Consumer Corner
DO I HAVE TO CHANGE MY VEHICLE’S LICENCE PLATE TO A SPANISH ONE?
Last week, Peter mentioned that many of The Islander’s readers are wondering whether and when it’s obligatory to change the licence plate of an imported vehicle to a Spanish one.
To answer your queries, the team at the Department for European Citizens arranged a meeting with their colleagues in “Tráfico”.
Here’s what they were told…
When you DON’T have to change an EU car licence plate to a Spanish one …
Not everyone has to change the licence plate of their vehicle. If you are not a resident in the Balearic islands (meaning if you spend less than 183 days a year in the Balearic Islands), and you don’t own a business here, then its fine to drive a car which carries a licence plate from a European country other than Spain.
However, this does not mean you have no obligations. You have to make sure your car is insured and that it has passed the equivalent of the MOT (the MOT test is called the “ITV” test over here).
If this is your situation, don’t forget that only non residents can drive a vehicle with a European licence plate. If you lend it to a resident, you could incur a serious fine.
When you DO have to change an EU car licence plate to a Spanish one …
If you spend a minimum of 183 days a year, or if you own a business here, then you are considered to be a resident, which means you must change your vehicle licence plate to a Spanish one.
The procedure:
Step 1 : Get hold of the form 576 (formulario 576). You can either pick up a copy at the “Departamento General de Tráfico”, or download it from their website.
Step 2 : Fill in the document and take it to Customs (Aduana Portuaria) where they will tell you how much you have to pay in tax. The amount is usually between 7 % and 12 %, depending on the characteristics of your vehicle.
Step 3 : Take the receipt to “Departamento General de Tráfico”, in order to initiate the process, which in Spanish is called the “trámites”.
How much time do you have:
You have a period of 30 days grace, after which you must be able to prove that the “trámites” have been initiated.
For more information contact:
Conselleria de Inmigración y Cooperación
Departamento de Ciudadanos Europeos
Calle Alfred Bonet 6 piso 1
Palma de Mallorca 07003
Telephone: 971 177438/40