Driving in Spain with a Foreign Licence: Exchange Rules for 2026

Moving to Spain raises a question that catches many newcomers out a few months too late: is my licence still valid here? The answer depends on two things, where your licence was issued and whether you are a visitor or a resident. Get it wrong and you may be driving on a licence that Spain stopped recognising months ago.

In short. EU and EEA licences stay valid in Spain for as long as they are in date, and exchanging them is optional. Licences from other countries are valid for at most six months from the moment you become a resident. After that, you can swap your licence for a Spanish one without any test if your country has an exchange agreement with Spain (the UK, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and 28 more). If it does not, as with the United States, Canada or Australia, you have to pass the Spanish theory and practical tests.

Visitor or resident: the distinction that decides everything

Spanish rules treat a tourist on a two-week road trip very differently from someone who has moved here. The key term is residencia normal (normal residence). The DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico, the national traffic authority) defines it as living in Spain for at least 185 days per calendar year, legally and with documents to prove it.

If you are visiting, a licence from outside the EU is valid in Spain when it meets one of the conditions of article 21 of the Reglamento General de Conductores (RGCond, the Spanish driver regulations):

• it follows the model of the Geneva (1949) or Vienna (1968) road traffic conventions;
• it is written in Spanish or comes with an official translation;
• or you carry an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued in your country.

The DGT's own advice to anyone arriving from outside the EU and EEA is to get an IDP before travelling. It is valid for one year and only works alongside your passport and your national licence. On top of that, the licence must be in date and you must be old enough to hold the equivalent Spanish licence. If you have no normal residence here, the foreign licence is valid for six months from your legal entry into Spain (RGCond, article 21.2).

If you live in Spain, the clock starts when you acquire normal residence, and the rules below apply.

EU and EEA licences: valid, but Spanish rules apply

If your licence was issued in an EU country (Ireland, France, Germany and so on) or in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, it keeps its validity in Spain under the conditions it was issued (RGCond, article 15.1). You do not have to exchange it. Article 18 makes the exchange voluntary: you can request it at any time once you are resident.

What changes when you move here is that you become subject to Spanish rules on (article 15.4):

• validity periods: a Spanish B licence is valid for 10 years until you turn 65 and 5 years after that (article 12.2);
• medical fitness checks;
• the points system (permiso por puntos, the penalty points licence).

If your EU licence has no expiry date, you must renew it after two years of normal residence in Spain so that the Spanish validity periods can be applied (article 15.4). An EU licence that is restricted, suspended or withdrawn in any member state or in Spain is not valid here (article 15.2).

Exchanging an EU licence needs no exam for any category, and as of October 2026 the DGT fee is 28.87 EUR (tariff 2.3). Many residents do it simply for convenience: renewals, duplicates and points are then handled entirely by the DGT.

Licences from outside the EU: the six-month rule

For everyone else, RGCond article 21.2.c sets the limit: a foreign licence is valid for six months at most from the date you acquire normal residence in Spain. Article 21.3 is blunt about what happens next: after six months the licence is no longer valid for driving in Spain, and if you want to keep driving you need a Spanish licence.

There are two routes to that Spanish licence:

1. Exchange (canje), if Spain has an agreement with the country that issued your licence (article 22.1.a). Usually no test for cars and motorcycles.
2. Passing the Spanish tests, theory and practical, if there is no agreement (article 21.3).

You do not have to wait for the six months to run out. Article 22.2 allows the exchange as soon as you have acquired normal residence, which is a good reason to start early: appointments and checks with the issuing country can take weeks.

Which countries can exchange their licence?

The DGT keeps a table of countries with an exchange agreement on dgt.es. In the version updated on 26 June 2026, every listed country can exchange car and motorcycle licences with no test. The table:

Region	Countries with an exchange agreement
Europe (non-EU)	United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, Serbia, North Macedonia, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey
Asia and Pacific	Japan, South Korea, Philippines, New Zealand
Latin America	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay
Africa	Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia

A few things worth knowing:

• The UK agreement has been in force since 16 March 2023. A UK licence held by a Spanish resident can be exchanged for a car or motorcycle licence with no test.
• The United States, Canada and Australia are not on the list. Residents holding those licences cannot exchange them and must take the Spanish tests once the six months are over.
• Lorries and buses (C and D categories) usually need extra tests even from agreement countries: a road test, sometimes a specific theory test as well. The DGT table lists the tests country by country.
• Where and when you got the licence matters. The DGT states that a licence is not exchangeable if you obtained it in your home country while already a legal resident in Spain. South Korea is the only exception mentioned.

How the exchange works, step by step

The procedure is the same for most agreement countries and is run by the DGT's Jefaturas Provinciales de Tráfico (provincial traffic offices). Some countries, listed on the DGT's general exchange page, go through two phases: Spain first asks the issuing country to confirm your licence is genuine, and only after a positive answer can the exchange go ahead.

What you need (from the DGT exchange pages):

1. The application form (solicitud de canje), filled in online or on the official paper form.
2. A valid ID: passport, DNI or your foreigner's residence card.
3. Proof of residence, typically your TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, foreigner's identity card) or EU registration certificate.
4. Proof that you were not resident in Spain when your licence was issued, for example the TIE or a certificate from the foreigners' register.
5. Your original licence, valid and in date. You hand it in at the end.
6. A medical fitness report (informe de aptitud psicofísica) from a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores, a driver medical centre registered with the DGT: group I for cars and motorcycles, group II for lorries and buses.
7. The fee, paid by card or online, never in cash.

