The requirements for registering a car vary considerably depending on the situation in which each of the vehicles is located. In the case of a first registration, the process to carry out is much simpler than if it is a car that comes from another country.
In addition, depending on each particular case, the taxes that will have to be paid and the documents to provide will be different. We are going to explain in this article what you should do in each of these cases. In this way you will not have any type of doubt when carrying out this procedure required by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT).
Instructions to register a car in Spain
How to register a new car in Spain?
Registration has a cost that depends on different factors such as the country of origin of the car and the Autonomous Community in which you live. Depending on this, you may have to make a disbursement or another.
The registration of a new car that has been purchased in Spain is simple, since it can be processed easily through a dealer at the time of purchase, which is the most common. However, if you want to save on management costs, you can do it yourself. The steps are the following:
- Request the technical file of the vehicle. In it you will be able to know the data related to your vehicle, such as the fiscal power, its emissions, etc., so that you will be able to know what tax you will have to pay.
- Registration tax. Later you will have to pay the tax of registration to the Treasury. You can do it electronically by filling out form 576. By doing so, you will receive a Complete Reference Number (NRC) that will serve as proof of payment.
- Road tax. In order for the vehicle to circulate, you will have to pay the corresponding tax at the town hall where you are going to register the car. This has to coincide with your place of registration. You will have to face this annually.
- The fourth step, once the aforementioned taxes have been paid, you will have to go to the General Directorate of Traffic, where you will have to provide different documentation in order to obtain your registration number and the definitive vehicle documentation. The documentation to provide is as follows:
- Request from the DGT.
- Vehicle documentation.
- Proof of payment of registration and circulation taxes.
- Identification of the owner of the vehicle (DNI, passport, residence permit…)
- Pay the payment of the Traffic rate.
- Die cut license plates. After obtaining the registration number, you must record the plates and install them on the new car before driving.
How to register a historic car in Spain?
In the event that you want to register a car as historic, you will have to do other procedures, which may be more or less expensive depending on whether it is a vehicle purchased in Spain or imported.
In any case, the procedure to follow is as follows:
- Historical vehicle cataloging. To register a car as historic you need to first go to an official laboratory where it can be classified as such. This will check the authenticity of the vehicle as well as its condition. Doing so provides a technical sheet and a report. The vehicle manufacturer or a classic car club will need to certify the age of the car.
- Application at the Ministry of Industry. You must submit the appropriate application to be eligible for historic car classification.
- ITV: After carrying out the previous steps you will have to go to the Technical Vehicle Inspection (ITV) station so that you can be issued a new card. In it, the vehicle must appear as historical.
- DGT: Once all the previous procedure has been completed, you will have to go to the General Directorate of Traffic to request a new historic vehicle registration. For this you will have to provide the following documentation:
- Request from the DGT.
- Vehicle documentation (registration permit and ITV card)
- Identification of the owner of the vehicle.
- 4 color photographs
- Resolution certifying that it is a historic vehicle.
- Proof of payment or tax exemption (as the case may be).
- Payment of traffic fees.
- Die-cut the license plates and install them on the vehicle.
In the event that it is a vehicle that comes from abroad, it must be carried out in the same way as would be done with any foreign car to be registered in Spain. In addition, it would be necessary to present a series of documents such as the Single Administrative Document (DUA) issued by customs in the case of countries outside the European Union.
How to register a foreign car in Spain?
In the event that you are going to register a foreign car in Spain, the necessary procedures and documents depend on where it was purchased. In any case, the registration of the car must be done within 6 months.
If you request a change of registration for a registration due to a change of residence between different countries, you must take into account that you do not have to pay the registration tax and that the homologation of the car is not necessary.
However, to benefit from it you must have lived outside of Spain for more than twelve months before making the change. In addition, you must be the owner of the vehicle for at least six months. You will also have to prove the move through the consular discharge certificate and that you keep the vehicle for one year.
In the event that it is an imported car, follow these steps:
- First of all, you must request the original documentation of the vehicle, which must be complete.
- Then you will have to pay the registration tax and pay the property transfer tax or VAT. The latter is applied only to cars imported within the European Union.
- If you import your car from outside the European Union, you will have to pay the corresponding taxes and apply for the Single Administrative Document (DUA).
At this point, the process will be similar to what anyone who has changed residence between countries has to do:
- In the first place you will have to go to the ITV station, and then pay the circulation tax in the town hall in which you are registered.
- Later you will have to go to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), providing the following documentation:
- Request from the DGT.
- Documentation of the original vehicle.
- Identification of the owner of the vehicle.
- Proof of payment of circulation tax and exemption from registration.
- Pay the traffic fee.
- In addition, if it is an imported car, you will also have to provide proof of payment of registration tax; the invoice of the car with CIF if it was purchased at a dealership or contract of sale in the case of an individual (with its corresponding sworn translation into Spanish); and proof of the rest of the corresponding taxes (DUA, VAT, ITP).
- Finally, you will only have to punch out the license plates and place them on the vehicle.
