There is no information about tow bars in the car informe (car checks).

Below 750kg's no ITV is required, and they would be on the same registration plate as the car when in use.

If over 750kg's they have to have a separate ITV and have a separate registration plate.

If the vehicle is now on a UK registration, for example. We can not do a check in the UK, DVLA system. You must find a service that checks UK vehicles, like a hpi check. If in other countries there is likely to be a country specific search that can be completed.

However, if the vehicle was once on a Spanish registration we can check this. It will confirm the date of export and if legally completed, the owner and position at that time. As per our normal check.

If the vehicle has been properly exported to its new country you should have the correct paperwork to certify this and the relevant certificates of conformity. These would be required to re-import it back into Spain.

We can perform a check as long as we check the original Spanish registration. If you do not know this we can do it from the chasis number.

A vehicle can be situated anywhere in the world. Stop24 can check it as long as it is already registered on Spanish plates.

Please supply the relevant data and pay the fee for the relevant service level in the left hand column.

This is the Traffic Department (equivalent to the DVLA in the UK) where vehicles are registered and anything to do with vehicle ownership takes place.

The main office is in Madrid and there are several provincial offices around Spain.  See the link for office locations.

Click on Comunidad Valenciana for offices in this region (the main one is in Alicante).

Sorting out vehicle issues usually means a trip to the office and a potentially long queue, or using the services of a Gestor.  You can’t just post off documents and hope you get the right piece of paper back, as with many formalities in Spain you need to be there in person.

The Jefatura provincial de tráfico is also sometimes just referred to as ‘tráfico’.

It may be. We have various appointments with different trafico offices each day, Monday to Friday. Some am. some pm. In this instance please call 0034 660 235 365 and advise us of the registration to be checked.

We'll ascertain if a is slot available. If so we shall confirm with you and you must then immediately proceed to pay for a 24 hour check.

If you have found a problem after you have bought a car from a dealer outside of Spain depending on what the problem is, you do have some protection. We're talking here about unpaid finance, taxes, fines, written off, stolen etc. NOT WITH ACTUAL MECHANICAL FAULTS.

As the only means to gain a report is to physically attend a trafico office and apply for it. either in person or with someone on your behalf. This is why many dealerships just don't do the checks.

When a dealer buys a Spanish car they should perform a check themselves, take the UK as an example. If the dealer does or doesn't know of a problem it still doesn't excuse your rights. The dealer should know exactly what they are selling and its condition. They would not buy and sell a UK car without a HPI check.

Even though the law in Spain is very unfair. As you would be left with the problem and have to sort it out not the dealer. If purchased from the UK you are then protected by UK consumer rights. This will allow you the ability to address the dealer to sort the problem out, and if necessary give you a full refund. Still may not be easy and take some time but a means to put right what is wrong.

Your local consumer rights office, citizens advice office can help.

If you are buying a vehicle from a dealer who isn't aware of Stop24, they should be. Please mention our service to them.

Yes, the report we provide is direct from the trafico computers and anything that is recorded against this vehicle will be shown. We include in our initial summary the information below translated into your own language. And a full report overview of all items listed on the trafico report.

1         Registration;
2         First Registered date;
3         If Imported, First Registered, in Spain;
4         Current Registered owner;
5         Type;
6         Model;
7         Chassis No.
8         Usage type;
9         Fuel;
10       Origin of the vehicle;
11       Registered Province;
12       No, of previous owners/transfers;
13       If previously imported;
14       Last transfer date;
15       Current Registered address;
16       ITV (MOT) inspection valid from;
17       ITV Expires;
18       Any debts registered;  
19       If Stolen;
20       Recorded Accidents?

Our aim isn’t to frighten you as a buyer, but to make you aware of the facts and ensure you’re clear on what can happen when buying a  second hand vehicle.

If you want to avoid the things below  happening to you make sure you sign up for our service.

