Advice on importing a campervan

Hi This man can tell you anything you need to know

Graham Shelton,
Spanish number plates
[email protected]
www.spanish-number-plates.com
966-753-375
605-319-889

A slightly different scenario but having recently imported a car from France I found it impossible to get insurance until I could prove that I'd started the registration process which essentially meant putting it through an ITV, I was then granted not cheap 3 month temporary 3rd party cover for it which can be revised and cost adjusted once it's on it's Spanish plates.

Insurance issues and transport logistics aside the cost of registering what I assume to be a fairly expensive motorhome in Spain is likely to be significant, more so if it's not a vehicle specifically homologated in Spain, in plain language a model also sold here in exactly the same form.

Absent that you will have to produce a manufacturers Certificate of Conformity for it (and one acceptable in Spain) or else submit it for an engineers report for which of course it will need to be here in the first place so I'd urge you to weigh up the pros and cons and do your sums very carefully before committing to such a purchase.

Note, theoretically according to EU Directive 2007/46/EC and with a few exceptions for small volume or specialist vehicles, all motorhomes manufactured since 2012 should have whole EU certification however the Spanish are past masters at ignoring EU rules and inventing their own so even if it is more recent than 2012 it would be a risk relying on that.

You should be aware also that for a vehicle to qualify as a personal import technically you're supposed to have owned it for 6 months prior to importing and the potential taxation - which will already be outrageous - can turn punitive and skyrocket if not!

Hi, 6 years ago I went to Germany and purchased a used Hymer motorhome and brought it back to Spain the process was fairly easy as you can get a export plate which was about 300€ for ten days (I think you can get one which lasts a month) and this includes 3rd party insurance, I drove the van back in 3days and 4days latter I had it on Spanish plates this was a 2005 motorhome which had a Certificate of Conformity I had it check by the engineers next to ITV station, then took it for its ITV then gave all paperwork to Amanda to get its Spanish registration you will have taxes to pay all in all not a cheap process, having done it I think I would buy in Spain, I would highly recommend this company 

https://www.autosuministros.com/tienda/autocaravanas/I realize they are quite far from here but lots of  choice and a lot of he staff speak English, hope this helps.Regards Mickymouse

Hi , ... Thanks very much for reply, I ll give them a call and see what I can do ... only problem is in Spain , there are not a lot on the market , and what is ,... is highly priced junk , so 7000 km round trip looking likely ??? 

Happy days :-) 

Thanks again 

Allan 

Hi , thanks for reply .. I am at my wits end trying to go through this mine field , and would buy one in Spain ...If there was any available  .. only problem here is , most are piles of junk with starship miles on them, and heaps of rubbish , I am not looking for a very expensive one , in total 10000€ , and from what I can see , that would buy me a 2000 in year ,homemade disaster ... I really need to get things sorted and decide if it is possible or not 

Thanks again 

Allan

Hi Willy , thanks for that , I ll give him a ring and hopefully get some answers . Great having a forum to help sort out the never ending minefield of buying anything in Spain . 

Have a good one , and thanks again :-)

Allan 

Hi, I think that any motorhome before 2003/2004 is not going to have a Certificate of Conformity so it is going to have to have a full engineers inspection and now with the new ITV rules being applied I think you need to think really hard if you want to import a older Van.

Hi , Thanks for that information , the van I am thinking of is a 2004  , so that might just be the straw on the camels back ... we ll see :-) 

Thanks again 

Allan 

Bought our French 2009 camper van to Spain 2 years ago. We bought a house and started the process of re-registering. We had all the paperwork, the van was left hand drive, lights in configuration required but it still cost 2000 euros. Unless the van is very cheap forget it.