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Boats, Caravans and Motor cycles
Boats, caravans and motor-cycles with engines of more than 49 c.c. are treated basically the same as cars but with a few differences,
Boats
You can enter a Spanish port with your foreign-registered yacht and keep it there and use it in Spanish waters for six months of a calendar year, just as with cars. The six-month period need not be continuous; an advantage for people who want to keep their yacht in a Spanish port, but can only use it for a month or two at a time on extended visits.
The customs authorities in the marina can seal the boat (precintar) while its owner is away, and unseal it when he wishes to use it. Thus, the non-resident can keep his boat in a Spanish port all year and use it for six months of that year.
Like cars, yachts are also available from dealers in Spain on a Spanish tourist flag registration, under which they do not pay normal Spanish taxes. Such a yacht can be used six months of the year, and an extension of its tourist registration requested each year to permit its owner to use it all year.
One useful provision of the sealing process for the nonresident yacht owner is that he can have his boat sealed for the last six months of the year and continue to live aboard it. He may not sail it out of the harbour, but he can use it as his home.
Import duties on a used yacht still come to something more than half the value of the boat, depending on the evaluation the customs authorities make. In addition, you can only import the boat if you are taking up official residence in Spain.
Caravans
Caravans are treated almost exactly like cars. That is, if you enter Spain with your caravan pulled by your car, you have six months in the calendar year to circulate freely as a tourist. You can also have the caravan sealed by the customs officials should you wish to leave it behind and drive out with your car.
Motor-Cycles
Motor cycles with engines of more than 49 c.c. are treated exactly like cars, with the same six-month time limit,
The small 49 c.c. motor bikes are a different story. You do not need a certificado de empadronamiento or any other document to purchase one, and you can even import your foreign-registered bike duty-free as part of your personal possessions when you take up residence in Spain.
Initially your foreign licence and, later, your foreign licence with its translation, or an international permit, will be valid for these bikes. Your Spanish driving licence will also be valid.
If, like some people, you have no driving licence at all but want to operate one of these convenient little bikes for dashing around town, you can get a special licence to do so by taking a simple examination. Most driving schools can steer you through the process for a small fee.
Even a child of 14 can get this licence and operate his own bike, a boon for parents who are tired of driving their offspring into town and back. The child will have to show that he possesses a school certificate and must pass a simple examination, in Spanish, on the rules of the road. The child of 14 to 16 years also requires a statement of parental consent.
After the age of 16, the child gets this inoto licence the same way as an adult. At 18, he can get a regular driving licence. And don’t forget to warn him that he must wear a helmet both in town and on the highway, or he will be fined.
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