- The two core documents are the Permiso de Circulación (registration certificate) and the Ficha Técnica / Tarjeta ITV (technical card).
- The DGT identifies foreign owners by NIE; you'll have had one to register the car, and you'll need it (plus your passport) to sell.
- A lost Permiso de Circulación costs €20.81 to replace; a lost Ficha Técnica costs €8.67 as an electronic eITV from the DGT, or a paper copy from an ITV station.
- If the car was bought on finance, the lender's lien at the Registro de Bienes Muebles must be cancelled before any transfer or baja.
- If the car isn't in your name, you'll need the signed sale contract from when you bought it.
- The documents every buyer will ask for
- Permiso de Circulación: what it shows and what to check
- Lost the Permiso de Circulación? How to get a duplicate from the UK
- Lost the Ficha Técnica / Tarjeta ITV?
- NIE, passports and selling as a non-resident
- If the car was never put in your name
- What we need when we buy your car
- Frequently asked questions
The documents every buyer will ask for
| Document | What it is | Why it's needed |
|---|---|---|
| Permiso de Circulación | The registration certificate — the Spanish equivalent of the V5C. Shows the plate, VIN, registered keeper and their address. | Proves who the registered keeper is. Required for any DGT transfer or baja. |
| Ficha Técnica / Tarjeta ITV | The technical card listing the car's homologated specification, stamped at each ITV. Cars registered since May 2016 have an electronic version (eITV) on A4 paper. | Identifies the vehicle technically and shows the ITV history. |
| Your passport and NIE | The DGT identifies non-Spanish owners by their NIE number. Residence card or the NIE certificate both work alongside a passport. | The seller's identity has to match the registered keeper. |
| Contrato de compraventa | The signed private sale contract (or invoice if the car was bought from a business). | Standard for every Spanish vehicle sale; essential if the car was never put in your name. |
| Last IVTM receipt | Proof the municipal road tax was paid for the current year. | Buyers and gestorías ask for it; some ayuntamientos require it for a transfer. |
| Finance settlement | Confirmation from the lender that any loan is cleared and the reserva de dominio lifted. | A lien at the Registro de Bienes Muebles blocks any transfer or export baja. |
Useful but not essential: the insurance policy, service history, the original purchase invoice, the manufacturer's Certificate of Conformity if you have it, both keys, and the locking wheel-nut key. None of them stops a sale, all of them help the price.
Permiso de Circulación: what it shows and what to check
Look at two things before you list the car. First, the registered keeper — if the car was never transferred into your name after a private purchase, the DGT still thinks it belongs to the previous owner, and you'll need your signed contract with them to prove the chain. Second, the address. Fines and notices go there, so if it's a flat in Torrevieja you left in 2022, there may be post you've never seen. Our guide to tax and fines on a car that's left Spain explains how to check.
If you have Cl@ve, the miDGT app holds a digital Permiso de Circulación with the same legal validity as the paper one inside Spain. It's a useful backup, but for a sale from the UK, buyers will want the original paper document.
Lost the Permiso de Circulación? How to get a duplicate from the UK
The DGT issues a duplicate Permiso de Circulación for loss, theft or damage. Fee: €20.81 (DGT fee 4.4).
- Online at sede.dgt.gob.es with Cl@ve, a digital certificate or DNI electrónico; or in the miDGT app under Mis trámites → Duplicado de Documentación → Permiso de circulación. The duplicate is posted to your registered address in about two weeks — so update the address first if it's wrong.
- By phone on 060 (from abroad +34 902 887 060), answering verification questions about the vehicle; a representative can't do it by phone.
- In person at any Jefatura by appointment, with the Mod. 01 form, ID and the fee; or through a representative with your signed Mod. 24.
Co-owned vehicles, historic plates and vehicles registered to a minor go through the electronic registry's special-cases form rather than the standard duplicate service.
Lost the Ficha Técnica / Tarjeta ITV?
It depends on which version the car has, per the DGT's duplicate ficha técnica page:
- Electronic eITV (vehicles registered after May 2016, and older ones that have been converted): a duplicate comes from the DGT — online, in the miDGT app, by phone or in person — for the standard €8.67 fee, posted within about two weeks.
- Old green paper card: only an ITV station can issue a duplicate. Stations set their own fee for this, and you'll normally need to show ID and the Permiso de Circulación. If the car is in the UK, a family member or gestoría in Spain can usually handle it with a signed authorisation.
NIE, passports and selling as a non-resident
Anyone who registered a car in Spain as a foreigner was issued an NIE, and the DGT's record of the car carries it. For a sale you need to be able to quote it and show it alongside a current passport. If you've lost the certificate, the number itself hasn't changed — it's printed on old tax returns, your padrón certificate, bank paperwork and the original purchase documents. A replacement certificate is issued by the Policía Nacional, but for most sales the number plus your passport is enough for a gestoría to proceed.
If you were a Spanish resident with a TIE residence card that has since expired, keep the expired card; it still evidences the NIE.
If the car was never put in your name
Common with cars bought from other expats. The DGT's register shows the previous owner, so to prove the car is yours you need the signed contract or invoice from that purchase, with their ID details. The DGT accepts a digitised copy signed by both parties for a baja by a non-registered owner; for a transfer the same document is the basis. Without it, you're trying to sell something the register says belongs to someone else. Track down the seller and get it signed if you have to — it's the single document that unlocks everything else. See also how to check what the DGT holds on the car.
What we need when we buy your car
- Permiso de Circulación — original.
- Ficha Técnica / Tarjeta ITV — original, paper or eITV.
- Your passport and your NIE number.
- Signed sale paperwork — we bring it.
- Any finance settlement letter, and the purchase contract if the car isn't yet in your name.
A missing Ficha Técnica or a lapsed IVTM doesn't stop us making an offer. Mention it on the valuation form and we'll tell you what, if anything, you need to do before collection. Our Gestoría deals with the DGT every week and handles the deregistration for every car we buy.