. The insurance would be better done by a Spanish company, ie Liberty Seguros do insure UK vehicles, I suggest you talk to Alfonso(advertises on this forum as Gran Alacant Insurance agent) and he will help you to get it right. As Kevin stated you can re register it to Spanish plates but usually around £1000. As a "tourist" you don't have any tax implications bringing it to Spain. I assume you would be flying in and out if car is in Spain and you could look to parking it at one of the long term airport companies when not in Spain and they bring it to you each visit. We bought a cheap Spanish car for our visits as 3 month car hire was astronomic, we store in our own garage. Hope this helps 

Regards 

Pauline 

I would suggest that, if you want to bring your car over, you consult a specialist, as clearly there are different views on some aspects of the process.

If you see: https://upsticks.es/importing-your-uk-registered-car-into-spain-post-brexit/ then this states:

"If you are non-resident and/or don’t qualify under change of residence rules, then you will have to pay 10% duty and 21% IVA (VAT) on what Agencia Tributaria (Spanish tax office) calculates the vehicle is worth."

Rich, 

Have you had too much sun?? Do you think every "tourist" or 2nd home owner visiting Spain is subject to import duty on travelling in their vehicle? The amount of motorhome travellers would be nil if you were correct. Of course not, you are talking nonsense. I,ve travelled 3 times since Brexit by car (sold our van so we don't have the worry of possible paying import duty on our belongings) and not once was the car mentioned at customs. There are thousands every day crossing EU borders and never paying tax on their vehicle. Majority are taking back their vehicle but some do leave it at their holiday home for future visits. Your quote is correct if you declare you are importing your vehicle but why would you? It will be going home sometime that year. There are many people leaving their UK car at their holiday home and returning it once a year for its mot and keeping the vehicle fully legal. 

Regards 

Pauline 

A non-spanish car may only be in Spain for 6 months total in a year, so must be rematriculated and duty paid etc.

I get lots of sun, thanks, Pauline!

I'm confident that I'm not talking nonsense! Obviously what I have said doesn't apply to people travelling to & from the UK in their cars or motorhomes - but I'm very sure that wasn't what the OP was asking. The OP states "I’m considering driving my right hand car down to spain to use permanently during my visits to my house." which strongly implies that they are leaving the car in Spain to be used when here - not driving to & from the UK in it. My answer, therefore, addressed the option of matriculating the car to spanish registration, pay car tax and get ITV in Spain. In this case, they should / would need to declare the car as imported and be assessed for import duty.

I accept that a non-resident could bring their car here and then drive it back to the UK every year for it's MOT. However, that would be a round trip of 2,600 miles (if the OP lives in the South-East of the UK), costing approx. £600 in fuel (based on 40mpg), plus ferry or tunnel costs, plus at least two hotel stays, perhaps tolls - so not much change from £1,000 and 6 days of your life spent driving. And, in your plan, you need to do this every year - whereas the matriculation would be a one-off cost of approx. €1,000. You would then also benefit from the fact that, in general, car tax is much cheaper in Spain. For example, I pay approx. €24 per year for a 1 year old Ford Puma (123 bhp), which would cost me £190 for the first year and the £165 every following year in the UK, at current rates.

Ultimately, the smartest move is what I proposed and you appear to have done, which is to buy a spanish car and leave it in Spain!

One of the biggest costs to putting your UK vehicle onto Spanish plates is the cost of replacing the headlights.

Some vehicles need them changing some don't.

Thanks this is really useful and food for thought. Had never considered the issues with tolls etc 

What you could do ( and my friend did it) is buy a spanish reg. Car in the uk and drive it out. Apparently there are quite a lot.