* The seller may not be the legal owner
* The vehicle may have been stolen
* There may be unpaid taxes
* There may be unpaid traffic fines
* There may be an Embargo or reserva against the vehicle
* There could be outstanding debt for the purchase of the vehicle
* The vehicle may not have and up to date ITV (MOT)
* The person selling it may be able to steel the car back from you, and you'd have no legal right to it.
* You may buy the vehicle and then not be able to register it in your name

Our report will ensure you know the answers to all of the above.  This will  leave you in no doubt as to everything about the vehicle you’re buying is legal.

Recently we had a check performed by a customer for a vehicle they had bought 2 years ago. For whatever reason they had not transferred the ownership at the time of purchase. Since the car was purchased the registered owner had taken out 2 loans on the car.  Apart from fraud, this has left a huge headache for the new owner. And at the very least a big problem to sort out before he sells the vehicle on.

A person bought a vehicle from a second hand car dealer. Pays cash  for it and then goes to get it registered. It’s only then they find out that the vehicle had been stolen 2 months earlier. They went back to the garage but they had ceased to trade. They lose the car and the money they paid for  it.

The customer buys a Spanish registered car from the UK. Drives it over to Spain and goes to register it. He then finds out it has got 10,000€ of debt against it. The UK seller is not liable as they were not aware of the debt and the debt passed with the car. The customer either pays the debt or the car goes back to the finance company.

This customer got a knock on the door some 6 months after buying his car and registering the car to himself.  The finance company had tracked him down and alerted to him that he owned them 8,000€ He either paid it or they’d take the car. This customer is still paying weekly the finance company after initially buying the car in the first place!

A man spotted a bargain in the local newspaper, thought it was a great deal as the seller, a young lady was moving away and had to sell. They struck a  deal and the man drove home in his new car. 3 weeks later the police  stopped him on the road. He couldn't speak spanish but they locked him up. Later an interpreter explained that the car had been stolen and used in a robbery. The police thought he could have been involved. The car was impounded and later returned to the rightful owner!

A lady purchased a car from a private gentleman in the UK. The car was an ex rental car and the clock had been turned back to disguise the mileage and true age of the car.

Stop24 work with the trade in various countries including England, France, Holland, and Germany.

It is apparent from our dealings with the public whom are buying vehicles from outside Spain from dealers. Not every dealer even knows they should perform a check. Or, worse still the problems it can get them into.

ASK THE DEALER THESE QUESTIONS.

Have they performed a credit check on the vehicle they are selling?
In the UK the Stop24 check is equivalent to a HPI check.

If not they can not guarantee it's free from debt, or any taxes are due?

Do they have the correct paperwork for the vehicle?
If not it's only when you come to register it that you will not be able to.

Can they locate the previous owner if there is a problem?
Unless the vehicle is in their name. This may be important if you need to sort out any paperwork as they are rightly the legal owner, not the garage as far as the Spanish system is concerned.

The system in Spain is not automated.

A person has to physically make and attend an appointment at a trafico office to obtain your Stop24-check. We are only permitted to make so many checks in any one appointment.

To combat supply and demand we have various people across Spain who can as required obtain a Stop24-check.

The check or 'Informe', is produced by Trafico. Road Tax is a totally separate issue and handled by SUMA. Not connected in any way or we would provide this as part of the report.

From 2009 Informes do carry this information but anything before that is not possible without having to go to SUMA directly.

The only way for us to do a check is directly with the relevant SUMA office concerned for that town listed.

We have a separate form that the seller must complete and then post back to us in order for SUMA to release this information. Unfortunately it’s not a quick process, the actual feedback from SUMA only takes 1 to 3 days but getting the permission is the timely part. If we do it the cost is 45€.

It would be easier to ask the seller to provide this proof themselves, as if they have paid it they will have a receipt stating payment.

If they only have it from 2008, or 2009 you could assume the difference would be owing and you could negotiate this off the price of the vehicle.

Previous years road tax must have been paid to receive the current year. If you have a current document all years before have been paid.

