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The guide · Spain

Driving licence and car

Exchanging your licence, registering your car.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Driving in Spain with your European licence: exchange, renewal and registration with the DGT

Your licence from an EU or EEA country remains valid in Spain as long as it is valid: exchanging it for a Spanish licence is optional. However, once you have settled, it is in Spain that you renew it, and if your licence has no end date (or is worth more than 15 years for a car), you must renew it 2 years after settling. Everything is done by appointment at the Jefatura de Tráfico (DGT office, Dirección General de Tráfico).

Costs
Voluntary exchange: €28.87 (fee 2.3); renewal: €24.58 (fee 4.3), free after age 70; registration in the register: €8.67 (fee 4.1); medical examination on top
Timeframes
Renewal compulsory 2 years after you settle if your licence has no end date or is worth more than 15 years; final licence received in about 6 weeks

Steps

  1. Keep driving with your European licence if it is valid and has not been suspended or withdrawn.
  2. Look at its end date. For a car or motorcycle (AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE), if it has none or is worth more than 15 years, you will have to renew it in Spain 2 years after you settle. For a heavy goods vehicle or a bus (group C and D), the threshold is 5 years.
  3. To renew it, first take a medical examination at a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores (approved centre). The report is valid for 90 days. You can ask for renewal up to 3 months before the end of validity, without losing any days.
  4. Book an appointment (cita previa) on the DGT website or app or on 060, section "Canje de permisos", then "Inscripción, sustitución y renovación de permisos europeos".
  5. At the office, you receive a provisional licence valid for 6 months (in Spain only); the final licence arrives by post in about 6 weeks.
  6. Optional: have your licence registered in the DGT's Registro de Conductores (without changing licence), or exchange it for a Spanish licence (without an exam).

Documents

  • Official form: DGT model 03, the same for exchange, registration and renewal. It contains the declaration that you have not been deprived of the right to drive and do not hold another EU or EEA licence of the same category.
  • Valid ID: the DGT cites the DNI and the passport for all three procedures, and the residence card for the exchange; the Jefatura may ask for other documents.
  • Your licence, valid.
  • For the exchange: your certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión (sheet ES-SEJOUR-TOUS-001) and a recent photo of 32 × 26 mm (since 6 November 2024, the DGT does not ask for the photo again when it already has it in its records).
  • For renewal: the medical report from the approved centre.
  • Proof of payment of the fee (bank card at the office, no cash).

Costs and timelines

  • Voluntary exchange: fee 2.3, €28.87.
  • Renewal: fee 4.3, €24.58; cheaper if the doctor limits the duration (from €4.92 for 1 year to €14.75 for 3 years); free from age 70.
  • Registration in the drivers' register: fee 4.1, €8.67.
  • Medical examination: done at an approved drivers' assessment centre; the DGT does not set its price, which varies by centre: ask before the appointment.
  • Fees are revised at the start of each year; the amounts above are those displayed by the DGT sede in October 2026. A DGT PDF table (modified 24/09/2026) gives lower amounts (€28.58 and €24.34): it is not up to date. Law 16/1979 sets base amounts (€28.30 for fee 2.3, €24.10 for 4.3, €8.50 for 4.1), revalued by the budget laws; what counts is the amount displayed on the page of each procedure of the sede, the one the DGT collects.

Common pitfalls

  • Renewal "back home". Once you are resident in Spain, you can no longer renew it in your former country: it is the country of your normal residence that does it.
  • "Normal residence" means at least 185 days a year in Spain, in a lawful situation.
  • The 2-year deadline for licences without an end date (many older licences): note the date you settled.
  • The provisional licence is only good in Spain. To drive abroad during that time, ask for an international licence.
  • Points. As soon as you have your normal residence in Spain, your European licence is subject to the Spanish points licence (art. 15.4 of the general drivers' regulation): 12 points at the start, 8 if your licence is less than 3 years old (art. 63 of the traffic law). If you lose all your points, you lose the right to drive in Spain.
  • Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla: same national rule, with the local Jefaturas de Tráfico.

