Buying a car in Spain and importing it to Germany: DGT, encumbrances and export

Before paying for a car in Spain, obtain a complete DGT report, compare the vehicle identification number (VIN) and check the seller's authority to sell. Then have its current condition inspected. Release payment only once encumbrances, original documents and handover are resolved. Prepare export deregistration, transport and German registration documents before travelling.

The following steps apply to a private buyer resident in Germany and a used car already registered in Spain from the Spanish EU tax territory, particularly the mainland. The Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are excluded. The current advertised location alone does not prove an exclusively Spanish vehicle history.

Contents: DGT report · Encumbrances · Condition inspection · Contract and deregistration · Transport · Checklist · Taxes and registration · FAQ

Which DGT report should you request before buying?

The free informe reducido is an initial filter: it shows, among other things, whether there are indications of administrative obstacles. It is not a complete pre-purchase check. For your decision, request the informe completo. It contains available information on the registered keeper, registration, Spain's ITV technical inspection, mileage and encumbrances. DGT recommends the complete report before buying. If you lack your own DGT online access, arrange it beforehand through an authorised representative.

Before travelling, also request copies of the permiso de circulación, the Spanish registration certificate, and the tarjeta ITV or ficha técnica, the technical vehicle document. Compare the VIN, registration number and keeper details with the offer; check the VIN again on the car. If the seller differs from the registered keeper, request clear evidence of ownership or representation. DGT also identifies the document types in its guidance on transfer abroad.

Read odometer entries as a chronological sequence and ask about earlier countries of registration. Maintenance data in the DGT report comes from participating workshops, not automatically every repair business. Missing entries prove neither an accident-free history nor complete maintenance. Compare them with invoices and the car's condition; DGT explains the report's scope.

What should you do about Reserva de dominio or Precinto?

A reserva de dominio is retention of title arising from financing. “The loan is paid” is insufficient evidence that the register entry has disappeared. Removal requires release documents from the finance company and the corresponding processing in the Registro de Bienes Muebles. DGT describes the procedure for financial encumbrances.

For export deregistration, DGT distinguishes the following: a precinto, an administrative or judicial restriction, must first be lifted. For a registered restriction on disposal, it requires removal or the finance company's express consent. This is stated in the export deregistration procedure.

Consent to deregistration is not the same as removal of an encumbrance. Before paying, have the current register status and exact scope of release checked: does it cover the intended sale too? Do not buy on a promise that the bank matter will be settled after your transfer.

What should be inspected before you pay?

A register report answers different questions from an examination of the car. A passed statutory technical inspection also does not replace an assessment of wear and repair quality before purchase. TÜV NORD explains this distinction in its AutoKaufCheck. An independent inspection on site is a buying recommendation here, not a general legal obligation.

Bodywork, underbody and powertrain

Arrange underbody access and have repair traces, corrosion, axles, powertrain and fluid leaks examined. Paint measurements must be assessed alongside the panel, material and repair pattern, not a universal threshold. Actually test the air conditioning and equipment for operation. A location in sunny Spain does not rule out accident or water damage. Record findings in photographs and a report; our inspection points provide guidance.

Test drive, diagnostics and remaining limitations

Establish a cold start, permitted test drive and diagnostic access beforehand. If the underbody, particular control units or driving behaviour cannot be checked, the report must explicitly state this as a limitation. A fault code is not yet a repair quotation; an empty fault memory does not confirm the absence of defects. Use the inspection scopes to specify what should be examined.

For an unresolved VIN, an outstanding sale restriction, missing essential originals or a significant unexplained technical finding, our recommendation is: postpone payment and collection until the specific point is resolved.

What belongs in the contract, and how does Baja definitiva work?

Record seller and buyer, VIN, observed mileage, price including tax treatment, known damage, documents supplied and payment conditions. Establish whether you are buying privately or from a dealer and which law governs the contract. Your German residence does not automatically apply all German warranty rules to a Spanish contract. ADAC provides information on buying abroad.

Before German registration, the baja definitiva por traslado del vehículo a otro país, Spanish deregistration for transfer abroad, must be completed. Agree who will apply, such as the registered keeper or their authorised representative. Establish power of attorney, identity evidence and any required Spanish NIE identification number before travelling. If the application is to be in your name, clarify proof of ownership with DGT beforehand. The specific deregistration procedure is decisive.

