How long can you have a car in Tenerife for on foreign plates?

[alex.sibianu]

Hello,

I stumbled upon a post where someone stated that you can use a car with foreign plate numbers for only 6 months, is this true?

I couldn't find any documentation regarding this issue, so please help(i intend to bring my car and bikes over there)

Thanks,
Alex

[alex.sibianu]

Well i plan to move over there for 8-12 months, and it would cost me a lot more to bring my stuff by plane(and not 100% safe since i have to bring computers and monitors)

Why shouldn't i do it?

Alex

[alex.sibianu]

mmmm ...

I am not coming from UK, i am coming from Romania so the car is LHD.

About the bikes i intend to bring them over a trailer attached to the car.

I do a lot of graphic design and software development so i need a powerful computer and high quality monitors.

I will try and find a way to come without car and bikes, by plane. Car+Ferry will cost me over 1000euro (2 persons) from Romania to Tenerife, in this money i hope i will be able to find a decent alternative.

I would not be happy if the police would stop me every day to ask me about the car and my nationality :)

Thanks,
Alex

[cainaries]

mmmm ...

I am not coming from UK, i am coming from Romania so the car is LHD.

About the bikes i intend to bring them over a trailer attached to the car.

I do a lot of graphic design and software development so i need a powerful computer and high quality monitors.

I will try and find a way to come without car and bikes, by plane. Car+Ferry will cost me over 1000euro (2 persons) from Romania to Tenerife, in this money i hope i will be able to find a decent alternative.

I would not be happy if the police would stop me every day to ask me about the car and my nationality :)

Thanks,
Alex

It's a bit of a money-raising tactic (I'm sure you've heard about the state of the Spanish economy). Motorists are easy targets everywhere. So, if you have foreign plates .... you just might be a small goldmine to them.

[alex.sibianu]

To be honest i don't know if i need a work visa or not, i don't intend to work in Tenerife, i wish to move out of Romania since all my work is online.
I wish to rent a nice house and continue my online work (web development, software development, graphics, sysadmin, etc.) from there.

Unfortunately Romanians do have a bad name across Europe i only wish to add that Romanian Gypsies have a major fault for this, they are completely different from the other Romanians, we don't get along with them. But still they are not the only ones to blame for our "good name" across Europe.

I made a quick research and i found a great route from Bucharest (Budapest is the capital of Hungary :D, a common mistake) to Milan with Wizzair(50euro) and from Milan to Tenerife, Ryanair(72euro). I know have to sort out my fragile bagage.

If you are kind enough to give me Ollie's contact, i would ask him about a computer configuration.

Thanks,
Alex

When i arrive in Tenerife i will get in touch with you, since i need a good internet connection.

[KirstyJay]

I was in Romania last November. We managed to get from TFS return to Budapest for around 150€-200€ per person, with an overnight stop in Madrid at the Axor Feria. Very nice and reasonable hotel with free connection to Barajas airport. Have a look at this option. Ryanair to/from TFS/MAD and Wizzair Banaesa/MAD. :)

On your country... Sinaia and the north was amazing... but cold! :)

[alex.sibianu]

this is fastest connection on the island BUT AINT IN BRIT TOURIST AREAS

http://www.onocanarias.es/

but santa cruz / la laguna are lot cheaper for housing and you have white sand beach near

i know the capitals that was closest ryanair flight to you in romania


ollie 00 34 922376425 after 18.00 WET

I believe we will get a house in the North of the island, a friend of mine is already in tenerife lookinf for a house, he found one today in the North (4 bedrooms, solar panels, close to the ocean; 650euro). I am looking for something nice and quite.


I was in Romania last November. We managed to get from TFS return to Budapest for around 150€-200€ per person, with an overnight stop in Madrid at the Axor Feria. Very nice and reasonable hotel with free connection to Barajas airport. Have a look at this option. Ryanair to/from TFS/MAD and Wizzair Banaesa/MAD. :)

On your country... Sinaia and the north was amazing... but cold! :)

I found a great connection from Buchares:

Bucharest Baneasa --> Milan (wizzair) arrives in Milan at 7:20AM
leaves Milan at 14:20 --> Tenerife (ryanair)

It was cold because you probably came in the winter :)
There are a lot of great places to see in Romania and the people are great!! Except gypsies :(

[Muppet]

Previous comments about Romanians needing work permits is correct, it applies to Spain as a whole, including the Canaries.

You will need an NIE number to buy pretty much anything here, and certainly to take on a rental contract. Whether you can get an NIE number (then after 3 months a Residencia - (another legal requirement)), without a work permit, or how you apply for one, I have no idea.

You would be wise getting in touch with someone who can help you - forum member Goldenmaniac is recommended.

[KirstyJay]

He did mention that he will be working remotely from Tenerife, so his actual work will still be in Romania, so I doubt a work permit will be needed. :)

[Muppet]

Thats correct, but he cannot sign a rental agreement without an NIE/Residencia, and the question here is whether he can get either, as a Romanian who needs a work permit

[alex.sibianu]

Thank you all for your replies!

