MOT for a British car in Spain?

Question

My parents live in Spain and own a British car, it is due to have it's MOT and they are unsure as to what to do.

Can they get the MOT in Spain or do they need to bring the car back to UK to be done?

Can anyone help me with this or has anyone had experience of doing this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Answer 1

cars do not need mots in Spain so i would return it to Britain to have it done as it still may affect your insurance

Answer 2

If they are now resident in Spain, they should have registered the car there within a few weeks of arrival, and be running the car according to Spanish regulations. They should stop using the car immediately, and not use it again until it is properly registered and insured in Spain.

If they are only there temporarily, but knew the test was due while they were abroad, they should have had the test carried out before they left - that would have given them a year which is a long enough holiday for anyone.

If the car is not now legal in the UK, it is no longer legal abroad - the rules are that you can use a car temporarily abroad provided it is legal in the country in which it is registered. They could be fined by the Spanish authorities for not having the correct paperwork for the car. Also, their insurance is probably now invalid except to drive the car within the UK to a pre-booked MOT test.

Their best bet is to have the car transported to a ferry port in Spain, book an MOT close to the UK ferry port, and then they can legally drive the car from the UK port to the pre-booked MOT test.

Answer 3

The situation for British registered cars in Spain is complex, because many, many people choose to ignore the rules, and drive around blissfully unaware that they could have their car impounded, and are probably uninsured.
The rules here (I live in Spain) are that a non-Spanish registered car may be used for up to six months (as a visitor), then must be either taken back out of Spain, sealed by the Guardia Civil Trafico to ensure that it is not used, or changed over to Spanish plates. If the latter course is chosen, there is import duty to pay, and the car must pass the Spanish ITV (MoT equivalent), which will mean replacing the headlamps (the adaptors for visitors not being acceptable) and the technical specification of the car supplied in Spanish and English, to ensure that it is fullt compliant with Spanish Construction and use regulations - i.e. no bull-bars, extra spotlights and so on) This can all be carried out fairly easily if one speaks Spanish, but it is often easier to use a "gestor" - a sort of accountant/adviser/near-lawyer - who will do the whole process.
If a resident of Spain (anyone who has been in the country more than 183 days) in a UK-reg car is stopped at a routine road block , of which there are more and more in these days of drink-drive campaigns and terrorist alerts, the Guardia Civil will give the driver 30 days to get it changed over properly, and doing things quickly here is often difficult and/or expensive.
It is far easier if people coming to live in Spain get rid of their UK car before they come, and buy a Spanish one here - left-hand drive is much, much safer here (and it is far easier to pay at cash booths such as tolls and filling stations!), road tax is much cheaper, the ITV is only needed every 2 years once the car is over 4 years, up to ten years old when annual tests apply, plus you look less like a tourist.
There are many insurance companies out here happy to take money without explaining the six-month rule, but in the event of a claim will soon point it out and not pay. Insurance companies are very good at avoiding payouts by invoking the small print.
If the car does not have valid MoT and UK road tax, the insurance is not valid anyway. Failure to notify the DVLA that a car has been exported brings a fine of £1000, as does making a false statement that the car is off the road (because it is not in the country), so hopefully the fiddlers will get done.
As far as driving licences are concerned, a UK licence is valid, but as the address will not be true, makes the holder liable to a fine for not informing the DVLA of this - a non-UK address cannot be put on an UK licence. The licence can be registered with Trafico, and as long as the annual medical is taken as per Spanish drivers, it will be valid, but it is ultimately easier to get a Spanish licence.
They don't say any of this on the "Living in the Sun" programmes, do they!
A PS: although second-hand cars look expensive in Spain, the extra cost is nothing compared to the loss you make when selling a RHD Brit-plate car here - you will only get peanuts for it, and it would cost around £1000 to bring it to the UK and sell it - again, not at a good price because you will have to get rid quickly.

Answer 4

Hi, We are a company who reregister British registered cars onto Spanish plates. If Spain is your parents main place of residence and they stay here for more than 183 days per year by law they have to reregister it.If the car has no MOT or spanish equivalent ITV, your parents will not be covered by their insurance. If you require any more information phone me on 600 630 026.
Debbie Milligan LEGAL SOLUTIONS