Purchase and sale of vehicles: step by step

Importing a vehicle from the European Union (EU) to Spain

If you would like to purchase a new or used vehicle from abroad and bring it to Spain, you should keep the following in mind:

• You must keep the vehicle’s original documents.
• You must have a document that proves ownership of the vehicle. For used vehicles, the document confirming the sale of the vehicle:
• if it is a sale made between private individuals, the contract of sale accompanied by a translation.
• If you purchase the vehicle from a dealer, whether from Spain or abroad, an invoice in which the VAT number is recorded.
• It is essential that you contact the correct organisation in the country of origin of the vehicle to carry out the relevant procedures for the vehicle to be exported.

After purchasing the vehicle and transporting it to Spain, you must begin the process of importing the vehicle.

There are no special vehicle registration conditions for students from other EU countries, for owners of a second home from other EU countries or for cross-border travellers.

• Step 1. Obtain the Vehicle Technical Inspection (ITV) Card in Spanish format

  You must take your vehicle to an ITV station for a physical inspection. You must take the following documentation to the ITV station:

  • The vehicle registration certificate from the country of origin,
  • Certificate of Conformity (CoC),
  • Purchase agreement or invoice if you are not the owner of the vehicle recorded in the vehicle registration certificate.

  The ITV station will issue and give you the vehicle’s ITV Card in Spanish format.

  If the vehicle was not under the current year’s ITV, it must pass the corresponding technical inspection.

• Step 2. Payment of taxes

  The citizen must declare and pay the taxes related to the import and registration of the vehicle:

  • The corresponding receipt of payment for the transfer and import of the vehicle with the Spanish Tax Office .
  • Receipt of payment / exemption from / not subject to the Registration Tax payable to the National Tax Office (AEAT) , except in the case of trailers.
  • Receipt of payment or exemption from the Road Tax payable to the municipality where you live. This tax is linked to the power of the vehicle and is paid once a year. Consult your local government to find out how to pay it and the amount.

  It is important that you keep your receipt of payment of the taxes.

• Step 3. Application from the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) for registration and the vehicle registration certificate

  You can register your vehicle online in the DGT’s electronic register or in person by delivering all the documents to any vehicle registration authority (of the DGT) . In this latter case, you will have to request an appointment in advance . This procedure requires the payment of a fee, which will depend on the type of vehicle you want to register.

  To complete this procedure, you must provide the following documents:

  • Registration application filled out in the official form.
  • Identity document of the vehicle’s owner: an official document that proves your identity and address (DNI [National Identity Document], Spanish driver’s licence, residence card, passport plus foreign resident identification number [NIE]).
  • The vehicle’s ITV Card issued by an ITV station.
  • The vehicle’s original documentation from the country of origin.
  • Proof of having paid the applicable taxes.
  • Proof of the tax address of the vehicle.
  • If the vehicle was purchased, the invoice or contract of sale.
  • Payment number or receipt of having paid fee number 1.1 (EUR 99.77) for 2022, applicable to any type of vehicle except for mopeds, for which the fee number is 1.2 (EUR 27.85) for 2022. You can pay at our offices using a credit card but you cannot pay in cash.
  • For new vehicles purchased in the European Union:

  Receipt of payment of VAT at the Spanish Tax Office or proof of being included in the census of taxable persons for the purposes of VAT

  • For used vehicles purchased in the EU, the following will also be requested:

  The vehicle’s original documents.

  Proof of the corresponding payment to the tax department (Hacienda):

  If it is a sale made between private individuals, the contract of sale accompanied by a translation and payment of capital transfer tax.

  If you purchase the vehicle from a dealer of a country other than Spain, you must provide an invoice in which the VAT number is recorded.

  If you purchase the vehicle from a Spanish dealer, you must provide the invoice and a document issued by the tax department showing that the dealer is registered for that activity during the corresponding financial year.

  If everything is correct, the DGT registers the vehicle, assigns it a registration number and provides you with a vehicle registration certificate.

  Once the procedure has been completed, you must go to a specialised shop to buy the registration plates and install them on the vehicle.

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Exporting a Spanish vehicle to an EU country

When exporting a Spanish vehicle to another EU country, the first thing you must keep in mind is that you must be the owner of the vehicle.

You must request the definitive de-registration of the vehicle for export from the DGT so that it can be registered in your new country of residence.

It is important that you definitively de-register the vehicle for export before taking it to your new country of residence.

After de-registering it, and while the new registration in your new country is not processed, you have two options for taking the vehicle to its new destination:

• Temporarily registering it with green plates that will allow you to drive it, or
• Having the vehicle towed or taken there using an alternative means of transport.

• Step 1. Transfer of the vehicle

  If you are not the owner of the vehicle that you want to export and you wish to have the registration certificate in your name, you will have to transfer the vehicle.

  Consult the steps you have to follow in order to transfer a vehicle to your name .

• Step 2. Definitive de-registration for export

  You can de-register your vehicle for export online in the DGT’s electronic register or in person by delivering all the documents to any vehicle registration authority (of the DGT ). In this latter case, you will have to request an appointment in advance . This procedure requires the payment of a fee, which will depend on the type of vehicle you want to register.

  De-registration for export requires the payment of a fee. If more than 15 years have elapsed since the vehicle was first registered in Spain, then you will not have to pay any amount.

  To obtain more information about the amount to be paid, about the required documentation and about how to conduct the procedure, check the following link

  As soon as your vehicle is de-registered, you will not be able to drive it unless you obtain temporary green plates, as explained below.

• Step 3. Temporary registration with green plates

  After de-registering it, and while the new registration in your new country is not yet processed, you have two options for taking the vehicle to its new destination:

  • Temporarily registering it with green plates , which will allow you to drive it, or
  • Having the vehicle towed or taken there using an alternative means of transport.

  As a result of this procedure, you will obtain green temporary registration plates, with which you will be able to drive your vehicle for 60 days while you complete the export process.

  You can temporarily register your vehicle with green plates online in the DGT’s electronic register or in person by delivering all the documents to any vehicle registration authority (of the DGT). In this latter case, you will have to request an appointment in advance . This procedure requires the payment of a fee, which will depend on the type of vehicle you want to register.

  To complete this procedure, you must provide the following documents:

  • Registration application filled out in the official form .
  • Identity document of the vehicle’s owner: an official document that proves your identity and address (DNI [National Identity Document], Spanish driver’s licence, residence card, passport plus foreign resident identification number [NIE]). This is not necessary if you do this through the register.
  • Payment number or receipt of having paid fee number 1.4 (EUR 20.61). You can pay online or at our offices using a credit card but you cannot pay in cash.

  • Original vehicle documentation or, if this has been lost, a self-declaration.

  Once the procedure has been completed, you must go to a specialist shop to buy the green registration plates and install them on the vehicle. You will then be able to drive the vehicle while completing the registration process in the destination country, provided the roadworthiness test certificate is in force.

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