Since you drive your personal car on public roads you must pay the cars taxes to which your vehicle is subject, i.e. traffic tax and car registration tax.
This tax will be determined by each EU country .
In some cases, the amount of tax registration depends on the period in which you will use the car in the host country and it is never more expensive than the value paid for national citizens.
In some cases, you may even benefit from an exemption or a tax reimbursement
Whenever you change your country, you should contact the competent authorities to avoid double taxation.
Exemption from car registration taxes
In most EU countries, students, cross-border workers and citizens with secondary residence in the host country do not have to pay car registration tax, however the traffic taxes are mandatory.
Students
If you are going to live in another EU country to study or work for a limited and determined period, you do not need to pay taxes in the host country if you are registered in the country of origin.
To take advantage of this exemption you must be enrolled in a host country educational establishment and have a valid certificate of registration. However, if you work at the same time, it will not be valid, and you will need to register the car in that country.
It is important to be informed by the rules imposed in the country where you are going to since some formalities should be accomplished to avoid problems.
Cross-border workers
If you are a cross-border worker, to benefit from this exemption, you may have to drive a company vehicle that is registered only in one of the two countries concerned .
If the vehicle is from the company registered in the country where you work, you can use it for private travel in the country where you live without having to register it .Pay attention to the applicable rules in this situation as they can vary considerably between countries.
If you use your own car to regularly cross the border to work and return home every day you must register and pay taxes only in the country where you live in.
Citizens with secondary residence in the host country
As a rule, it is not necessary to register the car and pay car registration tax in the country where you have a second or holiday home, however, if you leave permanently in that country, you may have to pay the car registration tax even if you have already paid that tax in the country of origin.
If you are a citizen with a secondary residence in the host country, you do not have to pay the car registration tax in these situations:
- living in the country of secondary residence less than six months a year.
- have your habitual residence in another EU country and hold a valid document attesting to you to use the car for exclusively private purposes.
- does not sell, rent or lend the car to residents of the host country.
It is important to pay attention to the legal aspects of each country and each situation. Always try to inform the competent authorities to comply with all the standards that are imposed avoiding future problems.
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