How To Deregister A Car

As the owner of a vehicle, after a period of use or because you want to change it for another model and for whatever reason, it is not convenient for you to sell it second-hand, it is time to permanently deregister your car.

It is mandatory to do so in accordance with current legislation, following some procedures that we explain below, because if you leave the vehicle abandoned on the street without the corresponding deregistration it can cause even very high fines, ranging from 600 to 30,051 euros. This figure increases to 600,000 euros if the remains of the vehicle have caused damage to the environment.

You may also be interested in a temporary leave because your vehicle has been stolen, or because you are going abroad with it for a while, or because you cannot now meet the costs of a breakdown or maintenance.

The definitive or temporary deregistration can be done without going through the General Directorate of Traffic, but through the scrapping companies, or Authorized Treatment Center, which will be in charge of both deregistration and scrapping and recycling it as old metal and parts. Follow the instructions to find out how to cancel a private or company car.

What do you need to deregister a car?

• Your vehicle
• Documentation of your car
• Your personal documentation
• Report of theft, if applicable

Instructions to deregister a car

Definitive withdrawal:

1. Go to a CAT. Deregistering a car is done by processing it at an Authorized Treatment Center, which is what is colloquially known as scrapping. There they are in charge of destroying or recycling all the components of your vehicle, being responsible for compliance with current environmental laws, and they will also carry out the removal electronically from the Vehicle Registry of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT).
2. Documentation. At the CAT or authorized scrapyard you go to, you must present the following documents: The circulation permit; the card of the Technical Inspection of Vehicles; the declaration of loss or theft of this documentation, in case this circumstance had occurred.
3. identification. You must also present your documentation as the owner of the vehicle: a photocopy of both sides of your National Identity Document if you are a natural person. If you do not have Spanish nationality, you must show the Foreigner Identification Number. If you represent a company, you will have to show the tax identification card of the company and the accreditation that you represent the company and your ID. In the case of being a minor or legally incapacitated person, the data of the father, mother or guardian, their ID and the document proving that they are what they say when acting on behalf of that person must be presented.
4. Documents to receive After showing the documentation of the car and your personal documentation, you have to sign the deregistration request that you will fill out at the Scrapping Center. This will give you the certificate of destruction of the vehicle and a receipt for the definitive deregistration that it has received from the DGT after carrying out the procedure electronically.
5. Appraisal: If your car or vehicle is less than 10 years old since it was registered for the first time, the scrapping company must appraise the remains of the same that you deliver, valuing it financially, and therefore pay you the amount that you agree. If your car is under a seal or legal seizure, you cannot deregister it definitively, and to do so you will have to process the cancellation of said seal.
6. Taxes and insurance. When you receive the Certificate of Destruction for your car, after two or three days, you can contact your town hall and your insurance company to unsubscribe from the car insurance and the “number”. In the case of tax, if you have paid for the entire year, you can request a refund of what you have paid in excess.

Temporary leave:

1. Documentation. The same is required as for the definitive cancellations: the one that accredits you and the vehicle, and signing the temporary cancellation request. Also the complaint for abduction, if applicable.
2. DGT. The temporary withdrawal must be made at the DGT offices, and you will have to pay the corresponding fee. In the same way, when you want you can register the vehicle again. While you have it in low season, it can only be in a garage, obviously, since it cannot circulate or be parked on public roads.
3. Taxes and insurance. While your car is temporarily deregistered, you do not have to pay the municipal circulation tax and you do not need to have an insurance policy or have the Technical Vehicle Inspection in order.