Cars and Driving – The One Stop Problem Shop

Cars on finance

If you have purchased a new or second hand car here in Spain on finance, then the car registration will have placed a block against it called a “reserva de domino“. This is to safeguard the finance company or the bank against the car being sold whilst the finance is unpaid. Upon finalising the finance the register has to be cleared. Some finance houses and banks do this process automatically however the vast majority leave it up to the purchaser to clear the block. This reserva de domino is registered in the “Registro de Bienes Muebles (register for movable goods)” …

What happens if my car documents are lost or stolen?

Firstly report the loss or theft by denuncia (formal statement) to your local Police or Guardia if easier. Then obtain a certificado de antecedentes from Trafico (this shows the history of ownership of the vehicle etc), take that with the vehicle to your nearest ITV testing station and request a duplicado de la ficha tecnica (log book) (also have the vehicle ITV’d if it is not already done or is about to run out) be warned the new ficha tecnica can take weeks to come back! – however if you have got the Police Denuncia and the vehicle has passed ITV then you are …

Embargos

Contrary to popular opinion a vehicle CAN be transferred to a new owner with an lien (embargo) against it, this depends on the type of debt and also the stage proceedings to recoup the debt have reached. This can cause problems for the new owner so it is essential to obtain a report (Informe de vehiculo) before handing over any money. If you have already purchased or the debt is your own, what can you do about the embargo? Firstly you need to distinguish between two types of debt – to private creditors and to a government agency. Depending on …

Vehicle and Driver Fines

If you are unlucky enough to be fined for a traffic offence (speeding etc) and you have been sanctioned by the Guardia Civil, you can pay the fine online with your credit or debit card and if you do it within 20 days of the fine being issued you save 50% The link is here and you must have the paperwork for the fine to hand with the reference number. If you can’t or don’t want to pay on the internet you can still; Pat at any Correos (Post Office) Pay at any Banco Santander Calling 060 and pay by card …

Car sales/Purchase checklist

Making sure the vehicle is either in your name officially (or removed from your name if you are selling) is a more complicated process in Spain than it is in the UK Seller Photocopies of: NIF If non Spanish: White NIE in date plus Passport Or certificado de registro plus passport Or TIE Originals of: Ficha Técnica (car log Book) Permiso de Circulación matching the name of the documents above – this is to make sure the person who is selling is actually the regsterd owner Receipt of previous years rodaje (road tax) Details of Current Address The seller should …