Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
My daughter is moving to Spain next year, she is looking to purchase a left hand drive car in the uk, with Spanish plates and paperwork so she can drive over. Any advice and guidance very welcome.
If she finds a car is there a way of checking the car registration to make sure it’s legal?
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
Planning your move to Spain?
Get the free step-by-step roadmap used by 10,000+ expats — covering visas, budget, housing, and the mistakes to avoid.
Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“It’s the charges against it you should be worried about. You will have to ask a gestor.
Possibly other ways but not 100% sure. Only saying as my friends bought in UK went to register it and found out 1000’s of debts against it.”
“Note that a resident of UK shouldn’t drive a foreign registered vehicle in UK.
It’s a good idea buying a car in UK (once resident in Spain) as it tends to be cheaper, a Gestor de Automóviles can check for fines or the person can do it themselves if they have a digital certificate.”
“I think the tyres and headlights would need changing. Worth checking out”
“May be call a Spanish insurance company to get a quote. They should be able to check on the plates.
But to check is anything is owed on the car you can get onto the Spanish DGT site and request a Nota Simple on the vehicle. It will include all info on the car. Owner, debt if any etc…”
Not sure which city is right for you?
Compare cost of living, weather, expat community size, and lifestyle across 13 Spanish cities in our free guide.
Explore Cities →“The trouble is that she needs to make sure there are no fines against the car what might be difficult to check in the UK. Also the paperwork needs to be done properly by a Gestor. Best Buy here saves heaps of worry.”
“Make sure it has itv (mot) they go cheap without but if you get stopped they may take the car off you.
Also road tax is a bit of a pain you need proof it’s all paid upto date if they don’t then your liable for that
If you have an address in Spain then it’s pretty easy but you need your nie before buying which you can get easy from the Consulate in UK before hand”
“We did this, it was much cheaper than buying in Spain and gave us an extra vehicle to transport things over in.
Go to a reputable left hand drive dealership, there are a good number in the UK, and you’ll get all the correct paperwork. You really need to have the previous owners NIE number – a reputable seller will already have that for you.
For peace of mind regarding outstanding fines, paying the transfer tax (if necessary) and to register it with the townhall once you arrive, take the paperwork to a Gestor de Automóviles and for a small fee they will check for past fines and ensure the vehicle is registered locally and that the transfer tax is paid.
You can check for fines and so on on line of you have a digital certificate (although it’s unlikely that your daughter will have one of not resident yet).”
“Is it worth the hassle? Get her stuff shipped over, buy a car when here.
*Save the added milage on the car
*Know that the car your buying isn’t carrying debt
*Sorting out a Spanish driving licence exchange from her English one isn’t straightforward now. So even if she came over in her own car. She may only be able to drive it for a short time anyway.
Get here first, get her padron, TIE, and driving licence exchanged. Then get a car”
“My son did that and there was so much paper work todo and translate that he regretted it. I would go for the option of buying here when she gets here. Good luck”
“Here’s the official Spanish traffic authority page to request a car report https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/vehiculos/informe-de-vehiculo/?fbclid=IwAR3ir_dIakgYtw-uJei0Vb0oEAhTilBOjlzxf5O2SciwROJqBqgTcf1c42o“
Get your free step-by-step Spain move plan
10 emails over 2 weeks covering visas, budget, housing & the mistakes to avoid.
Join 10,000+ expats who used this roadmap.
100% free · No credit card · Unsubscribe anytime
