Individual vehicle approval: when an imported car needs it in Spain

An imported car needs individual approval or, if it was already registered, an authorisation to be put into circulation, when it has no valid approval in Spain: for example, a car built for the US market, with neither European type-approval nor a certificate of conformity (CoC). If the car comes from another EU country with its CoC, it does not need one: the CoC replaces the reduced data sheet at the ITV (Spain's roadworthiness inspection). Between the two extremes are cars individually approved in another country of the European Economic Area, which need an equivalence authorisation from the Spanish authority.

What individual approval is

Spain's Royal Decree 750/2010, which regulates vehicle approval procedures, defines it as the procedure by which a particular vehicle, whether unique or not, is certified as meeting the administrative provisions and technical requirements of that regulation. Unlike type-approval, which approves a mass-produced model, individual approval refers to one specific unit.

It is granted by the approval authority, which in Spain is the Ministry of Industry. And it can exempt that vehicle from complying with some regulatory acts provided it meets the alternative requirements set by the royal decree itself.

When you do not need it

For a car that was already registered in another country of the European Economic Area, the royal decree requires it to hold one of these approvals: EC type-approval, Spanish type-approval, Spanish small-series approval or Spanish individual approval. If it has a small-series or individual approval from another EEA state, these must first have been accepted by the Spanish authority.

• With EC type-approval and a CoC. This is the usual case for a European car. At the single-vehicle technical inspection that precedes registration, the CoC is accepted in place of the reduced data sheet. We explain it in what the certificate of conformity is.
• With individual or small-series approval from another EEA state. An equivalence authorisation granted by the Spanish approval authority is needed, and it is presented at the ITV.

On the European registration certificate, the approval number goes in code K, if known, and the ITV stations' manual asks them to check whether that field contains an approval reference valid in Spain. We show how to read it in the registration certificate of a German car.

Cars already registered without valid approval in Spain

For cars already registered that arrive without a valid approval in Spain, the Directorate-General for Industry approved the Resolution of 25 October 2019. It distinguishes two cases:

• Previously registered in the EEA. They need an authorisation to be put into circulation granted by the approval authority, and must meet the technical requirements applicable on the date of their first registration in the EEA. If the car has a national approval from another EEA state, it can provide the reports of the tests carried out to obtain it.
• Registered only in third countries. They also need that authorisation, but the requirements are measured at the date of their first registration in Spain.

The resolution contains technical exceptions by vehicle category. For passenger cars, for example, in some tests it accepts alternatives such as compliance with the California Code of Regulations for CO2 emissions and consumption, or manufacturer declarations of compliance with US federal standards (FMVSS) for the fuel tank or braking.

And if the registration certificate of the country of origin shows a deregistration for any reason other than export, an official document from that country showing that the car is fit to be driven there must also be provided.

How Spanish individual approval is obtained

According to Royal Decree 750/2010, the applicant submits to the approval authority:

1. the application for individual approval of the vehicle;
2. registration in the Register of manufacturers and authorised firms, which may be omitted when the application is made by the vehicle's owner or their representative;
3. the reduced data sheet, stamped by the technical service;
4. and the individual approval test report issued by the technical service, with the requirements of the relevant annexes.

If those requirements are met, the authority grants individual approval for that unit and assigns it an approval number. With it, the single-vehicle technical inspection is requested: the royal decree provides that, for Spanish individual approval, the resolution of the approval authority is presented. If the inspection is favourable, the ITV card is issued. We cover what the station asks for in the ITV inspection for an imported car.

EU individual approval

Regulation (EU) 2018/858 regulates two types:

• EU individual vehicle approval. It can be applied for by the vehicle's owner, the manufacturer, their representative or the importer, and member states must allow the registration of vehicles with a valid certificate of this type. The ITV stations' manual lists it as the EC certificate of approval of an individual vehicle under model “D”.
• National individual vehicle approval. Its validity is limited to the member state that grants it. The other states must allow the vehicle to be registered unless they have reasonable grounds to consider that the requirements it was based on are not equivalent to their own or that the vehicle does not meet them. In Spain, that acceptance is the equivalence authorisation we have already seen.

If you move to Spain with your car

There is a specific route. Vehicles for private use registered in the EEA or in third countries in the name of individuals who move their residence to Spain can be registered here in that same person's name. At the single-vehicle technical inspection, the reduced data sheet and the vehicle's original documents showing the person requesting the inspection as owner are presented, and these vehicles may, exceptionally, lack an approval number. We cover the tax side in the exemption for a move of residence.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying a car from another market without checking its approval. If it has no valid approval in Spain, registration requires an authorisation and tests.
• Taking another country's individual approval as good enough. In Spain it needs an equivalence authorisation.
• Forgetting the certificate of conformity. For a car with EC type-approval, it is the document that avoids the reduced data sheet.
• Not checking whether the car is deregistered in its country of origin for a reason other than export: you will need to show it is fit to be driven there.

For the full process with cars from outside the EU, including customs, see importing a car from outside the EU. For a specific case, consult the Ministry of Industry, a technical service or the ITV station.

Sources consulted

Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.

• Real Decreto 750/2010, de 4 de junio, por el que se regulan los procedimientos de homologación de vehículos de motor y sus remolques (texto consolidado). BOE.
• Directiva 1999/37/CE del Consejo, relativa a los documentos de matriculación de los vehículos. DOUE (vía BOE).
• Manual de procedimiento de inspección de las estaciones ITV, versión 7.9 (en vigor desde el 1-ene-2026). Ministerio de Industria y Turismo.
• Resolución de 25 de octubre de 2019, de la Dirección General de Industria y de la PYME, sobre requisitos técnicos para la homologación nacional y la puesta en circulación en España de vehículos ya matriculados en otros Estados. BOE.
• Reglamentación y homologación de vehículos (normativa vigente). Ministerio de Industria y Turismo.
• Reglamento (UE) 2018/858, de 30 de mayo de 2018, sobre la homologación y la vigilancia del mercado de los vehículos de motor. DOUE (vía BOE).