Exchange your driving licence in Spain

First, can I drive in Spain with my current driving licence?

Foreigners who are in Spain as tourists must have a valid driving licence for at least 2 years and they must be over 23 years.

In case of EU citizens, they can keep their driving licences to drive in Spain, unless they have a timelife licence (without any expiration date),  wherein there is a deadline of 6 months to exchange their driving licence or get a new Spanish one.

Non-EU citizens whose country has an agreement with Spain (including Andorra, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Monaco) must exchange their driving licence or get a new Spanish one if they will stay in Spain for more than 6 months.

Rest of Non-EU citizens (no agreement) must get a new Spanish driving licence if they are staying in Spain.

Second, who can exchange their driving licence in Spain?

You can exchange any driving licence issued by any Member State of the EU or States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Norwegian, Iceland and Liechenstein) in accordance with the EU regulations, under the conditions in which it was issued in their place of origin, except for the minimum age required for driving, that will correspond to the Spanish laws.

However, restricted, suspended or withdrawn driving licences shall not be valid for driving in Spain.

The holder of a driving licence issued in one of these States that has acquired his residence status in Spain will be subject to the Spanish provisions regarding his period of validity, control of his psychophysical abilities and allocation of credit points. In the case of a driving license that is not subject to a certain period of validity, the holder must renew it, after two years after establishing his normal residence in Spain.

If you got your driving licence in a EU country, you can avoid the second point.

Non-EU drivers whose country has an agreement with Spain will be able to exchange their driving licence (Andorra, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Monaco). Please, check the second point.

Also the following countries have an agreement with Spain: Democratic People’s Republic of Algeria, the Republic of Bolivia, the Republic of Chile, the Republic of Colombia, the Republic of Ecuador, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Nicaragua, the Republic of Peru, Republic of Panama, Republic of Paraguay, Republic of Uruguay, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Federative Republic of Brazil, Republic of El Salvador, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Guatemala, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine, Macedonia.

Third, what does NOT Trafico exchange?

• driving licences obtained on a later date than the signing of the convention being legally resident in spain. (in the case of the republic of korea the date on which the driving licence was obtained may be later than that of the legal residence)
• driving licences obtained from a licence exchanged from another country that does not have an exchange agreement with spain

Fourth, what if I am not a EU citizen and my country does not have any agreement with Spain?

It is possible to exchange it, if you can provide:

1.- Produce evidence of having been employed as a professional driver for a period of not less than 6 months by a company or companies legally established or with a branch in spain.
2.- not to be disqualified from driving motor vehicles and mopeds, and not to have their licence or permit suspended or under an administrative procedure.
3.- to pass a test of skills and behaviour on roads open to traffic.

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