If you see Embargo and AEAT
Its registered by the Spanish tax office (AEAT), i.e. Hacienda is, the Tax office

This could be as little as an unpaid traffic fine or more likely income tax. Unless this is cleared this debt would stay with the vehicle and you would become liable if you purchase it.

If you see this Reserva and AEAT, again its the spanish tax office but this is likely more serious as they have placed an entire block on selling this vehicle. In this instance the owner may have a reserva on everything they own until the debts owed are paid. ALTHOUGH YOU CAN BUY THE CAR YOU CAN NOT PUT IT INTO YOUR NAME. They could also claim it from you.

If your report shows either an embargo or reserva, first consult the owner. They may well be able to what and why.

If you do not trust them or can not find this information Stop24 can check and do a more detailed report on the debt for an EMBARGO. This takes up to 10 days but will tell you of who and what the specific are, i.e. Who is the debt made by, what fro and how much.

No, the report only records the current owners details. Previous owners are not listed other than the number of previous transfers made.

If you see  'RESERVA'. The vehicle has a reservation against it.

YOU CAN STILL PURCHASE THE VEHICLE BUT YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO PUT IT INTO YOUR NAME UNLESS YOU SORT OUT WHAT THE RESERVA IS FOR.

Speak to the current owner and try to find out what is wrong. Or, STOP24 can perform a more detailed check on the vehicle in the 'Mercantile' register and find out exactly who has made the reserva and what it's for. This debt may be as simple as a traffic fine, finance, unpaid taxes or import duty.

IF YOU HAVE BOUGHT THE CAR WITHOUT A CHECK AND FIND THIS YOU WILL HAVE TO TRY AND RESOLVE IT WITH THE OWNER.

If you can't the vehicle will never be in your name and unsellable unless the new buyer is unsuspecting.

A RESERVA differs from an EMBARGO only by the fact that you can not put it into your name until the RESERVA is sorted out.

Be very cautious as they should have a completed certificate or invoice from the local town hall  (Ayuntamiento) or SUMA office stating this has been payed.

Tax is quite often out of date and unless you can prove its been payed potentially you will end up paying for the current year and any back tax for unpaid years.

The owner of the car must go to do this in person. You can't as you are not the legal owner.

The province of Malaga do not differentiate car and house tax. So if you buy a car registered to Malaga and there is outstanding tax to pay. On the car or house you’ll have to settle it in order to transfer the car into your name.

If you have a current tax certificate ' Impuesto Sobre Vehiculos' you can be assured the previous years tax have been paid. It is only possible to tax the vehicle for the current year if the previous years taxes have been paid.

In this unlikely event of Stop24 not being able to fulfill the service level you requested. If you request a refund we will refund you the difference to the next service level down. i.e. If you paid for a 24hr check @ 99,99€ and we didn't perform within this time. We shall take the next service level downs fee as the correct fee. i.e. 79,99€. We'll then will refund the difference the same way you paid within 5 working days.

Why could this happen?
It's important to understand that each appointment we attend has a limited number of checks obtainable at that time. As our service levels vary from 1 day to 5 days and we have a number of appointments each day this is usually not a problem for us to service all daily requirements.

Occasionally there are problems with trafico computers which render all appointments that day void. On these occasions we have no control and must then push all checks from that day to the next. This is very occasional but does happen.

IN ANY INSTANCE WE ADVISE YOU NOT TO COMPLETE A PURCHASE OF A VEHICLE UNTIL YOU ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE REPORT RESULTS. Stop24 can not be made liable for any loses incurred if you choose to do otherwise.

There are occasions where we provide a report and the ITV ( Inspección Técnica) has expired either recently or in some cases years ago. About 1 on 30 vehicles we check this arises.

The seller is claiming it is valid and they had one completed recently. This may be the case but you must go by what the trafico report states. If you are stopped by the Guardia they will only see what the computer states and you may be fined, or worse still vehicle impounded.

