Which documents must the Spanish seller hand over?
Spanish registration relies on the permiso de circulación, the equivalent of the registration certificate, and on the ficha técnica or tarjeta ITV, which lists the technical characteristics, the contraseña de homologación (approval number) and the history of ITV tests. Insist on both originals, the invoice or contrato de compraventa with the VIN, and have an informe de vehículo pulled from the DGT website: it shows charges (embargos, retention of title), the mileages recorded at ITV tests and the number of owners.
The seller, or you with their power of attorney, then asks the DGT for the baja definitiva por exportación. Without it, the vehicle remains registered in Spain and the seller remains liable for local taxes. The baja is only possible if the vehicle is free of any seizure or restriction.
Does the ficha técnica replace the certificate of conformity?
No, and this is the most frequent confusion on Spanish vehicles. The ficha técnica looks like a certificate of conformity: it describes the vehicle and quotes an approval number. But it is drawn up within the framework of Spanish registration, whereas the COC is issued by the manufacturer and is valid throughout the Union. The permiso de circulación, for its part, does not reproduce entries D.2 and K in the form registration authorities expect: in practice, the certificate of conformity is almost always requested for a car from Spain.
Good news: the Spanish fleet that gets exported is recent, dominated by former rental cars (Ibiza, Leon, Clio, 208) well within the ten-year limit. The manufacturer issues the duplicate from the VIN, whatever the country where the car was driven. See Seat and Cupra, built in Martorell.
VAT and tax clearance: what the tax office expects for a vehicle bought in the Union
A vehicle bought in another Member State is not cleared through customs: it falls under intra-Community VAT rules. Two situations:
- New means of transport (less than six months since first registration or less than 6,000 km): VAT is due in the country where you register the vehicle, at that country’s standard rate, even when you buy from a private individual. A dealer then invoices you without VAT.
- Used vehicle: no VAT in your country if you buy from a private individual. From a dealer, VAT is either included in the price (margin scheme, stated on the invoice) or charged in your country when the sale is made VAT-free as an intra-Community supply.
In both cases, most registration authorities want proof that the vehicle’s VAT position is in order before they issue the registration certificate: a tax clearance certificate in France (quitus fiscal), the e-705 customs signal in Belgium, the vignette 705 in Luxembourg, the BPM declaration in the Netherlands, the VRT appointment with Revenue in Ireland. Ask your authority which form applies and obtain it before filing. VAT rules on Your Europe.
Spanish rental companies and traders most often sell with IVA included or under the régimen especial de bienes usados (margin scheme): nothing to pay at destination for a used vehicle, but proof of VAT clearance is still required. An exenta sale as an intra-Community supply triggers VAT in your country.
Roadworthiness test: what your registration authority accepts
Most authorities ask for a valid roadworthiness certificate for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing (four years in most countries). A test passed in a centre approved in your own country is the safe route; a test passed in another Member State must be recognised as long as it is still valid under the frequency rules of Directive 2014/45/EU, but tests from outside the Union (British MOT, Swiss cantonal inspection) are not. Some countries, Belgium and the Netherlands among them, add a specific import inspection that checks the vehicle against its approval data.
A roadworthiness test checks the condition of the vehicle, not its conformity with the approved type: it replaces neither the certificate of conformity nor entries D.2 and K of the foreign registration certificate.
The Spanish ITV must be valid to obtain the baja and the placas verdes; it is a periodic test of another Member State, recognised while valid, though a recent test in your own country remains the safe route for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing.
How to bring the car home: placas verdes
After the baja por exportación, the DGT can issue a permiso temporal de circulación with placas verdes (green plates), valid for sixty days and renewable if the registration in your country could not be obtained in time. A valid ITV and insurance are required. These plates are designed precisely for reaching the country of registration. Failing that, a trailer, then the temporary registration your authority offers.
Once the vehicle has been de-registered in its country of origin, its old plates no longer cover it. Most countries offer a temporary registration while the file is being completed (the WW provisional certificate in France, transit or temporary plates elsewhere) or expect you to trailer the vehicle until the definitive certificate is issued. Ask your registration authority what exists and how long it lasts: temporary registrations are short and rarely extended, so gather the certificate of conformity and the roadworthiness test first.
Documents usually requested: proof of ownership (invoice or contract), ID, proof of address, the foreign registration certificate or the official document that replaces it, and proof of insurance. The vehicle must be insured from the first kilometre, including for the journey home on the export plates of the country of origin.
Registration taxes: what you pay when you file
Most countries levy one or more taxes at first registration on their territory, paid when the application is filed:
- a one-off registration tax based on CO₂ emissions, engine capacity, power or list price, with an age-related reduction for a used vehicle already registered abroad (VRT in Ireland, BPM in the Netherlands, the malus in France, the tax on entry into service in Belgium);
- an administrative fee for the certificate and the plates, and sometimes a postage charge;
- in some countries a weight-based component, or a regional tax proportional to fiscal horsepower;
- then the annual road tax, which starts with the registration.
The certificate of conformity supplies precisely the values that serve as the tax base: WLTP CO₂, masses, power. An NEDC figure read from an old document can distort your estimate. Our calculators give an order of magnitude; the taxable value is set by the administration. Car taxes across the Union, on Your Europe.
How do I file the registration application?
The application is filed with the registration authority of the country where you live: online in France (ANTS), through your insurer’s WebDIV access in Belgium, at the SNCA in Luxembourg, at an RDW inspection station in the Netherlands, at an NCTS centre in Ireland, at the local Zulassungsstelle in Germany. You present or upload the documents, pay the taxes, and receive a provisional or definitive registration certificate that lets you have plates made.
Our step-by-step guide details the documents, the order of the formalities and the Belgian, Luxembourg, Swiss, German and Dutch variants.