Taking your vehicle for an ITV test in Spain – all you need to know

Driving in Spain – All about the ITV in Andalucia

What is an ITV?
It’s the Spanish equivalent to the MOT in the UK (DOT in the USA), and the initials stand for Inspeccion Tecnica de Vehiculos.

Why do you need an ITV?
If you own or are registering a car in Spain, just like an MOT in the UK, a valid ITV inspection and certificate is a legal requirement to drive the vehicle on public roads. If you don’t have one, you could get stopped, fined and possibly find that your insurance is invalid. 

When do you need to get an ITV for your car/vehicle?
Under normal circumstances, you can arrange your appointment up to 30 days before the due date without losing any time. However, there are some new measures in place due to Covid-19 which are detailed below.

How do you book an appointment?
You can book the appointment online here, just enter the registration number and “date of matriculation” (date of first registration – this will be on your Ficha Tecnica). Alternatively you can ring the main appointment line on 959 99 99 99.

Why do Spanish cars have a Sticker with ITV on it in the windscreen
This indicates the date of your next appointment and also is a quick check for the authorities, you can read more here.

Where’s my nearest ITV station?
You can find all of the ITV stations listed here . The main ones in Malaga are:

Estepona – Poligono Industrial Estepona, C/ Graham Bell, 15, 29680 Estepona 
Marbella – Polígono Industrial San Pedro de Alcántara, Parcela 25, 29670 San Pedro de Alcántara
Mijas/Fuengirola – Calle Macharaviaya, 1, 29651 Las Lagunas (Mijas)
El Viso, Malaga city – Poligono Industrial El Viso, Calle Brasilia, 22-30, 29006 Malaga
El Palo, Malaga city – Calle Escritor Fuentes y Cerda 2, 29197 Málaga

How much does it cost?
Cost depends on vehicle type/size, the Veiasa website has a list of all the current charges.

Preparing your car for the ITV test
It makes a lot of sense to do some simple checks before you take the car for its ITV.  For example, you could go to your local garage and ask them to do a “pre-ITV check” – they’ll know exactly what to look for and will take care of anything that needs doing. Some garages will even do the work and take the car to the ITV station for you. 

As a guideline, the ITV inspection looks at amongst other things:

• bodywork, chassis, windscreen, engine (inc oil level)
• checks seat belts are working properly (fasten the rear seat belts if you have them)
• no warning lights lit up on the dash
• headlights, indicators, brake lights are in one piece and work properly
• emissions levels
• function of brakes, suspension, steering
• tyre condition

One important point that is very different from the MOT in the UK – if the ITV has expired, it’s illegal to drive the car, even if an appointment is booked, except between home address and your nearest ITV station. Its your obligation as a vehicle owner to make sure you vehicle always has an valid ITV. 

If you vehicle fails the test, you have up to 60 days fix the issue and return the vehicle back to the ITV. In which time you can only take the vehicle to a garage and back to the ITV. 

Covid update – New processes in place in response to Covid-19 
Even if you’ve done your own ITV many times before, there are some new processes that you need to know about, implemented in light of Covid-19.
Full details (in Spanish) can be found here, but to summarise:

• Masks to be worn at all times
• 1 customer per vehicle
• Observe social distance of 2m at all times (inside and outside the office)
• Only pay by card 
• Inspectors can no longer get into any vehicles so ensure that all windows are down, doors unlocked, seatbelts fastened and petrol cap open
• Documents placed under the windscreen wiper
• At the end of your test, wait in your vehicle for further instructions

My ITV was due during the State of Alarm, are there extensions available?
Yes, if your ITV was due during the State of Alarm, the Spanish Government has issued the following dates/deadlines to get your ITV updated. However the certificate will be backdated to the actual expiry, so you won’t get any extra time. Also, ITV stations are prioritising appointments that are nearing expiry dates so you may have to wait a little while for your inspection.