I will rent a house using my company. The agreement will be made between the owner of the house and my company so i don't expect to encounter any problems.

Regarding my work, i don't do any work for the Romanian market, mostly i work with UK, Netherlands, Belgium, US and Australia

"Muppet" in case i will need any info regarding Residencia i will get in touch with Goldmaniac -- Thanks!

In the end i decided to leave my car and bikes behind.
I will buy a car and bike that will suite my needs from there.

I will probably book a flight on the 7th of May.

Thanks,
Alex

[Balcony]

Legally, you are allowed to drive a foreign-registered vehicle in Spain for up to 6 months in any one year. If you keep it any longer, officially you should have it tested and re-registered as a Spanish vehicle.

There is a warning that ignoring the rule of re-registering means the police are entitled to impound the vehicle if they believe it is used permanently in Spain (especially so as it is said that many people driving this way also have invalid insurance.


Hello,

I stumbled upon a post where someone stated that you can use a car with foreign plate numbers for only 6 months, is this true?

I couldn't find any documentation regarding this issue, so please help(i intend to bring my car and bikes over there)

Thanks,
Alex

[Muppet]

Thank you all for your replies!

I will rent a house using my company. The agreement will be made between the owner of the house and my company so i don't expect to encounter any problems.

Regarding my work, i don't do any work for the Romanian market, mostly i work with UK, Netherlands, Belgium, US and Australia

"Muppet" in case i will need any info regarding Residencia i will get in touch with Goldmaniac -- Thanks!

In the end i decided to leave my car and bikes behind.
I will buy a car and bike that will suite my needs from there.
I will probably book a flight on the 7th of May.

Thanks,
Alex

In which case you will absolutely need an NIE form in order to buy a car/bike here (and probably for a rental agreement too) so you MUST check that as a Romanian you can get an NIE without a work permit etc.....

[lynnangela]

What about using a carrier like DHL or similar to transport your stuff to Tenerife? would that be a possibility?

[alex.sibianu]

We sorted the issue of getting a house!
Just today we rented a nice house in the North(i don't know exactly the area, yet) - 550euro/month 4rooms/laundry/close to the ocean/nice garden

I am actually looking forward to moving there! :)

Regarding the stuff i have to bring.
I did some research, i might use EMS or i will try to bring them over by plane (i have some concerns regarding the handling, i will bring fragile stuff)
-- does anyone know how much luggage i can take with Ryanair, except the hand baggage. It would be nice if i could take 30kg/person --

Thanks,
Alex

[sunseeker]

15kilos with ryanair.

[FibreV]

Hello, tenerife community, this in my first post on the forum.
i can see this is kind of old post, but still i will take my chaces,
I came here with a foreign plate numbers car , i knew that the limit is 6 months untill you have to change which in fine, but police stoped me and sayed that the limit is two months and i have to change them ASAP, which is the truth?

thx :)

[angiebabes]

Yes, we were told by customs that if you have NIE then you only have one month to matriculate a car onto Spanish plates. We have done this. As long as you keep your ferry ticket showing date of arrival on Tenerife together with the appropriate customs paperwork showing that the car is going thru matriculation, then no problem. Now the car is on Tenerife Plates and has been for two years, although RHD we have only been stopped once and when police saw Rhd they told us to carry on.

[FibreV]

thank you verry much for your reply,
but i don`t have NIE,
they asked me the following:
where do yoy live - responded
tourist or resident - tourist
do you stay in an hotel or appartment? - appartment
is this car yours? - yes for the last 4 years..
they asked me to come with them to make copies of my car papers

one of them acted very rude shouting that this is Spain and i should speak spanish.. wow :)

any ideas?

[kiwiphil]

because the police will stop you ask if you live here ,which you do and then issue you with papers to get you vehicle on spanish plates plus import tax . then to insure no spanish company will insure a brit drive car , there is IBEX .a car will cost you about €1000 to do .why you bringing monitors.,and computers you only need an external hard drive ... fly here by ryanair and spend the saved money on new laptop .how you getting here with car and bikes

There are alot of foreign vehicles on the roads that have been here for alot longer than 6 months. You may get stopped by the police but you have a pretty good chance of not being stopped too.

Insurance is not a problem, IBEX are happy to ensure a foreign plated car in Spain. All they insist on is that you get a voluntary ITV when your MOT runs out to prove that the vehicle is road worthy.

What would be really good to know is who has been stopped by the police in the past couple of years with a car that is over the 6 month limit? What fines have been applied? Everyone seems to "have heard of someone" who got fined, or their car impounded, but I'm not sure how common this is or if the stories I've heard are just urban myths?

Cheers, Phil

[FibreV]

thank you kiwiphil,
yes, i know but still i don`t want to risk to have my car impounded :)
i decided to go with the normal way to register the car here, i know it`s costly but i don`t see any other viable alternatives for now