Insurance for an imported car: before and after registering it

An imported car needs insurance from the moment it moves under its own power, and who insures it changes at each stage. If you drive it back from the country of purchase, you will need insurance and temporary plates from that country. Once in Spain, for a maximum period of thirty days from when you accepted delivery, Spanish law lets you choose between insuring it in the State of registration or in Spain, and to pass the ITV (Spain's roadworthiness inspection) you will have to show the compulsory insurance. After registration, you should update the policy with the Spanish plate.

Why insurance comes first

In Spain, the law on civil liability and insurance in the use of motor vehicles provides that every owner of motor vehicles that are normally kept in Spain is obliged to take out and keep in force an insurance contract for each vehicle they hold (translated from the Spanish). This compulsory insurance covers third-party liability; damage to your own car depends on the optional cover you add.

Driving without it is expensive. The same law provides for a ban on the circulation in Spanish territory of uninsured vehicles, the impounding or sealing of the vehicle and a fine of €601 to €3,005 (translated from the Spanish). So, before thinking about the ITV or registration, you should have worked out how the car will be insured in each stage.

The journey from the country of purchase

For a new vehicle bought in another EU country that is not yet registered in yours, the European Commission's Your Europe portal sets out three ways of bringing it, and they also serve as a guide for a used one:

• Tow it yourself, as long as you use a registered, fully insured vehicle.
• Hire a specialised company for this kind of transport.
• Drive it yourself, for which you will need insurance and temporary registration plates from the country where you bought it.

If you choose to drive it, Your Europe warns that temporary registration plates are not harmonised in the EU: check that the insurance is valid and the plates are recognised in every country you drive through. Which temporary plates exist and with what insurance they are issued is decided by each country, so ask in the country of purchase before paying for the car. If you are going to use a lorry, ask what the carrier's insurance covers during loading, the journey and unloading.

The first thirty days in Spain

Spanish law has a specific rule for cars arriving from another country of the European Economic Area. A vehicle is understood to be normally kept in Spain when it is imported from another Member State of the European Economic Area, for a maximum period of thirty days from when the buyer accepted delivery of the vehicle, even if it does not carry a Spanish plate (translated from the Spanish).

During that period you have two options, under the same law:

• Insure it in the Member State of registration, that is, keep insurance from the country where it is registered.
• Insure it in Spain after accepting delivery.

The law adds that such vehicles may be insured temporarily through border insurance, and entrusts the Spanish Motor Insurers' Office (OFESAUTO) with managing the issue of border insurance. If you are looking for “insurance by the day” for this stage, ask specifically about that type or about a temporary policy, and check that the document identifies the car by its chassis number.

Bear in mind that this thirty-day period refers to insurance, not to how long you can drive with a foreign plate: we explain that in a car with a foreign plate in Spain.

Insurance for the ITV and for driving with green plates

The pre-registration inspection also requires insurance. Royal Decree 920/2017 provides that showing the vehicle's compulsory insurance is a precondition for carrying out any technical inspection (translated from the Spanish). Take the proof of the current policy on the day of the appointment. What else the station asks for is in the ITV for an imported car.

If you need to drive while you process the definitive registration, the DGT (Spain's traffic authority) offers a temporary permit with green plates for vehicles pending registration, including those acquired with non-Spanish plates. These temporary permits are valid for 60 days and are requested at the same time as the definitive registration, with fee 1.4 of €20.61. For insurance, that plate already counts as Spanish: the law considers that the vehicle is normally kept in Spain when it has a Spanish plate, regardless of whether that plate is definitive or temporary (translated from the Spanish).

After registration: the Spanish policy

With the definitive registration, update the policy so that it shows the Spanish plate and not the temporary one. From that moment, Spanish compulsory insurance guarantees civil liability cover, with the payment of a single premium, throughout the territory of the European Economic Area, so it also covers you on your trips around Europe.

If until now you had the car insured in another country, Your Europe gives two useful warnings:

• You can ask your insurer for a certificate of the claims you have had over the last five years, which they must provide within 15 days.
• If you present that certificate to the company you go to, it must apply your claims history for the purpose of any discount just as it does for local residents, although discounts vary from one company to another, so it is worth comparing.

The remaining steps to get the car in order are in how to register an imported car with the DGT.

Practical checklist

• Before buying: decide how you will bring the car and who insures it during the journey.
• If you drive it: temporary plates and insurance valid in every country you pass through.
• On arrival: choose where to insure it for the first thirty days and keep the policy.
• For the ITV: proof of current insurance.
• With green plates or with the definitive registration: a policy with the Spanish plate.
• If you come from another country: a claims certificate to negotiate the premium.

If you want to see all the costs of the process in one place, insurance included, see how much it costs to import a car to Spain.

Sources consulted

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

• Real Decreto Legislativo 8/2004, de 29 de octubre, texto refundido de la Ley sobre responsabilidad civil y seguro en la circulación de vehículos a motor (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).
• Validez del seguro del coche en la UE. Comisión Europea (Tu Europa).
• Matrícula temporal (placas verdes). DGT (sede electrónica).