Is It Worth Doing It Yourself?
You can re-register your foreign-registered car on Spanish plates entirely yourself (Matriculación de vehículo importado), without a Gestoria. The upside: you save the fee of usually 300 to 500 EUR and keep control. The price: time, patience and some Spanish.
This guide takes you through every step in the right order. If it gets too much along the way, you can switch and hand the re-registration over at any time, more on that below.
And if you do not strictly need the car: rather than taking on the whole effort, selling is often the easier route. Through our free car selling service you find buyers on the island, even with foreign plates.
Plan Realistically
Officially the DGT has up to 3 months for the Matriculación. In practice on Mallorca it can take longer, because the re-registration inspection is done only in Manacor and the appointment is assigned by the ITV service - you cannot book it yourself. Plan a buffer and, if needed, use the temporary green plates to drive legally.
What You Need First
Get these ready, ideally before you move:
- NIE or TIE (your Spanish foreigner identification number)
- Proof of address in Spain: usually the Empadronamiento (not older than 3 months). Not required for the ITV online submission (Step 2), but needed for the tax exemption (Modelo 06, Step 3) and the DGT application (Step 6).
- Vehicle documents from your home country in the original: registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I) and vehicle title (Teil II)
- CoC document (Certificate of Conformity) in the original. This is the most important point. Without a CoC or Ficha Reducida the re-registration inspection is counted as failed on the spot. If it is missing, order it early from the manufacturer (50 to 200 EUR depending on the brand).
- Digital identity: Certificado Digital. Since the ITV service on Mallorca was nationalised, it is now required as early as Step 2 to submit your documents online. Cl@ve is not enough as the portal requires a digital signature via AutoFirm@.
Sort the CoC First
Without a CoC you risk an expensive individual homologation with an engineer's report (around 1,800 EUR plus tax and several extra weeks). So first clarify whether you have the CoC or need to order it from the manufacturer.
Money-Saver: Tax Exemption on Change of Residence
If you move your residence to Spain permanently, you can be exempt from the registration tax (Impuesto de Matriculación, IEDMT). That quickly saves several hundred euros. The exemption runs via the Modelo 06 (exemption without prior recognition), not the Modelo 576 (payment).
Conditions for the change-of-residence exemption:
- You had your habitual residence outside Spain for at least 12 consecutive months before the move.
- The vehicle was taxed normally when bought in the country of origin.
- You used the vehicle at your old residence for at least 6 months before the move.
- You file the application within the deadline (60 days for a change of residence).
- You do not sell the vehicle for 12 months after registration.
If you meet these conditions, Step 3 for you is the Modelo 06 (exemption) instead of a payment. Otherwise you pay via the Modelo 576.
Not Tax or Legal Advice
This guide is a practical orientation, not tax or legal advice. Whether the exemption applies in your case, and how high the tax would otherwise be, is best clarified briefly with the Agencia Tributaria.
The Process in 7 Steps
The order matters: first the inspection (it produces the Spanish technical data), then the taxes, then the insurance, then the DGT. The deregistration in your home country comes last.
Step 1: Prepare Documents and Digital Identity
Gather the documents listed above. Get a Certificado Digital - it is now mandatory for two steps: the ITV document submission in Step 2 and the DGT application in Step 6. Cl@ve is not sufficient. Also install AutoFirm@ (free at firmaelectronica.gob.es), which you need to sign the electronic submission. Obtain the CoC if it is missing. Scan everything as a clearly legible PDF.
Step 2: Re-registration Inspection (Homologación) in Manacor
Your imported car does not need the routine, recurring ITV but the Inspección previa a matriculación (Homologación). On Mallorca this is carried out only at the Manacor ITV station.
Mallorca Is Not the Same as the Mainland
Since 1 January 2025 the ITV service on Mallorca has been nationalised: the Consell de Mallorca (public authority) took over under the Balearic reform (Ley 7/2024). The national requirements for the Matriculación remain the same. What differs is the process: on Mallorca you submit documents via the Electronic Registry of the Consell de Mallorca, an expediente is opened, and the physical inspection takes place only in Manacor - with no self-booked appointment. On the Spanish mainland these inspections run through private ITV stations with their own online portals. If waiting times on Mallorca are too long, the mainland is a legally valid alternative, see Re-registering a Car via the Mainland.
