Importing a motorbike from Germany: paperwork and taxes
Importing a motorbike from Germany into Spain follows the same path as a car: complete documentation, a prior inspection at the ITV (Spain's roadworthiness inspection), taxes and registration with the DGT (Spain's traffic authority). The difference is in the detail. For the registration tax, combustion-engine motorbikes of up to 250 cubic centimetres are not subject to it and the others are taxed on their CO2 emissions in their own brackets. You will also need to check that your driving licence entitles you to ride it, and the periodic ITV follows a different calendar.
The same steps as a car
For the DGT, a motorbike imported from the EU is registered by the same procedure as a car. You will need the vehicle's original documentation, the full registration certificate (both parts if there are two), the invoice with the seller's VAT number or, if you buy from a private individual, the contract with its translation, and the certificate of conformity if the motorbike has EC type-approval: at the ITV, that document will be accepted as a substitute for the reduced data sheet.
The traffic fee is the same too: to process the registration of a vehicle (except mopeds) you have to pay the DGT fee 1.1 of €99.77. You can find the full order of the procedures in importing a car from Germany step by step.
Registration tax: engine size and CO2
The first question is whether your motorbike is subject to the tax. The Special Taxes Act (Ley de Impuestos Especiales) leaves out motorbikes whose engine size does not exceed 250 cubic centimetres, in the case of internal combustion engines, or whose maximum net power does not exceed 16 kW, for other engines. Even if you pay nothing, the DGT will ask you for proof of payment, exemption or non-liability to the tax.
Above those limits, motorbikes have their own brackets according to official CO2 emissions. With the state rates of the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT):
| Bracket | Motorbikes with CO2 emissions… | Mainland and Balearic Islands | Canary Islands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | not exceeding 100 g/km | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 7th | over 100 g/km up to 120 g/km | 4.75% | 3.75% |
| 8th | over 120 g/km and under 140 g/km | 9.75% | 8.75% |
| 9th | 140 g/km or more, or not documented | 14.75% | 13.75% |
Watch out for the more powerful motorbikes: those with an EEC power equal to or above 74 kW (100 hp) and a maximum net power to kerb-weight ratio, expressed in kW/kg, equal to or above 0.66 go in the 9th bracket, whatever their official CO2 emissions. And some autonomous communities (regions) raise the rate for the 9th bracket: according to the AEAT, Asturias, Catalonia and Valencia apply 16%, Murcia 15.9% and Cantabria 15%. How the taxable base is calculated is explained in the registration tax on an imported car.
VAT: when a motorbike is new
For VAT, the Spanish VAT Act (Ley del IVA) treats as means of transport motorised land vehicles with an engine size above 48 cm³ or a power exceeding 7.2 kW, and applies to motorbikes the same rule as to cars: they are new if delivered within six months of their first entry into service or if they have not travelled more than 6,000 kilometres.
Beware of a motorbike that is several years old with under 6,000 kilometres: for VAT purposes it is new and the tax is paid in Spain even if you buy from a private individual. We explain it in VAT on a vehicle bought in the EU.
Which licence you need to ride it
Before buying, check that your licence covers the motorbike. The General Drivers Regulations (Reglamento General de Conductores) set out these classes:
- A1: motorbikes with a maximum engine size of 125 cm³, a maximum power of 11 kW and a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 0.1 kW/kg.
- A2: motorbikes with a maximum power of 35 kW and a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 0.2 kW/kg and not derived from a vehicle with more than double its power.
- A: motorbikes and motor tricycles, without those limits.
- B: within Spain, if held for more than three years, it allows you to ride the motorbikes that a class A1 licence authorises.
If you hold an A2, look at the power and the power-to-weight ratio shown in the motorbike's documentation, not just in the advertisement.
ITV: the prior one and the periodic ones
Like any imported vehicle, the motorbike has to pass the inspection before registration, with its original documentation and the certificate of conformity if it has one. What they ask for at the station is explained in the ITV inspection of an imported vehicle.
After that, the calendar is different from a car's. Royal Decree 920/2017 sets for category L (except mopeds) that motorbikes are exempt until they are 4 years old and then take the ITV every two years, whereas a passenger car's ITV becomes annual from 10 years old.
Bringing it over and the road tax
A motorbike is easy to bring over in a van or on a trailer, which saves you temporary plates for the journey. If you prefer to ride it over, you will need insurance and provisional registration plates from the country of purchase; we cover it in insurance for an imported vehicle.
Before registering it you will have to pay the road tax to your town council. For motorbikes, the tax scale runs by engine size, in brackets from those of up to 125 cubic centimetres to those of more than 1,000, and each town council can apply a coefficient that may not be higher than 2. Check your municipality's by-law for the exact amount.
Sources consulted
Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.
- Matriculación de vehículos nuevos o extranjeros. DGT (sede electrónica).
- Manual de procedimiento de inspección de las estaciones ITV, versión 7.9. Ministerio de Industria y Turismo.
- Ley 38/1992, de 28 de diciembre, de Impuestos Especiales (texto consolidado). BOE.
- Primera matriculación de medios de transporte: tipos impositivos. Agencia Tributaria.
- Ley 37/1992, de 28 de diciembre, del Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido (texto consolidado). BOE.
- Adquisiciones y entregas intracomunitarias. Agencia Tributaria.
- Real Decreto 818/2009, de 8 de mayo, Reglamento General de Conductores (texto consolidado). BOE.
- Real Decreto 920/2017, de 23 de octubre, por el que se regula la inspección técnica de vehículos (texto consolidado). BOE.
- Comprar y arrendar (leasing) un vehículo en otro país de la UE. Comisión Europea (Tu Europa).
- Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2004, texto refundido de la Ley Reguladora de las Haciendas Locales (texto consolidado). BOE.
- Real Decreto 2822/1998, Reglamento General de Vehículos (texto consolidado), anexo XIII. BOE.
Frequently asked questions
Does an imported motorbike pay registration tax?
Not if it has a combustion engine and its engine size does not exceed 250 cubic centimetres, or if it has another type of engine and its maximum net power does not exceed 16 kW. Above that, it is taxed on its CO2 emissions in brackets 6 to 9.
Which licence do I need to ride a motorbike brought from Germany?
It depends on the motorbike: A1 covers up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW, A2 up to 35 kW with a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 0.2 kW/kg, and A any motorbike. With a B licence held for more than three years you can ride A1 motorbikes in Spain.
Do you have to pay VAT when importing a motorbike from Germany?
Only if it is new for VAT purposes: delivered within six months of its first entry into service or with no more than 6,000 kilometres. In that case it is paid in Spain even if you buy from a private individual.
How much does it cost to register a German motorbike in Spain?
The DGT fee is fee 1.1, at €99.77. On top of that come the ITV, the road tax from your town council and, where applicable, the registration tax and VAT.