Can I drive in Spain with a licence from another country?

As a general rule, you can drive with your foreign licence until it expires if you are from EU. If it was issued outside the European Union (EU), you can drive in Spain with your foreign licence for six months. However, you must exchange it for a Spanish one within six months of registering as a resident in Spain. But there are some exceptions, which we will explain below.

These depend upon whether you live, or plan to live, in Spain permanently, or are visiting the country as a tourist. If you are on holiday in Spain, generally, you can drive for up to 90 consecutive days with a foreign licence. Also, the situation may differ according to which country your licence was issued in.

It is important to note that, to be able to drive in Spain, you must be aged at least 18 and have passed the relevant driving test or assessment used in the country your licence was issued in as proof of aptitude. Provisional or temporary licences, including those issued for learner drivers who have not yet passed their test, do not allow you to drive legally in Spain.

Some countries allow people to drive legally from the age of 16, such as in the USA, or 17, as in the UK. But even if you have passed your test and have a full licence, you will not be allowed to drive in Spain until you are 18 years old.

Driving in Spain if your licence is from a European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) country

Driving licences from any of the 27 European Union (EU) member States, or from countries outside the EU but within the European Economic Area (EEA) – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – are valid for driving in Spain until they expire. Once your licence expires, you must exchange it for a Spanish one if you are resident in Spain and wish to continue driving.

EU- or EEA-issued licences can be exchanged for Spanish licences voluntarily at any time if you prefer to do so after you become resident, even if they are still valid. In some cases, though, you are obliged by law to exchange your driving licence from an EU or EEA country for a Spanish licence, even if it has not expired:

• If your licence becomes lost or damaged and needs to be replaced. Once you are resident in Spain, you cannot replace a foreign licence, from any country, with a new one from that country.
• If your licence does not have an expiry date, or does not expire until you reach a specified age – such as 70 – you will need to exchange it for a Spanish licence before you've been a registered resident in Spain for two years.
• If you commit a driving offence which could affect your licence points total or lead to a temporary driving ban, you must immediately exchange it for a Spanish licence.

Spain's General Directorate for Traffic (Dirección General de Tráfico), or DGT – which is part of the ministry for highways and transport – will contact the driving authority in the country your licence was issued in. They will check it is valid, its categories, and other necessary information to allow the exchange.

If your EU or EEA licence is in the older, paper format, without a photo, your replacement Spanish licence will be a plastic, credit-card sized version with a photo. You can still drive in Spain with a paper licence until it expires, but you must exchange it for a plastic licence with a photo before the year 2033. This is the case even for paper licences which are still in date.

Driving in Spain if your licence is from a non-EU or non-EEA country (including the UK)

In many cases, Spain considers foreign licences as valid even if they were issued outside the EU or EEA, for up to six months from the date you obtain legal residence.

Foreign licences which are issued in the Spanish language, or which are accompanied by a sworn translation of them into the Spanish language, are accepted for driving in Spain for the first six months of your residence. Also, licences issued in line with the format outlined in Annex 9 of the Geneva Convention or Annex 6 of the Vienna Convention, are also accepted by the Spanish State. Switzerland and the UK are both covered by this Convention, meaning licences issued in these countries are valid for up to six months from the date you obtain residency in Spain.

A new bilateral agreement was signed between Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on March 16, 2023, giving UK citizens living in Spain a further six months from this date to exchange their driving licences for a Spanish one. After this period, licence holders may need to take a driving test in Spain. As the situation may change in the future, British drivers are recommended to keep checking the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website for updates until they have exchanged their licence.

Spain has a number of bilateral agreements with other countries not described here which allow licences issued by them to be recognised for driving on Spanish roads. You should check the conditions for your individual country's licence in relation to Spain to find out whether you need to take any further action before starting to drive on Spanish territory.

Driving in Spain if you are going on holiday, but do not plan to move there

Can you drive with your licence from your country of residence?

Driving licences issued by an EU or EEA country are legal for up to 90 days, so if you go on holiday to Spain, you do not need to take any further action to be able to drive during your stay. Tourists with licences from countries not in the EU or EEA may also be allowed, if they are on the list of nations with which Spain has a bilateral agreement. Visitors with licences from countries that have no bilateral agreement with Spain in matters of driving should obtain an International Driving Licence if they wish to use a motor vehicle on Spanish roads.

At present, Spain has bilateral agreements with 23 countries, of which three are in Africa (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia), 15 are in Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, Uruguay and Venezuela), one is in Asia (The Philippines), and four European countries not in the EU or EEA (Turkey, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Serbia).

Since the Brexit transition period ended, holidaymakers in Spain with a British driving licence are no longer automatically permitted to drive after arrival, and will need an International Driving Licence. This situation may change at a later date, so British visitors are recommended to check with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) before travel.

What is an International Driving Licence?

In appearance, an International Driving Licence is a grey card folded in three with 16 pages, containing your personal information, a copy of your main driving licence, and your photograph. It is printed in several languages, since it is recognised for driving in most countries.

This document can only be obtained in the country you hold a full licence from, and is only valid for one year. That means if you go on holiday to Spain very frequently, you do not need to acquire a new one for each visit, but must ensure the document is still in date before you travel. If the police stop you whilst you are driving with an International Driving Licence, you must show it along with your valid passport.

Once you are resident in Spain, your International Driving Licence will no longer be valid for driving on Spanish roads. After you exchange your main driving licence for a Spanish one, you would need to obtain a fresh International Driving Licence if you were going on holiday in another non-EU or non-EEA country and wanted to drive there.

To find out what you need to do and who can help you with the exchanging process, we recommend you take a look at our article How to exchange a foreign driving licence for a Spanish one.