Importar Coche de Estados Unidos a España — Costes, Homologación and the VIN Check

USA to
Spain

Spanish homologation firms state the condition plainly: the car needs a clean title, not salvage or rebuilt. That makes the US title check a prerequisite rather than a precaution. It also makes Spain unusual: searches for "historial coche americano VIN" return almost only Mexican sites, so Spanish buyers have had nowhere local to look.

At a glance

Customs duty
10% (22% for pickups classified as trucks)
VAT (IVA)
21%
Registration tax
Impuesto de matriculación by CO2
Homologation
Homologación individual, ficha reducida, ITV
Ports
Valencia, Barcelona, Algeciras; also Rotterdam and Bremerhaven then road

Copart España is domestic

Copart has operated a Spanish subsidiary since 2016 that auctions Spanish insurance write-offs. Searchers looking for US cars land on it. US inventory is on copart.com, bought through an international account or a broker; Copart also publishes a Spanish-language international-buyer page.

The clean-title rule

Spanish homologation guides state that a car must arrive with a clean US title, not salvage or rebuilt, to be homologated. A car sold at Copart under a salvage title and later re-titled as rebuilt in a US state may present a clean-looking document at the Spanish end. The full history by VIN shows the salvage event, which is what the authority will find if it looks.

What to check before you pay

  • Title brand and every title event, not just the current document.
  • Prior auction records with photos and damage codes.
  • Odometer in miles, in sequence.
  • Whether the exact model has EU type approval.

The same check, wherever the car is going

Every guide in this hub ends the same way because every destination shares the same blind spot. Spain's registry, inspection and customs process each verify something real, and none of them reads the American title, the insurer's total-loss declaration or the auction record. Enter the VIN above to see which of those records exist for the car you are looking at. The preview is free; the report is $19.99, once.

Three things to check before money moves

  1. 1

    The US title brand

    Clean, salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk. Issued by a US state, invisible in every European registry.

    How it is checked
  2. 2

    Prior auction records and photos

    Copart and IAAI intake photos, damage codes and sale price, from every sale the car went through, not only the current lot.

    How it is checked
  3. 3

    The odometer sequence in miles

    Readings at US titles, registrations and inspections in date order. A reading below an earlier one is a rollback.

    How it is checked

Frequently asked questions

¿Cuánto cuesta importar un coche de Estados Unidos a España?

The US price and fees, freight, 10% duty, 21% IVA on the value plus duty, impuesto de matriculación, homologación individual, ITV and registration. Spanish homologation firms publish current fee tables.

¿Se puede homologar un coche con "salvage title"?

Spanish homologation firms say no: a clean title is required. A rebuilt title is also a problem. Check the full US title history, not only the current document, before shipping.

¿Dónde veo las fotos de la subasta de Copart por VIN?

Enter the VIN on this page. Where the car went through Copart or IAAI, the report includes the intake photos, damage codes and sale price.

Check the vehicle before you pay

Enter the VIN to see which US and Canadian records exist. The preview is free; the report is $19.99, once.