Still driving a deceased relative’s car in Spain? The rule families need to know « Euro Weekly News
Families keeping a deceased relative’s car in Spain must notify Tráfico within 90 days of the owner’s death. AI generated illustration.
After losing a relative, sorting out their car is unlikely to be the first thing on your mind. You may still need it for everyday journeys, or simply be keeping it until the family decides what to do. But in Spain, looking after that vehicle brings a legal responsibility that cannot wait until the inheritance is settled.
There is a deadline to notify the traffic authorities, and it starts before the car’s final owner has been decided. For families already dealing with unfamiliar paperwork, that means another task to address while the estate is still being sorted out.
The first deadline is 90 days
If the car’s registered owner has died and the vehicle has not yet been formally allocated to an heir, the person looking after it must notify Spain’s traffic authority, the DGT, within 90 days of the death.
This allows them to be recorded as the vehicle’s provisional custodian while the inheritance is settled. Waiting for the family to decide who gets the car does not postpone this obligation. sede-org.dgt.gob.es
Looking after the car does not make you its owner
Provisional custody records who is responsible for the vehicle during this period. It does not determine who inherits it.
Once the application is approved, DGT issues a provisional circulation authorisation. The custodian assumes the obligations attached to the vehicle’s registered keeper, including responsibility for the relevant administrative requirements.
What paperwork do you need?
The application requires your identification, the vehicle’s registration details, its new fiscal address and a signed declaration accepting responsibility for it. A fee also applies.
DGT may request the owner’s death certificate if it cannot obtain confirmation from the Civil Registry. Families can find the application and supporting documents on the
Before using the car, check that its ITV remains valid and contact the insurer to confirm that the cover reflects the circumstances. Provisional custody does not replace those requirements.
Another deadline follows when the car is inherited
Once the vehicle has been formally allocated to an heir, that person must request the final ownership transfer within a further 90 days. This period runs from the date shown on the document naming them as the new owner. The transfer also requires evidence of payment, exemption or non liability for inheritance tax.
These are existing requirements. If you are keeping a deceased relative’s car, check its registration documents and the relevant dates now. If a deadline has already passed, contact DGT or a gestor for help regularising its position.
