Do you need green reg plates in Spain?
If you plan to drive your car legally with green number plates Spain you need to order them from the Spanish DGT. They enable you to drive drive legally for the reasons that your insurance in your own country may have run out, your MOT may have run out or your vehicle may be on SORN in the UK or the EU equivalent for EU cars. Your vehicle may be legal to drive in Spain for a period of time. However, it is always best to check if you need Green number plates, or as they call it in Spain “placas verdes”
Temporary number Plates Spain
What is the difference between a temporary number plate and a green number plate is Spain? Nothing, they are exactly the same thing. Green number plates, P plates, Temporary number plates, or placas verdes are all terms often referred to when talking about the same product and process. They have exactly the same function and the rules as each other.
How long do green reg plates last?
Green reg plates enable you to drive legally in Spain for 60 days. Ample time to get your car matriculated onto Spanish plates, and take your ITV test. 60 days is more than enough to book an ITV and get your car passed , deal with the Spanish paperwork for your green number plates and get your real Spanish reg plates delivered and your car now registered fully in Spain.
Do you need Spanish insurance for Green number plates?
Yes, as soon as you are issued the green reg plates you need to need to insure the number issued by the DGT. This number will be something like P 4321 BDP you then (yourself or by our recommendation) insure your vehicle onto Spanish Green reg plates. You then change the number with your new Spanish insurance company when the real plates arrive with your proper new Spanish reg plate number.
How long do green number plates take?
If we order the green number plates Spain for you they will take around one week for the number to be issued. The DGT send a email with the number on so you can use this to insure the vehicle. Then the physical plates arrive some days after. We offer a service to courier the reg plates to you or if you are close we will put the plates on your car for you.
Fitting green plates is not difficult, many cars are different but usually there are 2/4 screws in your number plates. remove the screws, take the old number plate off, put it on top of the green plate and mark where the old holes are then screw back through those holes on the new green number plate. This will enable the screws to go through the existing holes in the car ensuring you do not get new holes and the job should be easier. we advise using self tapping screws. We usually do this for you if you drive the car to us or you are close to where we are.
Do the police pull you with green reg plates?
You are more likely to get pulled over by the police with your country reg plate than green number plates. The police in Spain are well aware of the DVLA in the UK for instance. they can very easily tail you, use their mobile phone and find out in seconds if your car is insured, taxed, mot’d or on sorn in the UK. Should any of that not be correct you WILL be pulled over, fines, maybe get the car impounded and your insurance will be deemed void.
You can drive the vehicle in Spain on your UK insurance if all of the above are correct. However, getting green number plates Spain might help you avoid any hefty fines or unwanted attention from the police regards the legality of the vehicle you are driving in Spain. If your vehicle has been here over six months then you really are pushing it.
Are the green number plates the same size as EU and UK reg plates?
Yes, the are exactly the same size. This makes it easy to swap the plates as you can screw through the existing holes of your current number plates and mark a hole on the Green Number plate which should then mean the screws go into the existing holes ensuring not making any new holes. This is the case for both EU and UK number plates when fitting your green reg plates. For more information please download our information PDF on green number plates.
Can you get an extension to the plates if they expire?
There is through the DGT an extension process, however, this is very difficult to have approved. Even when the inspections have taken in some cases six weeks to issue an appointment giving you virtually no time to complete the process in 60 days, they are almost always rejected. We are unsure why this is the case. In perspective, up to now, we, and our legal representatives to handle the extensions have never had an approval.
