Living and Driving in Spain

BUILDING LICENCES

For any alterations carried out on your property you need the correct licence.

We work together with Spanish Architects, and liaise with the relevant offices and administration departments.

When we visit your property we discuss with you the necessary licences you require.

For any small works i.e. raising of walls, new rejas, terracing, gates etc., a minor licence is needed.

For any large projects i.e. glazing in of conservatory or living extensions, swimming pools etc, our architect will advise.

All costs of licences are fractionally small compared to a fine that can be imposed by the authorities if you do not have a licence

PERSONAL PAPERWORK SERVICES

• NIE Certificates
• Residencia Certificates
• Empadronamientos
• Habitation Licences
• Business Licences
• Escrituras

We accompany you if needed to the relevant offices and complete all the necessary paperwork.

CHANGE OF DRIVING LICENCE

As the laws on driving licences for EU citizens in Spain are unclear we advise if you are a resident in Spain to change your licence over to avoid any problems.

This will involve obtaining a medical certificate.

We offer a full service to change your licence over for you.

PURCHASING A VEHICLE FROM A GARAGE

When purchasing a car from a garage they usually handle all the paperwork on your behalf to complete the ownership transfer.

You will be expected to pay all fees and for the service.

UK REGISTERED VEHICLES IN SPAIN

Maybe you are thinking of buying a car in Spain, or considering hiring a car for taking the whole family to the beach. When you have calculated the extra money onto your holiday costs surely it would be more economical to import your reliable, trusty UK car here in Spain (this expense is a one–off payment).

If you are driving in Spain with a UK registered car you are by law required to change your car number plates after 6 months.

There are 2 different procedures of changing your car registration.

1. If you are a recent resident you can avoid the payment of import (matriculation) tax.

2. The other is for a non-resident to pay the import (matriculation) tax.(This import tax is calculated on the make, model, value of the car according to the book price in Spain, the engine size, and the CO2 emissions.)

The police have taken a back seat on the amount of foreign registered cars in Spain, but the current economic situation means that they are now clamping down on illegal car registrations which can be proved to have been here for longer than 6 months.

To avoid a steep fine don't risk breaking the law.

We will undertake the entire process of changing your car reg. from start to finish.

We will only need for your car for a morning for the ITV (vehicle road worthiness test) you may accompany us if you wish if not, we will leave you with a car if you need to go anywhere.

We then pay the relevant taxes, accompany you to the Consulate (residents only) visit Tax office and Trafico office where, we register your paperwork. Finally we issue to you your new car number plates. The whole process normally is completed within 5 - 7 working days.

The only thing left for our clients to do is change their car insurance with their new number plate details. P & P Services do not specialise in car insurance, but can direct you to car insurance brokers in your area.

TRANSFER OF CAR OWNERSHIP

Only cars or vehicles on Spanish number plates can be transferred to new owners.

Before you go ahead with the sale make sure you are in receipt of the following documents.

• Two green parts of log book
  1) Permiso De Circulacion
  2) Tarjeta De Inspeccion Tecnica De Vehiculos
• An up-to-date ITV (stamped on the rear of 2)
• An up-to-date Road Tax (Impuesto Vehiculos Traccion Mecanica)
• Copies of sellers NIE or Residencia and Passport (these must tally with 1)

Remember the buyer has a 4% tax to pay on the value of the car according to the Spanish book price.

We will visit and make payments to the relevant offices.

The process of car ownership transfer can be completed in 1 working day.