In this paper, authors show the current status of the end of life vehicles (ELV) recycling sector in Spain, focusing in the Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATF) as the beginners of the process and key part of it. The first step is to analyse the influence of the national regulation RD 1383/2002 in the amount and type of ATF and in the recycling processes to reach the regulation's target, these processes define a clear way of doing business. The second step is to discuss about the amount of the existing ATF with regard to their localization and the socioeconomic characteristics of the area were they are located. The authors have visited several, and different, ATF, so they describe the various type of ATF, differences are mainly due to dismantling facilities and processes. A look into the deregistering issues is necessary to understand the raw material for the ATF. Other key issue to discuss is the information flow through the different agents, from the ATF to the European Union. Regarding vehicle manufacturers, their commitment and the information they provide are also studied. Finally a short discussion about processes permits the authors to propose improvement actions to fix the weak points found in the sector.