The steps:

1. Get the medical report.
2. Apply online on sede.dgt.gob.es with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, or book an appointment (cita previa) by phone on 060 or online, choosing "Canjes" and then "Canje de permisos" at your provincial office.
3. If your country needs verification, wait until your request shows as CONTESTADA (answered). PENDIENTE means the issuing country has not replied yet; RECHAZADA means it has no record of you.
4. Hand in your original licence at the office you chose and collect a provisional Spanish licence.
5. Wait for the plastic card by post, usually about a month and a half.

Fees as of October 2026:

Exchange	DGT fee
Car or motorcycle licence (A1, A, B, B+E), no tests	tariff 2.3: 28.87 EUR
Lorry or bus licence (C, D) with extra tests	tariff 2.1: 94.05 EUR, covers two attempts

Fees are revised every year, so check the DGT page before paying.

Two practical warnings from the DGT. You can only hold one exchange appointment: cancelling it starts a new procedure, including a new verification with your country. And online applications are not processed automatically, so keep your submission receipt and check your spam folder for emails asking you to correct something (subsanación).

The provisional licence and driving abroad

When you hand in your foreign licence, you receive a provisional Spanish licence. According to the DGT, you can drive with it for six months, but only in Spain. If you need to drive in another country before the card arrives, the DGT points you to an International Driving Permit issued at a Jefatura, which requires an appointment.

If the card does not arrive after a reasonable time, the DGT advises going back to the office where you did the exchange so they can check and resend it. Your new Spanish licence will state that it comes from the exchange of a non-EU licence (RGCond, article 23.4), and your original goes back to the issuing country.

No agreement? Getting a Spanish licence from scratch

If your licence comes from the United States, Canada, Australia, India or any other country missing from the DGT table, the six-month limit is final. To keep driving you must obtain a Spanish licence the same way a learner does: medical report, the DGT theory test (30 questions, 30 minutes, at most 3 mistakes) and the practical driving test.

Rather than repeat it here, we wrote a full walkthrough of the process, requirements, booking and exam format in our guide to the DGT theory test. The theory test is commonly offered in English, but road signs, police instructions and the practical test are in Spanish, so you need to read the rules in Spanish anyway. That is the idea behind the course Conducir en España: el permiso B: the whole DGT theory written in B1 Spanish, with a one-tap English translation of every word and sentence.

For professional drivers there is one narrow extra route: article 22.1.b of the RGCond allows a licence from a non-agreement country to be exchanged after a 30-minute road test, if you have worked as a professional driver for at least six months for a company established in Spain.

Mistakes new residents make

• Assuming an IDP fixes everything. It is a translation that accompanies your licence. Once you have been resident for six months, it does not extend your right to drive.
• Waiting until month five to book. Appointments and country verifications take time. You can apply as soon as you are resident.
• Cancelling the appointment. With only one exchange appointment allowed, a cancellation restarts the whole process.
• Bringing the wrong medical report. Group I for cars, group II for lorries and buses.
• Driving abroad on the provisional licence. It only works in Spain.
• Forgetting that Spanish rules just changed. The traffic regulation was reformed on 1 October 2026, with new rules on overtaking cyclists, emergency corridors and motorcyclists' gear. See what changed in Spanish traffic rules in October 2026. Spanish signs are also worth a refresher: our free lesson on warning signs covers the triangular P signs of the 2025 catalogue.

FAQ

Can I drive in Spain with a UK licence?

Yes, as a visitor, as long as it is valid. Once you are resident, a UK licence is valid for six months from the date you acquire normal residence. Since 16 March 2023, Spain and the UK have an exchange agreement, so residents can swap a car licence for a Spanish one without any test.

Can I drive in Spain with a US licence?

As a tourist, yes, and the DGT recommends carrying an International Driving Permit with it. As a resident, a US licence is only valid for six months from the date you acquire normal residence. The United States is not on the DGT's list of exchange countries, so after that you need to pass the Spanish theory and practical tests.

Do I have to exchange my EU driving licence in Spain?

No. EU and EEA licences remain valid in Spain while they are in date, and the exchange is voluntary. As a resident, though, you are subject to Spanish validity periods, medical checks and the points system. A licence with no expiry date must be renewed after two years of residence.

How much does it cost to exchange a foreign licence in Spain?

As of October 2026, the DGT fee is 28.87 EUR for car and motorcycle licences with no tests (tariff 2.3), and 94.05 EUR when extra tests are required (tariff 2.1, covering two attempts). You also pay for the medical report at a driver medical centre.

How long does the exchange take?

That depends on the appointment wait and, for some countries, on how fast the issuing country confirms your licence. Once the exchange is done, the plastic card usually arrives by post in about a month and a half, and you can drive in Spain with the provisional licence in the meantime.

What happens if I keep driving on my foreign licence after six months?

Under article 21.3 of the RGCond, the licence is no longer valid for driving in Spain after that point. You would be driving without a licence that is valid in Spain, so either exchange it in time or start on the Spanish tests early.

Quick checklist

• Check where your licence was issued: EU/EEA, an agreement country or neither.
• Note the date you became a resident and count six months from it.
• Agreement country: get the medical report, pay tariff 2.3 and book your single exchange appointment.
• No agreement: start preparing for the DGT theory test now, not in month five.
• Keep the provisional licence with you and remember it only works in Spain.
• Brush up on the rules in force since 1 October 2026.

Whatever your route, reading Spanish road rules in Spanish is what makes the difference on the road and at the test centre. Try the two free lessons of our course: warning signs and how the DGT theory test works.