Routing through mainland Spain to Palma
Every Mallorca shipment begins with a UK collection, most often a private garage, a family residence or a specialist storage facility, where the driver completes a pre-shipment inspection: every panel photographed, fuel level and mileage recorded, documentation walked through with you before the vehicle is loaded.
The car then travels by enclosed transporter, air-ride suspension included. The mainland leg runs the standard Spanish route: Portsmouth or Southampton to Santander or Bilbao on the Brittany Ferries crossing, then enclosed road haulage south through Burgos and east through the Spanish interior to either Barcelona or Valencia. From the mainland port the car loads directly onto the inter-island ferry to Palma — operated by Trasmediterránea or Baleària depending on the sailing — for the overnight Mediterranean crossing. We book the onward ferry inside the same consignment, so the vehicle does not sit on a quay waiting for the next available berth.
The Mallorcan onward leg from Palma port to your address is handled by an island haulier we work with on every Balearic shipment, with the hand-over inspection mirroring the UK collection record. The mainland customs release is supplied to the ferry operator before sailing, so the car arrives at Palma free to be released without further declaration.
Mallorcan delivery — Palma, Port Adriano, Puerto Portals
Delivery is to the address of your choice on the island. The bulk of our Mallorcan volume is concentrated around the south-west coast: the underground residents’ parking at Puerto Portals, marina-side villas at Port Adriano, the gated estates above Bendinat and Son Vida, and the Palma apartment blocks between Paseo Marítimo and the Cathedral. The north-coast inland set runs lighter but more concentrated by season — fincas above Pollença, the road from Deià through to Sóller, the hills around Banyalbufar.
Hand-over takes place at the gate, the garage door or the marina bay you nominate. Where the access is restricted — Pollença Old Town’s narrow lanes, the residents’ permit zones in Palma, the security clearance at a Son Vida estate — we co-ordinate the access window with your concierge or representative ahead of the ferry arrival. Many of our Mallorca clients are seasonal: the same car shipped out in May, brought back to the UK in September for an MOT or a specialist service, and returned for the following summer. That repeat pattern means the same driver, the same broker and the same onward island haulier handle the run every time.
Customs, temporary admission and Spanish registration
Every UK-origin car clears EU import formalities on arrival at Santander or Bilbao, handled by our named Spanish broker. That clearance reference is then supplied to the inter-island ferry operator before the Palma sailing, so no additional declaration is required for the Balearic leg itself. See our European customs guide for how temporary admission and permanent import work.
Where a car is being permanently registered on the island rather than visiting, the Spanish road tax (impuesto de vehículos de tracción mecánica) is raised annually by the local ayuntamiento (Calvià, Palma, Pollença and so on) and varies between municipalities. Our Spanish broker quotes the exact figure in writing before clearance is lodged.
At hand-over on the island, the document pack covers the cleared customs release, the bill of lading, the mainland and island pre-shipment inspection records with photographs, and the final hand-over inspection at your address mirroring the UK record. The whole pack is also emailed.
