In past years, you could go to the ITV station with your car and car papers, go through the ITV test and leave (if the car had passed, with your new sticker and stamp on the reverse of your Ficha Tecnica, showing the validity of the ITV).
As technology has moved on and with fraudsters at work in all aspects of our lives, ITV Stations have (for some time now) been required to check that the car is Insured (3rd party obligatory cover is sufficient). All ITV stations are now 'linked', not only to the DGT (the Tráfico site) but to the Central Register for Insurances - to which all insurers are legally obliged to register all policies in force with any changes (i.e. change of vehicle etc.). This means that the ITV station now requires the person arranging the car's ITV to demonstrate that the car is in fact insured. They do not always ask for this to be shown but if either system is down, or not functioning correctly, you may need to produce your current Insurance Policy (including evidence of payment). The central register is normally sufficient for this to be checked but in 3% of cases there are anomalies and you may be asked the following.
To show the payment receipt which must have:
- The name of the Insurance Company (NOT the agent or broker).
- The correct Registration Number of the car (sometimes mistakes are made due to human error and not noticed by the insured - happening more often over recent months.
- The period of validity (make sure you have your current receipt).
- The cover, which must be a minimum of 'third-party'.
The ITV staff member will take a copy of this, and, if the information is stored on your phone, you will be asked to email them while you are at their office. If this is requested and not produced or there are errors (such as incorrect registration), your car may be permitted to pass through the test but will not receive a 'Pass' until such time as the correct documentation is presented, which of course involves another trip to the ITV station.
Remember that a car with no valid insurance is not legally permitted to be used on public highways so you could find yourself in the situation where the vehicle would either have to remain in the ITV car park or be taken by a grua to your home or office, or wherever you were planning to go after the Test!
It's always best to check all your documentation before going to the ITV station. If a garage is handling the Test for you, make sure that you tell them where the documents are and check their validity (which, after all, is the Owner's responsibility not that of the garage).