Where Living the Dream can be a NIGHTMARE!!!!

I am dead on my feet this afternoon - and I think I could write a book on the hideous, complicated process of changing the identity of a vehicle from English to Spanish ..... I would have preferred to stab myself repeatedly in the eyeballs with chillis in hindsight ............!!

It is, without doubt, far easier for a European to change their residency, or to have dual residency, than it is to change the "residency" of a motorhome - and that is what I have been doing my uttermost to achieve.

It all looked so simple to begin with - I went to Trafico in Teruel where I had to pay 60+€ tax and a fee of 17€ to start the process of re-registering (it's called rematriculacion here for anyone thinking of doing it). That gave me green temporary Spanish plates which I was told gave me permission to circulate for two months, and that I needed to take with me to the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) so I could pay another tax - annual road tax this time of another 60+€. Trafico also told me that I needed to have an up to date ITV - think MOT in the UK and you are about there - only it is the most facile and pointless series of tests that actually make a mockery of the safety of vehicles on the road in Spain if you want my opinion.

So off I went with all taxes paid to the ITV centre in Sarrion - the closest to where I live, with a spring in my step thinking that I was moments away from having my Spanish plates and all done.

IDIOT!!!

After ages, the man who worked there told me that I had to have a particular number - on the V5c In the UK it is K, Type Approval Number - which I do not have on her V5C. On writing to DVLA, I learned that all motorhomes are exempt from Type Approval Numbers, however they helpfully gave me the address of somewhere were I could get a certificate to this effect. The address was for people bringing a motorhome INTO the UK, not for exporting it!

Fingernails getting more and more bitten, I spoke to the wonderful people who sold me the motorcaravan in the first place - South Hereford Motorcaravan Centre - and the lovely Des gave me the number of a local Fiat garage, as my motorhome is a Fiat Ducato - in the hope that they could help me with this number - and ........... no.

(Not so silent scream) ...........

So I rang Fiat in Teruel, my closest city, and was told that well, yes, they sort of could help, but I would need to take all the papers to them, they would look at them and then send them off to Fiat in Madrid and in 2 weeks or so, I would have the papers ........... But I NEED TO LEAVE NOW!

Rafa, in Sarrion ITV, had told me that I needed a Homologacion Individual - and I found out today that to have that done would cost me 1,600€ and that I would have to drive to Zaragoza IN the motorhome - 3 hours each way - with my son in school from 9.30 - 1.30pm and then no-one to collect him .....

So instead I drove the motorhome to the coast - to Sagunto ITV - and presented my papers in the vague and distant hope that they would say that everything is in order - BUT - no!

I am still missing one vital and essential and crucial piece of paper - I COULD SCREAM AGAIN! I drove from the ITV centre in Sagunto into the heart of Valencia - NO MEAN FEAT in a 6m motorhome - and tried to find somewhere to park her while waiting for an Inginiero - someone who could measure the distance between the wheels, the height, depth, breadth, attachments, type of wheel, engine capacity, weight, you name it. I found a spot and put my hazard warning lights on, waiting for the police to tell me why I couldn't park there, and sure enough, just as I was falling asleep, up drove two police motorbikes! So I jumped out and said I was waiting for them as I had been driving around for half an hour looking for somewhere to park - so they let me park in a no parking place! Within 20 minutes (and after a coffee and a pee in the pub opposite), I went back to find ANOTHER police bike circling her with a tow truck alongside!! OH YIPES! He was really nice though - he was actually there to tow away the car behind me and just wanted me to move the wagon in order that he could pull out the car behind! I only found that out after apologising and explaining for about 5 minutes!

Finally, the Inginiero arrived, established within minutes that I was single (!) and did what I mentioned above. He told me about the normal cost for the Homologacion being 1,600€ - and then charged me 120€ for what he had done......... He now has to send that off to some office in Valencia who stamp and officialise it, and he then sends it back to me and with that, I am led to believe that I can pass the ITV without further ado. Saying that though, he also said that my reversing light is on the left, and it should be on the right - so at least I can put that right before I go back and HOPEFULLY get this blithering test passed!

Say a prayer for me = it is enough to make me grey overnight, especially as we want to leave for our summer holiday within two weeks!!!!

Don't forget to visit the website by the way - or my other blog which is accessed via the website under the link News - www.amanda-hamilton.com