Importing a vehicle from UK

I found the following on the Guardia Civil run N332 site and thought the information herein may be useful to those considering importing a UK reg vehicle.

N332 Section - CAR REGISTRATIONS SPAIN 🇪🇸 🇬🇧

- UK VEHICLES REGISTERED POST BREXIT (part 1/2)

For most people, Brexit has brought about extra costs and complications getting things done here in Spain. Here we lay out the implications of Brexit when importing your UK registered vehicle and in particular some of the problems you may encounter if your vehicle  was first registered in the UK post Brexit.

PRE BREXIT REGISTRATIONS

As we’ve previously covered, if you have a vehicle that was first registered in the  UK prior to Brexit then it should be possible to register on to Spanish plates, although customs duty may be payable in some instances. 

FIRST REGISTERED AFTER BREXIT

However, if you have a vehicle that was first registered in the UK on or after 1 Jan 2021 then things become more complicated unless you’re importing via a change of residency. In many instances vehicles that were first registered in the UK post Brexit cannot be imported, for one or more of the reasons we set out below.

EU TYPE APPROVAL

One of the major changes that has affected vehicles that were first registered in the UK post Brexit is that the EU type approval number is no longer recognised. The EU type approval is essentially the blueprint for the vehicle and without this accreditation most vehicles cannot be imported or may have to undergo an expensive lab test prior to the normal ITV test.

In part 2 we’ll outline the additional taxes that are now due when trying to register a vehicle registered after 1st Jan 2021 along with vehicles imported into the UK post Brexit.

I will ensure this post is updated when part 2 comes out next week

EDIT 23/11/22 N332 Section - CAR REGISTRATIONS SPAIN 🇪🇸 🇬🇧

- UK VEHICLES REGISTERED POST BREXIT (part 2/2)

Following on from last week’s post regarding vehicles registered in the UK post Brexit, here are a few more of the complications that you may come across. Please note that this is only for vehicles registered in the UK after 31 Dec 2020.

ACTOS REGLAMENTARIOS 📃

Another new requirement for vehicles registered in the UK post Brexit is to provide a copy of the Regulatory Acts which describe the European Directives relating to vehicle parts. Most manufacturers cannot provide this document and will tell you that it is unavailable.

IMPORTED VEHICLES 🚘

As with new vehicles first registered in the UK post Brexit, vehicles imported into the UK after Brexit also lose their EU status and once again, the EU Type Approval number is no longer recognised, unless the previous registration document can be produced. Unfortunately this has usually been surrendered to the UK authorities when the vehicle was imported onto UK plates. 

CHANGE OF OWNER TAX 💶

If you've purchased a vehicle in the UK post Brexit but have been unable to get a new V5C registration document in your name, you'll now have to pay between 4% and 8% change of owner tax, even if you have a dealer invoice.

BUYING A FOREIGN REGISTERED VEHICLE IN UK 🇬🇧

Likewise, if you buy a foreign registered vehicle in the UK from a dealership, you will also have to pay additional change of owner tax as the vehicle won’t be registered in your name, even if you have a VAT registered invoice.

SUMMARY ✅

Due to the complications and additional costs involved in importing a UK vehicle first registered after Brexit many customers are opting to purchase a car registered in 2020 to avoid these pitfalls. If you already have a vehicle registered after 1st Jan 2021 then as we have mentioned one of the only options is to import as a change of residency. 

As always, for specific and accurate advice regarding the import of your vehicle please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team on any of the numbers below:

📧   [email protected]

🇪🇸  +34 868 990 576

🇬🇧  +44 (0)2380 200 706

https://www.facebook.com/carregistrationsspain/

https://quote.car-registrations-spain.com/