I bought my VW campervan over to Lanzarote - continued
4) Homologation - Inspeccion No Periodica (Engineers Report)
Part 1 of the ITV €151.56 by Juan Ficha Technica (mechanic)
Homologation is a technical term which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority. Cars, for instance, must be homologated by a public agency to assure that they meet standards for such things as safety and environmental impact.
To get the Inspeccion No Periodica (a detailed examination of vehicles which sets the details of your vehicle for future inspections, measurements, weight, etc..) Juan came to my house and measured the vehicle and took down all its particulars.
If you change your tyres, engine, lights etc., you have to go through this again.
5) Homologation - ITV Inspeccion Periodica
1st Test: €38.35 13/02/09
Inspeccion Periodica – The routine bi-annual or annual test of vehicles (ITV) when it is due.
a) New LHD lights to replace English RHD ones
£35 each (second hand) +p&p
If your vehicle is right-hand drive, then your lights are designed to point towards the left hand curb, these are not acceptable in Spain, so headlights designed to point to the right are obligatory. This applies to all vehicle types including motorcycles.
b) Exterior overtaking mirror – clamp on
£15.99 +p&p
c) My windows have dark tinted film on them but the film does not have an EU kite code on
d) Electrics (mains hookup) – no certificate (had to remove electrics – I put back in after ITV)
e) Gas (cooker) – no certificate (had to remove gas – I put back in after ITV)
6) 2nd Test: €38.35 24/04/09
Paid again because so long since last test … due to van breaking down!
Sticking points with ITV. They needed the above mentioned physical things changing. Once I had made all the amendments they needed, the boss at the ITV station needed my mechanic’s report to say it was a “live-in vehicle” on the paperwork (not T25 transporter) because the van had been converted since being manufactured. My Ficha Technica changed this for no charge. But I also needed to provide a manual from the people who converted it to prove that the van was a campervan, and not a commercial van (this I made myself in photoshop!!) Without these I could not get my ITV certificate, because the van had been converted since manufacture and therefore did not fall into the Spanish regulations (i.e. it had a high roof now, it had cooking, sleeping areas etc…. On my V5 thankfully it said “Campervan”, if it had just said “Transporter” I wouldn’t have been able to have changed the Ficha Technica report. Once I had all this in place for the ITV I could proceed. This was by far the most stressful part, getting everything in order for the ITV. I am very surprised that an old, right hand drive, illegally (in the eyes of Spain) converted van, with no homologation number, no certificate of conversion, actually got through ITV. I put this down to wearing a very short skirt each time I went!!
7) Back to Tráfico with ITV certificate to re-register (matriculate) the vehicle in Lanzarote. Need Modelo 576 Form
8) Modelo 576 (Proof of payment of registration tax at the Hacienda)
To get this form I filled out model 576 at the Hacienda, produced my DUA (should be emailed from Agencia de aduanas, I had to go back to the agency and get another DUA as they lost mine), go to bank with the Modelo 576 request and pay €143 import tax (worked out by 11% of value of the van €1,300 – they got this value by looking it up in a book?!), I had to then get a receipt from the bank that I had paid the registration tax and then take the receipt back to Hacienda. Queue up again and the Hacienda issues Modelo 576
9) Road Tax: I then had to go to Auntamiento in Tinajo and pay my road tax (rest of the year was €30 paid at my town hall)
10) Matriculation: Take Modelo 576 back to Tráfico and give Tráfico the following documents:
• Application form for Matriculation Dirección General de Tráfico[/url])
• Receipt of Import Admin Fee €90 04/06/09 (pay Tráfico)
• Identification - NIE / Passport
• Documentation of vehicle (Blue and pink sheet ITV card)
• Road Tax (proof of payment)
• Modelo 576 (registration tax – proving exemption of import tax from customs agency and proving payment of registration tax at the Hacienda)
• Ficha Technica form issued by the ITV for vehicles purchased in the EU
• Original document of the vehicle V5
• (DUA) Customs Agency document of import exemption tax (Antonio Fernadez)
Give all papers to Tráfico and come back next day to pick up Permiso de Circulación from the same desk.
The next day I collected the document together with my Tarjeta Tecnica de Vehicluos that was now embossed with my new registration number. I also asked specifically for my V5 (see point 13)
11) Number Plates: Took my new registration documents to a car shop and got my number plates made up €20
12) Notify DVLA: When you import your vehicle to Spain and re-register it, send your UK “logbook” to DVLA in Swansea, so you lose your UK registration.
13) Let out a huge sigh of relief. Get my life back
Process started 6th November 2008
Process completed 4th July 2009
8 months of complete and utter frustration
IN SUMMARY:
€40 NIE
€1 Enpadronmiento
€105 Customs – Admin Fee (import duty exempt certificate DUA)
€151 Ficha Technica
€70 LH Drive Lights
€76.70 x2 ITV tests
€143 Modelo 576 – Registration Tax
€90 Matriculación Admin Fee (Trafico)
€30 6 months Road Tax
€20 Number Plate
€726.70 Total cost
I did it with a lot of help from friends, and with a lot of time. I don't speak Spanish, I work for myself (so could spend the days, upon days, upon days queueing, going to this place, that place, changing this, paying that, filling out this, declaring that) and I was put in touch with the right people, everyone knowing something different, but everyone contributing something, and my experience is as different as the next ... no two people have the same experience I have come to understand. There are no hard and fast rules here.
Was it frustrating, yes.
Would I do it again ... yes ... I love my campervan!