To protect yourself you must obtain the original copies from the owner, these will be stamped, dated and endorsed by the ITV station.

Check the dates. If the owner doesn't have the originals do not accept copies. You will be safer in getting a new ITV inspection performed prior to your purchase.

If you obtain the original and it's still valid you can re-enter this when you register the vehicle in your name.

The Permiso De Circulación document is the current legal owner of the car and the registered address.

The Impuesto Sobre Vehiculos is the road fund license. This could easily be out of date by one or more years. Once you have bought a second hand car in Spain, you would be liable to pay the back dated taxes before you could register the car in your local Ayuntamiento or SUMA office if not up to date.

If you have a valid Impuesto Sobre Vehiculos the previous years taxes are paid and up to date.

We always advise to ensure you are buying the car of the legal owner. if not they must provide you written signed proof they can sell the vehicle on behalf of the owner. In all case obtain copies of NIE's Passports and contact details should you need to get back in touch.

Valid  Inspección Técnica or Ficha Técnica. Also called the ITV. In England you would call this the MOT. It gives the car details, and is stamped and dated with the last ITV inspection passed and stating for how many years this is valid.

This isn't required to be up to date but without it you can not be sure the car is road worthy. If the seller is unwilling to obtain a new ITV prior to sale, ask yoru self why not? They may be hiding something.

It is not uncommon for a car to have a valid ITV but it isn't showing on the trafico report.

ALSO, MAKE SURE THE PERSON SELLING THE VEHICLE HAS THE LEGAL RIGHT TO DO SO. WRITTEN PROOF IS NEEDED IF NOT THE NAMED OWNER OF THE VEHICLE.

If you see  'EMBARGO'. The vehicle has an embargo against it. i.e. there is some kind of claim made against the vehicle.

YOU CAN STILL PURCHASE THE VEHICLE AND PUT IT INTO YOUR NAME. YOU THEN BECOME RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EMBARGO.

Speak to the current owner and try to find out what is wrong. Or, STOP24 can perform a more detailed check on the vehicle in the 'Mercantile' register and find out exactly who has made the reserva and what it's for. This debt may be as simple as a traffic fine, finance, unpaid taxes or import duty.

IF YOU HAVE BOUGHT THE CAR WITHOUT A CHECK AND FIND THIS YOU WILL HAVE TO TRY AND RESOLVE IT WITH THE OWNER. It is unlikely they will wish to help as it is then not their responsibility.

The person who made the embargo is entitled to claim the vehicle to reclaim its debt.

If by mistake you gave us the wrong vehicle registration to check and we performed our service on that vehicle. Unfortunately this has completed our service and no refunds can be given.

Each check is performed on an individual basis. We have to make and attend another appointment with trafico to obtain each registration we check. We will however repeat a check for you at our lowest rate.

Please refill in the payment form online.
But choose the lowest price.
We shall complete the check for you as if it was a 24 hour check.

If you check your vehicles with Stop24 we'll happily add your details and links to our web site.

We have a section called. LHD dealer sources.  We'll place you there. Name of your business, address, a summary, and web link.

As a one off purchase the same as the public, there is no difference to the public costings. Simply choose the service level you like and pay.

You do have an option to pre-buy a set number of checks as part of our Dealer Specific package. There are various options available depending on the amount you pre-purcahse. This also relates up to a 40% saving per check. Please contact us via the contact form.

Yes we do. Firstly we need to confirm you are a legitimate dealer / trader. Once confirmed we have 2 options of service. One is identical to the standard public services and one a dealer specific. Please contact us via the contact form.

Below 750kg's no, and they would be on the same registration plate as the car.

If over 750kg's they have to have a separate ITV and have a separate registration plate.

There is no information about tow bars in the car informe (car checks).

If you have brought a car into Spain and its MOT (for example in the UK) has expired. You can choose to do a voluntary ITV, without the expense of going back to the country of registration and re-performing a road worthy test there.

