Buying or Selling a Car in Spain

If you are about to buy a car in Spain, and you are satisfied that the price and quality meets your expectations, you should still verify the general condition of the vehicle, which you can do by obtaining a report on the condition of the vehicle from the DGT.

There are two reports available, a free report, which offers reduced information that allows you to confirm the correct identification of the vehicle, and information in case there is any incident or lien that could affect the vehicle. But for the purpose of buying a car, we recommend the detailed report. In these detailed reports you can also consult the repairs and revisions that have been carried out by the workshops attached to the digital maintenance book or workshop book.

You should also be aware that a vehicle without local taxes up to date cannot be transferred.

Once you are satisfied that everything is correct, the transfer process can commence, which is done via the DGT

If you are the buyer…

If you are determined to make the purchase, you must sign a sales contract with the seller in which the data of the vehicle, the purchase price and the date and time in which the contract is signed all appear. Do not forget that the contract must be signed by both the buyer and the seller on each of the pages that make it up.

Before attending the DGT trafico offices to request the transfer, you must pay the property transfer tax (model 620 or model 621 as appropriate) in the autonomous community in which you are registered. You can do it easily and electronically in almost all the Autonomous Communities.

With all this, the last thing left is to carry out the transfer process in the DGT office, but make sure you make an appointment first.

If you are the seller…

We advise you to have one of the copies of the original sales contract before handing over the vehicle. In the contract that you sign, the vehicle data, the purchase price and the date and time in which the contract is signed must be completed. Do not forget that the contract must be signed by both the buyer and the seller on each of the pages that make it up.

In the event that the vehicle had been financed by a financial institution, it is necessary to check if the latter made an entry in the Registry of Movable Assets that prevents the sale of the same until authorised by it. If this is the case, and there is a registered reservation of title, common in vehicle purchase operations in instalments, you must know that the change of owner cannot be made until full payment of the purchase price is justified. For this, it is necessary to contact the financial entity, and request a “title reservation cancellation letter”, to later process the cancellation in the Registry of Movable Property where the registration was made.

If you are the buyer…

You have a period of 30 days from the signing of the contract to make the transfer. In the DGT offices they will verify that you have paid the corresponding fee and all the required documentation – do not forget the original circulation permit, and they will carry out the transfer straight away.

If you are the seller…

Once the sale is made, we advise you to make a notification of sale. Do not wait for the buyer to complete the transfer process, as there are times when buyers are late, and this can cause you a headache.

Remember that speed cameras, insurance or ITV fines will continue to arrive as long as the change of ownership does not occur in the Vehicle Registry.

Notifying the sale is an easy way to avoid this problem, since once you make the notification, the responsibility is no longer yours.

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