# MOT in spain



## slaphead (May 14, 2005)

we have a smart car whose MOT is about to expire, the same time as our insurance.
does anyone know of an insurance company which will accept a spanish MOT...(ITV)?...the car is still well in date tax wise.the cost of takng back to uk is probitive......next time i'll get MH & smart MOT'd together!!


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## Texas (May 9, 2005)

Not absolutely certain, but I think you have to have the car or any vehicle MOTd in the country it is registered in. 

Hope I'm wrong for you sake.  

Texas :wink:


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## billym (Dec 17, 2005)

To be legal you have to get an MOT test in the UK

There is NO other legal option


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

A non-UK certificate of roadworthiness issued to a UK vehicle is worthless in terms of insurance or vehicle excise. Any reference contained in your insurance policy to an MoT is 100% specific to the VOSA-regulated UK test.

Why don't you get it MoTd before you go? You don't have to wait until the expiry of your existing certificate.

Dougie.


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## slaphead (May 14, 2005)

*mot*

i'm already in spain dougie....have been for 5 months...just forgot to check certificate expiry date!............yeh , iknow i'm a plonker! :lol:


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

*Re: mot*



slaphead said:


> i'm already in spain dougie....have been for 5 months


In that case - good answer, well presented. 

Dougie.


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## hymerbug (Jan 10, 2006)

hi,slaphead have you thouht of using a spanish insurance company,there are many advertised on the net. even directline have a spanish arm,don't know if these are changeable once you get back to england though ,may be worth looking into.I have a friend in spain with a uk plated car who got his car itv(spanish mot) and then used spanish insurance.
colin.


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## billym (Dec 17, 2005)

If your UK reg. car needs an MOT test then that is exactly what it is.



You can get your car insured in Spain if you have certain documentation i.e an NIE from the national Police and the insurance company will happily take your money.

The FACT of the matter is that y..ou need an MOT test and not an ITV.

There simply is NO alternative.

With no MOT any insurance company would be looking to get out of any claim.

also

say for example you insured your UK reg car in Spain.....or any EU country..... on 1st January and had a serious accident on 1st September.... more than six months later,..... the Police would be likely to assume it had been in that country all that time and impound the vehicle . The onus would be on you to prove it had been out of the country


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## slaphead (May 14, 2005)

thanks chaps''''all points duelly noted.... :wink:


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

You have three options

1. Do nothing and drive the Smart ilegally and with no insurance/MOT (not)

2. Return UK immediately and new MOT or do not drive Smart until you do. Remember it won't be insured whilst you tow it either or at any time it is disconnected from being towed if on A frame or off its trailer if carried, so you must not park mit on a public road.

3. Register in Spain, get ITV and Spanish insurance

The motor insurance market is not yet fully de regulated by the EU. An insurance company can only insure a car registered where it operates so only UK insurance for UK cars etc. You cannot get Spanish insurance for a UK registered car


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## billym (Dec 17, 2005)

yes but there is a loophole there and you can find companies in Gibralter that will insure UK cars in Spain


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

It may be Gibraltar insurance agencies use UK insurers for UK cars and Spainish insurers for Spanish cars.

Often the comopanies will have subsidiaries in each country, butit is only te subsidiary with a presence that can insure under the directive

The resaaon for the directive is consumer protection of claimants who can expect to deal with a local insurer.

Remember Gib is in the EU, it is in effect part of metropolitan UK. A gib insurer is a UK insurer within Europe.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

thieawin said:


> You cannot get Spanish insurance for a UK registered car





hymerbug said:


> I have a friend in spain with a uk plated car who got his car itv(spanish mot) and then used spanish insurance


Well, there are two contradictory "facts"...... ?

Dougie.


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## rollerteam7maxi (Oct 21, 2007)

Hi there.

You CANNOT legally have a Spanish ITV on a UK registered vehicle. If you friend truly has this, it has been done by an unscrupulous ITVer and is not legal.

If he has had his plates re-matriculated to Spanish ones, then the vehicle ITVd then that is of course different.

Also, you will see advertised MOTs given in Spain for Brit vehicles, also a scam and totally illegal.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

rollerteam7maxi said:


> You CANNOT legally have a Spanish ITV on a UK registered vehicle


Why not? (Genuine question, as I don't know the answer.) You can have anything on wheels MoTd here in the UK, either on the foreign registration number or the VIN number. In fact, it's necessary to be able to do so in order to register an import more than 3 years old.

What evidence is there of the illegality of having your UK car ITV'd in Spain? And what is the rationale behind it? Someone has said above that his friend has Spanish insurance, which requires an ITV.

Dougie.


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## rollerteam7maxi (Oct 21, 2007)

Why not? Well, the laws in Spain regarding MOTing are obviously different to the UK as are many other laws.

I don't know why it is not allowed, but nevertheless....