How does it work today? Since the nationalisation of the ITV service on Mallorca (Ley 7/2024), documents are first submitted online. The ITV service then opens the expediente and assigns you an inspection date in Manacor.
Step 2a: Submit documents online
Open the Electronic Registry of the Consell de Mallorca and log in:
- URL: cim.secimallorca.net/segex/tramite.aspx?idtramite=12082
- Login: "Identificarse con certificado digital a través de nuestro servidor" - select the first option
- AutoFirm@ must be installed (free at firmaelectronica.gob.es) - you sign electronically at the end
The form guides you through 8 steps:
Step 1 - Datos del interesado/a: Click "+ Nuevo/a interesado/a" and add yourself as the applicant. Then click "Siguiente".
Step 2 - Contenido de la instancia: Fill in both fields:
Descripción breve:
Inspección previa a matriculación - vehículo importado
Texto (EXPONE ... SOLICITA ...):
EXPONE que es titular de un vehículo importado del extranjero que desea matricular en España, habiendo trasladado su residencia habitual a Mallorca.
SOLICITA la apertura de un expediente para la inspección previa a la matriculación (homologación) del vehículo, conforme al procedimiento del Servei d'ITV del Consell de Mallorca.
Datos del vehículo:
- Marca / Modelo: [e.g. VW Passat]
- Número de bastidor (VIN): [WVWZZZ...]
- Año de matriculación: [e.g. 2011]
Se adjunta la documentación requerida.
Step 3 - Envío de documentos: Upload all documents as PDF:
- NIE or TIE (front and back) and passport or national ID card
- Registration certificate Teil I (front and back)
- Vehicle title Teil II (front and back)
- CoC document (all pages). Without a CoC the inspection is counted as failed.
- Empadronamiento (only if you are claiming the tax exemption via Modelo 06)
Steps 4-5: Accept conditions and review the application.
Step 6 - Firma: AutoFirm@ launches automatically. Sign both documents (your data + the instancia) with your Certificado Digital and click "Firmar".
Steps 7-8: Registro and Completado run automatically. You receive a registration number (e.g. 72399/2026) as confirmation. Notifications arrive by email.
For questions, contact the ITV service at:
- Phone: 871 57 55 44
- Email: itv@conselldemallorca.net
Step 2b: Physical inspection in Manacor
After your expediente is processed you receive a date for the inspection in Manacor. Bring the original documents - the ITV may ask to see them. The car must pass the technical safety inspection. The result is the Spanish Ficha Técnica (Tarjeta ITV), which you need for all further steps.
Plan for several weeks until you are inspected. The inspection appointment itself is then no longer reschedulable.
Step 3: Settle the Registration Tax (Modelo 576 or Modelo 06)
At the tax office (Agencia Tributaria) you settle the Impuesto Especial sobre Determinados Medios de Transporte (IEDMT):
- Exempt (change of residence): you file the Modelo 06 and declare the exemption (conditions above, deadline 60 days).
- Taxable: you pay via the Modelo 576. The tax base is the residual value from the official Hacienda tables, the rate depends on CO2 emissions (below 120 g/km: 0 percent, 120 to 160: 4.75 percent, 160 to 200: 9.75 percent, above 200: 14.75 percent).
You can estimate the exact tax for your car in advance with our cost calculator. For a used private EU vehicle there is usually no additional IVA, and there is no customs duty for EU vehicles.
Step 4: Municipal Vehicle Tax (IVTM) at the Ayuntamiento
The annual municipal vehicle tax (Impuesto sobre Vehículos de Tracción Mecánica, IVTM) is paid at the town hall where you are registered. Get a confirmation of payment, the DGT requires this proof too.
Step 5: Take Out Spanish Car Insurance
Before you submit the DGT application, you need Spanish car insurance. Your policy from home no longer covers the car after re-registration. Ask your previous insurer for a certificate of your claim-free years, many Spanish insurers give a discount for it.
Step 6: Submit the DGT Application (Matriculación)
This is the final step, and only once you have the Spanish Ficha Técnica (from Step 2), the IEDMT proof (paid Modelo 576 or filed Modelo 06, Step 3) and the IVTM proof (Step 4). A Gestoria is not mandatory.
When and where do you upload the documents online? Once you have those proofs, via the DGT Sede Electrónica, logged in with Certificado Digital, DNI electrónico or Cl@ve. How it works:
- Imported cars often have only a paper ITV card. The standard matriculación form requires an electronic ITV card (eITV), so in this case you use the DGT Formulario General de Solicitudes (FOTRO).
- In the form, fill in your contact and notification details and your NIE. In the "Solicitud" section enter the chassis number (bastidor), under "Materia de tramitación" select "Matriculación" plus your province, and in the "Información del trámite" field briefly state that it is a "Matriculación de vehículo de importación".
- In the "Documentos a adjuntar" section you upload all documents scanned and clearly legible. You buy the fee (around 100 EUR, Tasa 1.1) in advance and attach the payment receipt.
- Tip: the DGT page is also available in several languages, which makes filling it in easier.
Alternatively in person at the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico in Palma, with an appointment (cita previa, online or by phone via 060). The in-person counter is reserved for private individuals and their authorised representatives.
You need these documents (online or in person):
- Application (Solicitud de Matriculación, the completed form for the online route)
- Spanish Ficha Técnica (Tarjeta ITV) from Step 2
- Proof of IEDMT: paid Modelo 576 or filed Modelo 06
- Proof of IVTM from Step 4
- NIE/TIE and ID
- Vehicle title from your home country as proof of ownership, plus proof of address
- Spanish insurance policy
- DGT fee (Tasa de Tráfico): for a car the Tasa 1.1, around 100 EUR
Paper ITV Card: One Trip May Remain
If your car has no electronic ITV card (eITV), the DGT may ask you, after the online submission, to come once in person to the Jefatura to hand in the original Ficha Técnica and finish the procedure. Plan for that.
The application is not processed instantly, the DGT contacts you by email once it is done. After that you receive your Spanish number plate and the Permiso de Circulación, which is sent to your home.
Step 7: Fit the Plates and Deregister in Your Home Country
Have the physical plates made (plate shop, around 30 EUR), fit them and remove the foreign plate. Then deregister the car in your home country (in person, via an authorised representative, or partly online via i-Kfz) and inform your insurer at home. This avoids double taxation.
Temporary Green Plates as a Safety Net
Because the final registration can take a while, there are temporary green plates (Matrícula temporal, placas verdes). They let you drive your car legally during the ongoing re-registration, for 2 months at first and extendable on request. Requirements: valid insurance and a passed ITV. This takes the pressure off the tight 30-day deadline after your residencia registration.
Cost Overview
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Order the CoC (if needed) | 50 to 200 EUR |
| Re-registration inspection (Homologación) | often around 100 to 170 EUR |
| Individual homologation with engineer (no CoC) | approx. 1,800 EUR plus tax |
| Registration tax (IEDMT) | 0 to 14.75 percent of residual value, or 0 if exempt (Modelo 06) |
| Municipal vehicle tax (IVTM) | depends on municipality and car |
| Spanish insurance (1 year) | from approx. 200 to 450 EUR |
| DGT fee (Tasa 1.1) | around 100 EUR |
| Number plates | approx. 30 EUR |
| Gestoria | 0 EUR instead of 300 to 500 EUR |
Common Pitfalls
- Going to the inspection without a CoC: the inspection is counted as failed on the spot. Always bring the CoC in the original.
- Driving to the wrong station: re-registration is only in Manacor. Calvia, Palma II and the others only do the routine ITV.
- No Certificado Digital or AutoFirm@: without both you cannot get through the online submission to the ITV service. Get them before Step 2.
- Trying by email or phone only: document submission now runs via the Electronic Registry, not by email. The contact details (phone, email) are only for questions.
- Missing the tax exemption: anyone exempt through a change of residence should file the Modelo 06 within the deadline (60 days).
- Underestimating the 30-day deadline: use the temporary green plates to bridge it legally.
- Cancelling your insurance at home too early: only cancel once the Spanish policy is active and the Spanish plate is fitted.
- Forgetting the IVTM and deregistration: both otherwise lead to back payments or double taxation.