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Shipping cars to SpainDetailed information on shipping cars to Spain is right here. In addition to giving you complete guidelines on shipping a car to Spain, we also help you by getting you FREE customized estimates from up to 7 international car shipping companies. Read ahead to know more.Importing a car with regard to residential status If you wish to import a vehicle, you have to be a permanent resident or own property in Spain or acquire a rental agreement for a year and hold a Spanish driving license. After 6 months you are considered a resident which requires you to pay import tax and re-register your vehicle. Import tax differs according to engine cc. However once you become a resident, you can register without paying the 12% registration tax. Non-residents can keep the vehicle only for six months in a year, with permission renewable yearly. Non-residents from the European Union have to pay 12 % Impuesto Especial if they become residents. They have to get the full national plates. Non-residents from outside the European Union who become residents do not have to pay this Impuesto Especial. A Spanish resident who brings a car with registration from a foreign number plate has to change the status within 30 days. Regulations regarding license Cars may be imported into Spain. There are several regulations in Spain just like other countries. You are allowed to drive using a valid United Kingdom or other European Union license for six months. Then you may choose the option of leaving or applying for another license, be it European Union or a Spanish one. Licenses issued before 1990 are invalid. The minimum age for driving cars is 18. UK licenses may be exchanged for Spanish ones and these can be used in UK too. However in case of loss, both would not be able to issue a new license to replace the lost one. Driving licenses are valid for 10 years if the age of the holder is below 45 and 5 years if above and 2 years thereafter. Each time a medical certificate from an authorized centre is necessary. First steps following import As soon as you have completed the import procedure, make sure you do not drive your car until the local Provincial Traffic Department has issued you the temporary or green registration plates for ten days. Within this time you must reach the office for the vehicle inspection test and get it done. If you pass it, you will be given a permanent registration number. Complete set of documents for the vehicle following import
Should you bring in a right hand car into Spain, it has to be certified road worthy by the Government. Some changes may have to be made to the vehicle to get the certificate. Homologation is the procedure by which changes are made to the car to conform to the safety standards of Spain. An imported vehicle needs to be certified by the manufacturer or undergo a test at an authorized laboratory to get certified as conforming to Spanish standards of safety. Precautions to be taken to escape from penalty while driving Driving license, car purchase documents, car insurance documents with latest bank receipt should be with you when driving in Spain. Otherwise, a fine of ˆ300 may be imposed. Spot payment is to be done or your vehicle may be towed away. Retrieving it later would result in more penalty. Halt signs are of extra importance. Laxity is not allowed. Even if there is no obstruction, you cannot just move forward when the signal stops you. These mistakes can get you heavy penalties. Essential items to be kept in your car other than the documents You have to get an authorized luminous yellow jacket to be kept in the car. In case of breakdown, you are to wear it. Not having it will ensure a fine. Some other items that are to be necessarily carried in your vehicle are a set of bulbs and tools necessary to fit them, two triangles approved by the Ministry of Interior Affairs (one bearing a round symbol E9 and the other a code 27RO3), a spare tire, tools to change a tire and a spare pair of spectacles if you use them. A heavy fine should be expected if you do not have any one of these items. Shipping the car to Spain Several international car shipping companies are giving you a fairly good service. Study the various company sites for the rates, the kind of service and the extent of their responsibility. The company representative may then be communicated with for further details. The place of collection and delivery point must be determined. If the service provided is door-to-door, your car will be collected at a point very close to your residence and delivered similarly. If this privilege is opted for, you have to ensure that the roads to both these points are broad without trees with overhanging branches and the bridges are wide enough to permit the trailers or haul vans to navigate their way easily. You will also have to select whether you want a closed container service or open trailer service. The closed container protects your vehicle from the onslaught of nature. This service will obviously be a little more expensive just like the door-to-door delivery. Your car will be in one container or trailer all through. It will never be driven at any stage of the shipping. Rest assured that very little chance is allowed for any damage to occur at any point during the shipping. Further protection is afforded by shipping insurance which the company will insist upon. At many points there will be situations where the company is unable to overlook your car. Damages that could possibly occur like theft, loss, fire, denting or glassbreak or any damage beyond $500 will be covered by the insurance. Readying your vehicle for shipping to Spain The car must be clean. All the loosely attached items in the car have to be removed. The infant seat and the spare tire which are both secured well may be left. Car phones should be removed. Personal items which we have a habit of accumulating in the car are not safe in the car during transport. Cassette decks, speakers and CDs are better shifted out. On no account should you leave personal documents. These had better be kept in a bag safely with you. Firearms and fire extinguishers should not be kept in the car. Alarm systems must be disabled. If any are remaining in working condition, this information must be shared with the shipping company. The car should be in a good operating condition. The tires must be good and inflated well. There should not be leakage of any kind. Any problem must be dealt with before handing over. Steering and transmission have to be functioning. The height of the car must be seven feet. If more, this fact must be conveyed to the company which will then make the necessary arrangement. Six inches of clearance from the ground is a must. The tank should contain fuel just sufficient, about half-full, to drive to a fuel station. Your car is not driven at all during the transport of your car. So fuel consumption is nil where the shipping is concerned. Duplicates of the car keys to all locked parts should be handed over to the company while you keep the originals. Copies of the vehicle registration, insurance papers and notarized declarations from the financier (creditor) confirming their knowledge of the shipping of the car are to be handed over with the vehicle . This is to expedite matters at customs. Extra Precaution Most important of all, collect the company's phone numbers, e-mails and the site where your car's movement may be tracked. Since the shipment will take 2 or 3 weeks, you will have time to travel to Spain and wait for the delivery of your car. To help you get started with shipping a car to Spain, we have provided an online estimate form at our site. Please fill in your details and we will get back to you very soon with no-obligations customized quotes from the top car shipping companies. Links: http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/driving_licenses_in_spain/ http://www.spain-info.com/Living_in_Spain/Driving.htm http://www.la-moncloa.es/ http://www.sispain.org/ |
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