Register a Foreign Car in Valencia: Tax, ITV and ZBE

Register the car on Spanish plates within one month of becoming a resident. If you will miss that, the DGT issues green temporary plates for 2 months, extendable. You pay no registration tax on a car you bring with your move if you meet five conditions. As of the Ajuntament's January 2026 FAQ, Valencia had no low-emission zone ordinance.

Register the car on Spanish plates within one month of becoming a resident. If you will miss that, ask the DGT for green temporary plates, which last 2 months and can be extended.

Can you drive it while you wait?

Not until it is registered, apart from those green plates, and the car must be insured for them. The green plates are the temporary permit under the General Vehicle Regulation for a car acquired with foreign plates. It lasts sixty days and can be extended by sixty-day periods. The tax exemption below has its own 60-day window. Your driving licence is a different job: see exchange your driving licence in Valencia.

How do you register it?

To register a foreign car you must be its owner. If it comes from another EU country, deregister it for export at home before you move.

Then book the ITV station, which issues the technical sheet in Spanish format. Take the registration document from the country of origin and the European Certificate of Conformity. If the certificate is lost, the maker can issue a duplicate, and a ficha reducida signed by an engineer is usually a faster, cheaper alternative.

Next come the taxes: road tax with your municipality and registration tax with the Tax Agency. The road tax is annual. The registration tax is paid once on Form 576 and depends on the car’s CO2 emissions.

Last, apply to the DGT online or in person with an appointment, bringing your identity and residence documents. The fee is number 1.1, payable online or at the office by card, never in cash. After registration, buy and fit the plates at a specialist shop and take out the compulsory insurance.

A car bought outside the EU must also clear customs, where you get the H1 import certificate. Have your papers translated by a sworn translator. A car below Euro VI, or without a certificate of conformity, needs adaptations and extra procedures.

If you qualify for the moving exemption below, you file proof of exemption instead (form 05 or 06).

Do you pay registration tax on your car?

No, if you are moving your habitual residence to Spain and meet five conditions:

• You lived outside Spain for at least the 12 consecutive months before the move.
• The car was bought or imported under normal taxation in the country of origin.
• You used it there for at least six months before you left.
• You request registration within the deadline: 30 days from the start of use in Spain, extended to 60 when the exemption applies.
• You do not transfer the car during the 12 months after registration.

Sell sooner and the tax comes back, charged as of the date of the breach. If you moved from another EU country with a car you already owned, you do not pay the taxes linked to the purchase.

How often is the ITV?

For cars in category M1 the first 4 years are exempt, then every two years, and every year after 10 years. The age counts from first registration or entry into service in the DGT register.

Does Valencia have a low-emission zone?

As of the Ajuntament’s January 2026 FAQ, no ordinance was in force and no start date for restrictions was set. The Priority Residential Area (APR) in Ciutat Vella Nord and its restrictions remain in force. Leaving the car at home for some trips? See EMT, Metro and SUMA fares.

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Not confirmed: Whether Valencia has approved a low-emission zone since: no later official page was found. The current euro amount of DGT fee 1.1. Customs duty and VAT on a car from outside the EU: ask the Tax Agency before you ship it.

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