English
EspañolGuide to buying a car in Spain
Requirements
You do not need to be an official resident of Spain in order to buy a car here, although you must provide proof of address in the form of a padrón (empadronamiento), a tenancy agreement or property deeds. If you are a resident, you can simply present your residency card (or document) to provide proof - a copy will be sufficient in either case. A padrón can be obtained from your local town hall. You are not required to have lived in Spain for a certain amount of time before buying a car, you can move here and obtain one straight away, provided you can supply the aforementioned documentation.
You will also need to provide a copy of your passport, and your NIE certificate (if you are not resident). Your residencia will serve as proof of NIE as well as address if you have that instead. If you have moved address since obtaining your residencia, then you will need to provide an alternative proof of address from the options given in the paragraph above. NIE certificates do not expire, so even an older one will allow you to purchase a car. Note, however, that only an official NIE certificate will be considered valid by the government, an application form for a NIE, or another document with your NIE number on it will not be enough.
Financing
If you choose to finance a car rather than buy it outright, you will need to provide the following documentation:
- Passport, NIE, and proof of address.
- A bank certificate proving that you have a Spanish bank account - a statement by itself will not be enough.
- A telephone or internet bill in your name.
- A driving licence that is valid within the EU. If you are from outside the EU, speak to us for more information. Our telephone number is +34 96 573 3311, and our email address is hola@grupoautomart.com.
- If you are in employment:
- You will need to provide at least 3 months' worth of payslips (nóminas) if you have a job, or the last 9 months of IRPF or IVA if you are self-employed, along with your latest "renta" declaration.
- A "vida laboral" document showing your work history - this can be obtained from your town hall, or online from the Seguridad Social website if you do not have one, or if yours is out of date.
- Retirees:
- You can still finance a car if you are retired, but your pension (or other forms of income) must be transferred to a Spanish account each month. You will need to show 6 months' worth of bank statements in order to prove this. You will also need to provide the pension document itself.
Bear in mind other costs
Note that not all dealers include the warranty or the ownership transfer cost in the price of the car, and in some cases you may even find that the price offered is only if you finance the vehicle, rather than the true cost of buying the vehicle outright. At Auto Mart, we are transparent and honest with all our prices - there are no hidden costs for warranties or transferring the car to a new owner, and choosing to finance will actually grant you a discount on the price displayed, rather than the other way around.
Car insurance is a legal requirement in Spain, as in most countries, although it is important to note that in Spain it is actually the car itself that is insured, rather than the driver, and drivers other than the named driver can still use the car provided they are at least 25 years of age, and have had their licence for at least 2 years, irrespective of the other drivers' no claims bonuses and other history. This can help to keep costs down, as there is no need to take out a multi-driver policy for a car in many cases.
As part of the service, when you purchase a car from us, we are also able to provide insurance quotes for you from a range of insurers.
Deciding on a car
Take the time to decide what you want from a car before purchasing - how many people will it need to seat? Do you want a bigger car to carry luggage, or a smaller car for ease of parking? Do you want an automatic, or is a manual more your style?
We have over 100 used cars and vans in stock at our Benissa branch, so there's a good chance we can help you if you're looking for a second hand car in the Costa Blanca area. Have a look at our stock below:
