Services · Vehicles & DGT paperwork

Your car has a paper life too — and reading it in time saves real money

Before you buy a used car, the DGT's official report tells you whether it can even change hands, what its inspection history says about the mileage, and whether a safety recall is pending. After you buy — or sell — the transfer and the sale notification decide who pays the next fine. We read, file and follow up, with stamped proof of everything.

Try it yourself: from "I'm buying a car" to the exact DGT step

Tell the guide your situation — buying, just bought, just sold, lost papers, car off the road — and it maps your exact steps, deadlines and documents. Free, no sign-up, nothing leaves your browser. (Tool in Spanish.)

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Before buying: the report that reads the car's past

The DGT's official vehicle report exists in a free version (first registration and any blocks on transfer or circulation) and a full version (small fee) that adds the technical file, the complete roadworthiness (ITV) history with odometer readings — the honest way to spot mileage tampering — insurance status, liens and embargoes, and even pending manufacturer safety recalls. Ten minutes of reading before paying can save you from buying an embargoed car, a clocked odometer or a vehicle that legally cannot be transferred. We request it, read it professionally and give you a plain-language verdict.

After buying — or selling: who pays the next fine?

The buyer must register the transfer within 30 days (DGT fee, plus the regional transfer tax filed first). The seller has their own move: the sale notification, which cuts their liability for fines, road tax and tolls from the day of sale. It is cheap, takes minutes online — and is the single most forgotten step in private car sales in Spain. We prepare and file both, each with its stamped receipt.

The everyday paperwork

Duplicates of the circulation permit (loss, theft, deterioration), temporary deregistration for cars off the road (and the re-registration later), definitive deregistration through an authorised scrapping centre, address changes — critical, because fines are served at the registered address — habitual-driver designation, and driver reports and points checks. All of it runs online with a digital certificate; where representation is allowed, we act with a simple signed authorisation (DGT's own form, available in several languages) or a power registered with the DGT. Court appeals against fines are a lawyer's job — and we say so upfront.

Foreign residents: your licence and your car

If you've just become a resident, remember two clocks: your non-EU driving licence is only valid for 6 months after residency (see our licence exchange service), and your vehicle documentation should follow your address. We bundle both checks in one review.

News and official notices

Updated daily from official sources (BOE, ministries and public bodies).

Vehículos y tráfico (DGT)Tasa de transferencia: 55,70 € / Informe del vehículo: 8,67 €

Buying or selling a car: the transfer has a 30-day deadline

Every summer thousands of cars change hands between individuals, and many transfers get left half-done. When buying, the transfer must be registered with the DGT within 30 days, after settling the regional transfer tax; the fee is €55.70, and before paying it's worth requesting the official vehicle report (€8.67). When selling, if the buyer doesn't register the transfer, file the sale notification with the DGT yourself to record that the car is no longer yours. Free step-by-step tool: https://www.santiagolegalconsulting.es/orientador-vehiculos.html

BOE · Reglamento de CirculaciónRD 518/2026 (BOE 26-06-2026) · en vigor el 1 de octubre de 2026

From 1 October: helmets on e-scooters, gloves and closed footwear on motorbikes, and new rules for cyclists and cities

Royal Decree 518/2026 of 24 June (Official Gazette of 26 June) reforms the General Traffic Regulation to protect vulnerable road users and comes into force on 1 October 2026. E-scooters (personal mobility vehicles): mandatory helmet, minimum age 15, no riding on pavements, motorways, dual carriageways, urban crossings or interurban roads, and lights always on (daytime use required one year later). Motorcycles and mopeds: UNECE R22 homologated helmet (mopeds may keep certified helmets for one year), gloves on interurban roads and closed footwear on all roads, also for the passenger; reflective vest for professional riders. Bicycles: helmet mandatory for under-16s on all roads, for everyone on interurban roads and for professional use in cities. When overtaking a cyclist: 1.5 metres, change lane where there is more than one, and 20 km/h below the limit on interurban roads. A new title on urban rules is also created (residential priority zones, safe school routes, low-emission zones). Worth checking your equipment before October.

Sede electrónica DGTInforme de vehículo — tasa 4.1 (versión reducida gratuita)

Before paying for a used car, ask the DGT for its report

The official vehicle report is requested online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve: the free reduced version flags blocks on transfer or circulation, and the full version adds the roadworthiness (ITV) history with odometer readings, liens and embargoes, insurance status and pending manufacturer safety recalls. Ten minutes of reading that prevent buying an embargoed car or a clocked odometer.

AvisoTransferencia: 30 días · Notificación de venta: inmediata

Private car sale? Two procedures, two clocks

The buyer must register the ownership transfer with the DGT within 30 days of the contract (with the regional transfer tax filed first). The seller has their own lifeline: the sale notification, which cuts their liability for fines and taxes from the date of sale — it's online, quick, and the most forgotten step in private sales.

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Practice area: Administrative law · see all practice areas

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