Inspection in Spain (Inspección Técnica de Vehículo – ITV) is a procedure that all vehicles registered in the country must undergo at certain intervals. A technical inspection is also required when registering and obtaining Spanish license plates for vehicles imported from abroad (for example, when transporting a car to Spain).
Vehicle inspection in Spain: how to sign up and where to go?
Technical inspection in Spain is carried out at special accredited stations without reference to the place of residence or place of registration of the vehicle. There are such stations in all major settlements: to find the nearest one, just enter “ITV” in the search bar in Google Maps. You can also use the site itv.com.es.
The owner has the right to independently choose the place of maintenance. The technical inspection itself is a quick and standardized procedure that does not require accompaniment of an interpreter or another specialist.
As a rule, services are carried out simultaneously by appointment and on a first-come, first-served basis. To avoid long waits, we recommend that you sign up for a car inspection in Spain in advance. To do this, on the above site, you need to select the first section “Cita ITV” in the menu, and then find the desired regional site for recording in the table that appears. There is no unified recording system, but all sites work according to a standard scheme: you must indicate the registration number of the vehicle, its type, owner details, and also select the station, day and time of the inspection. Payment is accepted both online and directly at the ITV station.
Vehicle inspection in Spain: required documents and price
Documents for passing a technical inspection in Spain:
- Technical data sheet (Ficha Técnica);
- Vehicle registration certificate (Permiso de circulación);
- Identity document of the owner.
- The vehicle must have a valid car insurance in Spain: in recent years, the verification has been carried out online in the system, but it would be a good idea to have a payment receipt with you.
The inspection fee is payable locally. There are no uniform tariffs; calculations are based on several parameters and may differ from city to city. Inspection of diesel cars tends to be more expensive. The average price for a technical inspection in Spain is 40-80 euros, if we are talking about scheduled maintenance.
Alegria provides various services to those who import a car into Spain. We’ll help insure the car, register it, and also get Spanish plates. More details about the service here:
When registering a foreign vehicle with Spanish license plates, the inspection is carried out more thoroughly according to a special protocol and costs twice as much.
It should also be remembered that in the case of a foreign car, additional documents must be submitted to the station (for example, a certificate of conformity (Certificado de Conformidad)). The requirements and list of documents must be clarified in advance.
And, of course, public transport is checked as thoroughly as possible – buses, taxis, ambulances, etc.
Deadlines for passing a technical inspection in Spain
Deadlines for passing technical inspection in Spain for private passenger cars:
- New passenger cars under 4 years old do not undergo technical inspection.
- Passenger cars aged from 4 to 10 years undergo technical inspection every 2 years.
- Passenger cars over 10 years old undergo technical inspection every year.
- Time frames for passing technical inspection in Spain for light trucks and trailers with MMA up to 3500 kg and passenger vans:
- New cars under 2 years old do not undergo technical inspection.
- Cars aged 2 to 6 years undergo technical inspection every 2 years.
- Cars between 6 and 10 years old undergo technical inspection every year.
- Cars over 10 years old undergo technical inspection every six months.
Deadlines for passing technical inspection in Spain for motorcycles and ATVs:
- Vehicles under 4 years old do not undergo technical inspection.
- Vehicles older than 4 years undergo a technical inspection every 2 years.
Deadlines for passing technical inspection in Spain for mopeds:
- Vehicles under 3 years old do not undergo technical inspection.
- Vehicles older than 3 years undergo a technical inspection every 2 years.
For heavy cargo transport, buses, campers, motorhomes, agricultural machinery and other vehicles, individual inspection deadlines have been established.
The period is counted from the moment of registration or from the moment of passing the last maintenance (the corresponding date stamp is affixed in the technical passport).
Re-inspection in Spain
Don’t panic if your vehicle doesn’t pass inspection the first time. 2 months will be given for repairs and elimination of defects. However, it should be remembered that at this time the car cannot move on the streets – only to the car service, and then back to the ITV station.
To undergo a second MOT you will again need to pay a fee, unless the deficiencies were corrected quickly during the grace period (from 1 to 15 days – check with the ITV station). Repeated maintenance must be carried out at the same station where the deficiencies were originally identified.
Failure to comply with the deadlines for undergoing repeated maintenance may lead to preventive temporary deregistration of the car, initiated by the ITV station and approved by the traffic police department. In such a situation, delivery of the vehicle for re-inspection is possible only by tow truck.
The fine for lack of maintenance is 200 euros, and it does not matter whether the vehicle is driven on public roads, or parked near a house or in a shared garage.