At all times your vehicle has to be provable to be road worthy. If you had an accident whereas the vehicle was written off. You would need to claim on the insurance 'technically' without proof of an ITV they could choose to offer you a much lesser amount, not market value or refuse the whole claim.

If your vehicle is road worthy they have to pay the market value. This is Law.

Green card               
certificado internacional de seguro de autómovil

Third party insurance      
responsabilidad civil obligatoria/seguro obligatoria

Third party, fire and theft       
responsabilidad civil obligatoria, incendio y robo

Comprehensive           
todo riesgo

No-claims bonus           
bonificación/sistema bonus-malus

Accident report form       
declaración de siniestro de automóvil

Driving licence           
permiso de conducción

Secondhand               
de segunda mano/de ocasión

Registration document       
permiso de circulación

For sale               
Se vende

MOT                  
Inspección técnica de vehículos/ITV

Road tax   
impuesto municipal sobre vehículos de tracción mecánica/IVTM

Motorway   
Autovía/autopista

Main road   
carretera

Roadside assistance   
Auxilio en carretera

Parking   
Aparcamiento

Free/full   
Libre/completo

Map   
El mapa

Fine/penalty   
La multa

Road accident   
Accidente de tráfico

Statement   
Atestado

Unleaded petrol   
Sin plomo

Diesel   
Gasóleo

Petrol station   
La gasolinera

Full   
Lleno

For a more indepth overview of the motoring in spain visit www.localinfo.es

Sections covered are;

Buying a car in Spain

Selling a car in Spain

Renting a car

Car Tax & ITV's (MOT) 

What to do if you are involved in an accident

Driving Licences

Car Insurance

Road Tax

Rules of the road

Garages (garajes-talleres)

The Traffic Police

Importing Vehicles

If the person selling is not the owner for any reason, such as family member, or second hand car dealer, then you need to make sure that they are allowed to sell the car. This is particularly important in the case of a private sale.

One of the first things to check, whether buying or selling, is that these are all in order for the car in question. Ask to see the original of all these documents before going any further.

Ask the seller to show you the originals of these three documents. For transferring into your name copies will not do. Every car needs to have the following documents up to date to start the buy / sell process:

Permiso De Circulación - the Log Book. It gives the car details, number plate, chassis number, make and model, year of first registration, and most importantly the name and address of the current owner.

Inspección Técnica - Also called the ITV. It gives the car details, and is stamped and dated with the last ITV inspection passed and stating for how many years this is valid.

Impuesto Sobre Vehiculos or Impuesto municipal - This is equivalent to a road license fee. It is payable yearly to the Town Hall / Ayuntamiento where the owner is registered, or in some cases the local SUMA office.

Check that the names correspond between them. Can the seller legally sell the vehicle?

If not the owner what proof have they got that they can legally sell. This needs to be written permission from the owner, signed dated and with NIE number.

Check the seller’s ID too. Obtain their NIE, and or a copy of their passport.

Be careful, it's usually ok but don't accept a sellers word that things are ok. You need proof.

If there is a problem say an paid fine or car tax outdated don’t accept the seller’s word that the transfer has been completed until you see the new Permiso De Circulación in your name.

They could steal the car back! - How could this happen?
Example: the transfer process is held up because the back-taxes are not paid. Seller says he will deal with it all tomorrow and call you. He calls you to say everything is done and dusted, so you can collect the keys and pay him the balance. You get the keys, the documents except for the Permiso De Circulación The seller tells you it will be sent to you. It’s all LIES!! He could steal the car back at the earliest opportunity, and you won’t have a legal leg to stand on.

Generally speaking, if at the start you have checked that the original documents for the car seem to be in order, and correspond to the ID of the seller, you can assume that the sale is being made in good faith. Just doing that will detect the majority of the con tricks. If a seller cannot produce all of those original documents in his own name, then be very careful!! Maybe better to look elsewhere.