If you are changing your vehicle to Spanish plates, then as part of the registration process you can have it ITV, if it then passes and all relevant paperwork is in order, you get your Spanish plates (eventually, green temporary plates are issued first) and you have your motorhome ITVd regularly as any other Spanish vehicle would be.

ITVs are only legal on Spanish plated vehicles. 

The law here can be a minefield and changes day by day it seems.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

rollerteam7maxi said:


> I don't know why it is not allowed, but nevertheless....


So it's anecdotal then.



rollerteam7maxi said:


> ITVs are only legal on Spanish plated vehicles


But apparently ITVs are still issued to non-Spanish vehicles, given other evidence to the contrary above.



rollerteam7maxi said:


> The law here can be a minefield


All law can be a minefield, which is why obtaining facts is so helpful.

Dougie.


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## C7KEN (May 27, 2005)

Here is some info regarding MH's in Spain. The hastle involved in reregistering to Spanish is simply not worth it financially unless the MH is worth a lot .Infact I think that I heard they no longer allow it as the step out door is on the wrong side . The spanish dont normally insure anything over 4 years old full comp so that makes your 20 grand 4 year old MH risky. The firms that do insure full comp ie Abbygate etc. are much more expensive than in the UK. If your MH is not parked on spanish public roads and is driven for less than 6 months out of 12 and you still have a UK address then the answer is keep it UK reg, taxed, insured and Mot'd this is quite easy to comply with when you have a motorhome because of the infrequent use. Now for the problem If you have obtained Spanish residentia you will be expected to go all spanish and will have hastle with the above if stopped. However change ownership to one of your family in the UK and borrowing the MH from them solves the problem. We live mainly in Spain but travel regularly to other countries inc UK comply with all the above and with no problems.We also have two spanish reg vehicles that are in use all year so need to be spanish reg We have been stopped (in the camper)for a chat with both the Garda and the French police and left with all smiling


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

I had a UK registerd car in Spain (sorned in UK) and went to KNIGHTS insurance brokers (they are all over Spain) and insured my UK car with them and was told a ITV would be acceptable as proof of roadworthyness, I then had it ITVd on english Plates (had to modify lights and rear fog lamp) and then was stopped by local plod and was sent on my way all OK.

Loddy


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## C7KEN (May 27, 2005)

Loddy 
Sure you are correct Knights will do exactly what you said. And the Garda will look at an ITV and think the vehicle is roadworthy However you cannot get UK tax with the Spanish ITV and thats the problem. It is then illegal and because they like any excuse to fine you over here you are likely to get caught. There are plenty of dodgers but they can be prosecuted at any time. The problem of registration within europe is being discussed in Brussels. Apparently they are suggesting that the vehicle can stay with its original registration but pay local taxes and have its ITV and insurance here. I am watching to see what developes as the ITV is every two years and maybe the MOT will follow suit.


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

I realise I couldn't tax it I didn't want to and if you don't pay the Sumo in Spain it's not a hanging offence.

Loddy

PS I wasn't suggesting you drive the car back through UK


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## slaphead (May 14, 2005)

*mot(itv) latest*

having contacted several insurance companies the latest update i have is that several,(Knights, Abbetgate (gib) )will accept a spanish MOT (itv). 
as long as it is for use in spain....uk plates accepted.provided my car passes the itv ,it still makes sense to have the vehicle tested here.
the car is still taxed, i will just re-mot when i go back to the uk in may...thanks for all the input. :lol:


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

*Re: mot(itv) latest*



slaphead said:


> having contacted several insurance companies the latest update i have is that several,(Knights, Abbetgate (gib) )will accept a spanish MOT (itv).


Thanks for the update - news to me certainly, and interesting information. Unless I've missed something though, doesn't that potentially leave the car untaxed whilst still UK-registered and Spanish-ITVd (e.g. if your UK MoT runs out)?

Dougie.


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

When the tax runs out you SORN it
When the MOT runs out you get it tested when you take it back to UK

Loddy


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## 107990 (Oct 30, 2007)

How about a gib MOT ?. At least the certificate is in english. Worth a try. The test station is off to the left after you cross the airfield.


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## 107558 (Oct 10, 2007)

7.4 Can a UK mainland registered car be MOT'd at the Gibraltar 
MOT test station?

a. No, Only cars that are registered in Gibraltar can be tested 
in the Gibraltar test station. UK registered cars can only 
be tested in the UK, even if they are insured in Gibraltar.

http://www.gibnet.com/faq.htm


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## 101405 (Oct 15, 2006)

*ITV in Espana*

YES, you can have a uk vehicle with a Spanish ITV (mot) and yes you can get Insurance for it. just look in local papers or mags. but forget about a Spanish reg as thats another story altogether. but you will need a N I E nombre. but also just think of this. all vehicles in Europe (uk) are on an Insurance data base. this is how the uk police know when they stop you if you have Insurance. this is what is known as the fourth directive by the EU for the tracing of vehicles. so no matter what you do or dont do In regards to insurance or mots. its all in the database. they know all about You * your vehicle reg tells all!!!


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