Buying/importing a car to Mallorca
Thought the following information may be of some interest to those considering buying a car.....
If you are thinking of buying a Spanish registered vehicle remember that there is a 4% transmission tax to pay if the vehicle is less than ten years old. To be completely safe it is always best to go directly to Trafico with the seller and change the documentation into your name while they are standing next to you. It only costs 40 euros and takes about 30 seconds. If there are any outstanding speeding fines, parking tickets or road tax then they will all have to be paid before the ownership will be transferred to your name and, as it it illegal to own a car which is registered to someone else, it really needs to be sorted out at Trafico with the buyer. If not you will be liable for all outstanding fines etc. This is the way that all Spanish second hand car sales are carried out. In order to buy a Spanish registered car in the UK you will need the Ficha Tecnica, the Permiso de Circulacion and confirmation that the vehicle has been registered at Trafico as 'for sale' by the old owner. You will also need a photocopy of their passport certified by a Spanish notario. The safest way to buy a Spanish registered car is to pay a deposit and then pay the outstanding balance when the Permiso de Circulacion has been transferred to your name. With regard to UK registered vehicles in Spain or France, it should be remembered that a UK registered vehicle can only remain on UK plates for six months. Then it has to be re-registered with the national plates of the country it is in. This is simply so that the road tax can be paid. It is nothing to do with insurance. If the owner does not intend to re-register it, then it must return to the UK for a full, continuous six month period. However, it must remain fully road legal in the country of registration. This means that it must display a current UK tax disc and have a valid UK MOT. A Spanish ITV on a UK registered vehicle is not valid. The simple rule is that if it's illegal in the UK then it's also illegal in Spain or France. If it's on a SORN in the UK then it can't be driven on public roads in the UK, France or Spain. If it's got no UK road tax then it can't be used on any EU road after the 182 period of grace has expired. If it's got no UK MOT then it can't be used on any EU road. Remember, it's not about insurance. It's about road tax and a certificate of road worthiness. We all know that if you don't pay UK road tax you can't use UK roads. Well, guess what? If you don't pay Spanish road tax you can't use Spanish roads and If you don't pay French road tax you can't use French roads. In order to pay road tax in France or Spain you have to re-register your car. The EU bi-lateral agreement on road tax only lasts for six months. It's that simple. |
We're in the process of re-registering our UK (left hand drive) car onto Spanish plates. Its booked in for an ITV, where they also do a chassis check etc, then the gestor will organise the re-registration. There is a tax to pay for 'importation', which is based on the current value of the car, but I gather if you have a residencia you don't need to pay it. Its a hefty tax, but we were expecting it, and it still works out cheaper than if we had bought the car here.
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Importing uk car to Spain
Sandy,
What sort of import duty would I look to pay on a car bought over from uk ? Is it a flat rate or based on the uk or Spanish value. Any info would be useful. The Senor |
The tax is based on the current Spanish value of your car, which is obviously higher than the current English value (otherwise you wouldn't need to import). All together our re-registration cost aroun 1000 euros, but it still worked out cheaper than buying the same car over here.
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Rangers this is for you I used Euromaxcars* - Used cars for sale in Mallorca - Car Hire / Rental in Mallorca, SPAIN.. give them a try
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Moosey
Thanks for that i have sent an e-mail will let you know Cheers Gordon |
Well eventually I think I have found a car I like in Mallorca which (should) make it much easier than taking out from the UK. I decided to buy as the hire car charges were fluctuating and having done my maths I decided the 'worry' of owning a car was outweighed by the convenience of not having the hiring hassle. So I am now looking for help once again...
1) Does anyone know a mechanic in the Port/Pollensa who can check the car over for me to make sure I'm not buying a wreck? 2) Had already checked on the insurance and this all looks ok with a number of firms providing fully comp for 300 euro p.a. 3) What other annual costs are likely - MOT (IVA) is every 2 years I believe but anyone advise re annual road tax. 4) I have an NIE number so just wondered what the likely ownership transfer cost will be. 5) I have a quote of 600 euro per annum to leave the car at the airport on an annual parking basis - I think this is quite reasonable ~ what do others think - any alternatives? Will let you know how I get on - out in 2 weeks to (hopefully) complete the transaction. |
Local knowledge?
OK, we too are thinking of buying , prob in the UK and driving out. OK, got the annual parking price at the airport, (thanx SP) but... what if the car doesnt start, or has 2 flat tyres ? Has anyone info or investigated a local (Palma'ish) garage doing storage? that could have the car up'n'ready to go? (surely must be cheaper than airport prices for JUST parking ) with just a short transfer by taxi ? Does anyone have a work around for owning a car over there and the logistics of it being where u want it, when u want it and ready for the road ?
ALL suggestions and info greatly appreciated as hubby has seen the appropriate UK car and is just jumping up and down to buy it and drive it down ! HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Miriam:eek: |
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On the question of buying a car I too found some UK (LHD) cars I liked both Spanish and UK registered but particularly in the case of UK registered I just thought it too much hassle compared with buying a car on the Island. The cost of getting the car to Mallorca (2 ferries etc etc) plus the re-registration costs outweighed, in my opinion, the benefit of buying in UK. |
Where to buy?
Following the previous threads I thought it worthwhile just posting my experiences of where to look/what to buy etc. for those considering - please feel free to correct me as I am no expert in this matter.
Firstly I ruled out a right hand drive car ~ I just wanted driving on the Island to be as hassle free as possible. It soon occured to me that the better value left hand cars in the UK were those vehicles that were, at one stage, only available in LHD form. For example early Smart (2 seater) cars and VW Beetles. People bought these cars initially for the 'prestige' but as soon as RHD models were produced the cost of the LHD version plummeted. In addition some cars are only ever available LHD but find there way to the UK - Fiat Barchetta is just one - a great 2 seater convertable. The two main sources of available cars I found were Autotrader and Ebay - both on-line. Generally I found dealer advertised cars were a 'full' price and often more expensive than the equivalent RHD car. The dealers know there is a demand out there and if say you are buying for your gite in France the economics of buying a French registered LHD in the UK mean you can buy, get there (incl ferry) and still have a better deal than if you had bought in France. Some private sellers are more realistic regarding price - they often have a LHD they just want to get rid of. As you would expect there are quite a few Polish, Bulgarian etc cars around. For Mallorca however you have 2 ferries and Barcelona>Palma is expensive plus probably two overnight stays and 1,000 miles of travel/petrol. A great journey (I have done it a few times) but a significant on cost to your car. So you have got your car to the island and presuming you haven't bought a Spanish registration (you need both parts of the paperwork for ownership transfer if Spanish) you then have to re-register. You may have bought a LHD in the UK but if it has been used over here the headlamps and speedo (and possibly other bits) will have been changed so you will need to have changed back - depending on the car (even if you can find relevant parts) can be expensive. I didn't get as far as the re-registration process - I gave up at this point and decided to buy in Mallorca!!! Please don't let me put you off - respect to those who do it but I think if you just need a runaround buy locally. |
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Thank you Alcanadakid for such an informative post. It certainly gives people an idea of what the costs may be to keep a car out in PP. :)
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