Many of our clients believe that by owning a car with a foreign license plate, they are not required to pay for insurance or pass a technical inspection of the vehicle.
What obligations do I have to have a car with a foreign registration in Spain?
If your intention is to stay in Spain, you have to process as soon as possible, the legalization of the vehicle according to Spanish regulations. You have a period of 6 months from when you start living in the country.
How do I change license plates?
It is a complicated procedure that requires you to provide documentation from your country of origin, and the vehicle. It has several phases, including technical inspection of the vehicle, checking the level of emissions and the introduction of possible unauthorized improvements, which must be withdrawn.
Am I obliged to change the license plates of my foreign vehicle?
Yes, otherwise the law provides administrative sanctions, and even the withdrawal of the vehicle.
What do I do if my car has been confiscated for parking badly and now it is not returned to me for not having insurance?
We recommend that you take out an insurance policy as soon as possible, since each day that your car spends in the deposit implies a high rate that you have to pay.
The Court of Justice holds that the taking out of insurance for a motor vehicle is compulsory when the vehicle is registered in a Member State, provided that the vehicle has not been withdrawn from circulation in accordance with the applicable national legislation.
The sentence was adopted by a Polish citizen, Powiat Ostrowski, in 2018, he sued Poland for the seizure, and subsequent shipment to the scrapping of an uninsured vehicle.
The CJEU, in its resolution, indicates that the subscription of a civil liability insurance related to the circulation of a motor vehicle is, in principle, mandatory for a vehicle registered in a Member State, which is located on private land and is destined for scrapping as a result of the decision of its owner, even if said vehicle is not, at any given time, suitable for driving due to its technical condition.
In this regard, the Court recalls that the concept of 'vehicle' is independent of the use made or the intention of the owner or any other person to actually use it. As a result, it is mandatory to have a vehicle insured from any country of the European Union regardless of its status.
The only exception appreciated by the Court of Justice is that the car has been officially withdrawn from circulation, in accordance with the applicable national regulations.
If you intend to change the license plates of your car, be it from the European Union or non-EU, at Audacia Lawyers we can help you. Call us and make an appointment.
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