Do not plan as though an online application is completed immediately: DGT notes the required processing time. Obtain proof of completion. Collect the original Spanish documents, deregistration evidence, contract or invoice, available maintenance records and agreed keys. Document condition, mileage and the date and time of handover. DGT requires the Spanish documents to be retained for destination registration.

How is a deregistered car brought to Germany?

After deregistration, you cannot simply continue driving with the previous regular registration. DGT lists vehicle transport or temporary registration with placas verdes as transfer routes. Choose a fully organised solution before deregistration; see DGT on transfer.

For export placas verdes, DGT specifies 60 days' validity and a valid ITV. This requirement also applies to driving to an EU destination. It is separate from the particular ITV condition for export deregistration to non-EU destinations; that condition must not be applied indiscriminately to deregistration for Germany. Sources: DGT on placas verdes and DGT on deregistration.

Also establish recognition of the temporary registration for the whole route, including France on the usual land route. Have the insurer confirm dates, countries travelled through and the authorised driver. The seller's plates and insurance do not automatically remain a solution. If lawful driving remains unresolved, arrange transport with the vehicle loaded. ADAC provides guidance.

Your checklist before purchase and collection

Use these six questions to coordinate with the seller, inspector and registration authority. “Open”, “Evidence reviewed” and “Discrepancy to resolve” are personal progress states. Even six reviewed items confirm neither their validity nor the vehicle's condition.

How do you prepare for taxes, costs and registration in Germany?

VAT: “used” is more than a description in an advert

For VAT purposes, the car is used only if it has travelled more than 6,000 km and is supplied more than six months after first registration. Exactly 6,000 km or no more than six months means “new” for tax purposes; German acquisition taxation must then be established separately. For the EU used car described here, transfer alone incurs no customs duty or additional German VAT. A dealer's invoice depends on the tax procedure, including possible margin taxation; a net-price purchase is not automatically available. Source: Your Europe on vehicle VAT.

Allow for Spanish ITP in a private purchase

When privately buying a car in Spain that is also used for VAT purposes, you as a non-resident buyer must declare Spanish transfer tax ITP using Modelo 620 yourself. AEAT specifies 4% of the taxable base, not automatically the advertised price. You must submit the tax declaration within 30 Spanish working days of concluding the contract and pay any tax due within the same period, not after German registration. Sales by a business in the course of its VAT-taxable activity are not subject to this ITP. Establish the taxable base and procedure before signing. Source: AEAT: non-residents buying used vehicles.

Agree the documents with your registration authority

As a specific local example, Berlin's EU/EEA used-vehicle procedure generally requires original documents: foreign registration papers, purchase contract or invoice, proof of identity, eVB insurance confirmation and a SEPA mandate. A COC or manufacturer data confirmation is also needed for type-approved cars. Existing foreign plates may also have to be presented.

Establish with your responsible registration authority what evidence of a valid HU inspection is needed and whether the Spanish inspection evidence suffices in the specific case. An age-related exception may cover young vehicles. Without type approval, an expert report under section 21 StVZO is provided for; a missing COC alone does not automatically mean that route. German registration also does not reliably replace Spanish deregistration, as Berlin explicitly notes.

Know the total price before committing

Add the price, inspection, any ITP, DGT and representation costs, transport or transit registration with insurance, travel, required technical evidence, German registration and documented repairs. Consider ongoing insurance and vehicle tax separately. Obtain quotations for outstanding items and mark unknowns as unresolved, not zero euros. The basis is the EU tax guidance, AEAT rules and registration requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Is the free DGT short report enough before buying?

No, not as the basis for a complete pre-purchase check. It is an initial filter; DGT recommends the complete report before buying. Even that does not replace examination of the current condition. DGT: vehicle report.

Does the final loan payment automatically remove Reserva de dominio?

No. Request evidence of actual removal. The finance company's express consent may be relevant to export deregistration, but does not equal a removed register entry or an unencumbered purchase. DGT: financial encumbrances; DGT: export deregistration.

How do I transport the car after Baja definitiva?

On a suitable transport vehicle or with effective temporary registration, a valid ITV and appropriate insurance. If driving, plate validity and cover must also include transit through France. DGT: placas verdes; ADAC: transfer from abroad in the EU.

Define the inspection scope before buying

Use our inspection points to prepare an independent examination on site and specifically address missing checks before paying or travelling to collect the car.

View inspection points for your used-car purchase