What changes by country of origin

  • EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway: rules described above.
  • Swiss citizens: Switzerland is not in the EEA; the DGT classes it among the countries that have an exchange agreement with Spain (since 1998), without an exam for cars and motorcycles (fee €28.87). You can drive with your Swiss licence for 6 months at most after acquiring your normal residence in Spain (art. 21.2.c of the general drivers' regulation); after that, it is no longer valid in Spain: do the exchange before. You can request it as soon as you settle, without waiting for the 6 months (art. 22.2).
  • British citizens (Scots included): exchange agreement in force since 16/03/2023, without an exam for cars and motorcycles. According to the British government, you can drive for 6 months with your British licence after settling; after that it must have been exchanged. Plan for the DVLA verification code (England, Wales, Scotland) or the DVA one (Northern Ireland). Licences from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man cannot be exchanged.
Official sources (9) ›
  • DGT, "Trasladarte a España desde un país de la Unión Europea" (updated 28/12/2020)
  • Sede electrónica de la DGT, "Renovación de permisos de la UE y EEE" (fee 4.3: €24.58)
  • Sede electrónica de la DGT, "Canje voluntario de permisos de la UE y EEE" (fee 2.3: €28.87)
  • Sede electrónica de la DGT, "Inscripción de permisos de la UE y EEE" (fee 4.1: €8.67)
  • DGT, "Países con convenio de canjes" (United Kingdom since 16/03/2023, Switzerland; updated 26/06/2026)
  • GOV.UK, "Living in Spain" (British licence: 6 months of driving after settling; updated 03/07/2026)
  • BOE, Real Decreto 818/2009, Reglamento General de Conductores, consolidated text, art. 15.4 (European licences: points), 21.2.c (6 months for third-country licences) and 22.2
  • BOE, Real Decreto Legislativo 6/2015, traffic law, consolidated text, art. 63 (credit of 12 or 8 points)
  • BOE, Ley 16/1979 on DGT fees, consolidated text, art. 6 (base amounts: 2.3 = €28.30, 4.3 = €24.10, 4.1 = €8.50; last update published 04/07/2018)
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Checked on 23 October 2026

Importing your car to Spain: technical inspection, registration tax and Spanish plates

If you settle in Spain with your car, you must register it in Spain before you can drive it there on a lasting basis: inspection at the ITV (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos, the technical inspection), registration tax, then an application to the DGT. The registration tax ranges from 0% to 14.75% depending on CO2 emissions, but you are exempt from it if you are changing residence, you had been living outside Spain for at least 12 months and you had been using the car for at least 6 months. In that case, you have 60 days to apply for registration.

Costs
Registration tax: 0% to 14.75% of the vehicle's value (price for a new one, market value for a used one) depending on CO2 emissions (State rates; Canary Islands 0% to 13.75%), unless exempt for a change of residence; DGT registration fee (fee 1.1): €99.77 (displayed by the DGT sede in October 2026)
Timeframes
Registration to be requested within 30 days of the start of use in Spain, 60 days if you benefit from the exemption for a change of residence

Steps

  1. Before leaving, have the car deregistered for export in your country (according to that country's procedure) and keep the European certificate of conformity (COC).
  2. Insure the car for the journey and the transition period: insurance is compulsory.
  3. Go to the ITV with the foreign registration certificate, the COC (or proof of approval) and the purchase contract or invoice if you are not the registered holder. The station gives you the ficha técnica (technical sheet) in the Spanish format.
  4. Settle the registration tax (Impuesto Especial sobre Determinados Medios de Transporte): payment with modelo 576, or declaration of exemption or non-liability (modelos 05 or 06) with the Agencia Tributaria.
  5. New car bought in another EU country: VAT is due in Spain; keep proof of its payment (modelo 309 or 300, or proof that you are registered in the register of VAT taxable persons).
  6. Pay the road tax (IVTM, at your town hall, depending on the vehicle's power) or obtain its exemption.
  7. Apply for registration at the DGT (online or at a Jefatura de Tráfico, fee 1.1). You receive the number and the permiso de circulación (registration certificate).
  8. Have the plates made and fitted by an approved professional, then take out the final insurance with the new registration.

Documents

  • ID and NIE, residence registration certificate (sheet ES-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
  • Foreign registration certificate and COC (or ficha reducida signed by an engineer; for a vehicle from before 2002, a personalised approval made by an engineer before the ITV, most often "by equivalence", or "individual" if the model has no original approval).
  • ITV technical sheet.
  • Proof of ownership: invoice, contract (translated) or, if you are changing residence, the vehicle's original papers.
  • Tax documents: modelo 576, 05 or 06; VAT for a new vehicle; IVTM.
  • For the exemption: proof of your residence abroad for 12 months and of the car's use for 6 months (any means of proof is accepted; for the same proof at customs, the Agencia Tributaria cites for example proof of tax domicile, the address on your ID, home insurance, electricity, water or internet bills, your employment contract).

Costs and timelines

  • Registration tax, State rate in force (art. 70 of law 38/1992), if your community has not set its own. It applies to the value of the vehicle: for a new vehicle, the amount of the VAT base; for a used vehicle, its market value on the date the tax falls due, which you can calculate with the average selling prices approved by the ministry (art. 69). Rates:
    • 120 g/km of CO2 or less (or electric motor only): 0%;
    • more than 120 and less than 160 g/km: 4.75% (Canary Islands: 3.75%);
    • from 160 to less than 200 g/km: 9.75% (Canary Islands: 8.75%);
    • 200 g/km or more: 14.75% (Canary Islands: 13.75%). The autonomous communities may set their own rates (art. 70.2.a): look at the tax website of yours. In Ceuta and Melilla, the rate is 0% for all brackets (art. 70.2.c); but if the car is later imported into the mainland, the Balearic Islands or the Canary Islands, the tax is calculated at that time (art. 70.4).
  • Exemption for a change of residence: habitual residence outside Spain for at least 12 consecutive months; car bought with the normal taxes of your country (no tax refund on export); used for at least 6 months in your former residence; and not resold during the 12 months following registration, otherwise the tax becomes due.
  • Deadline: 30 days from the start of use in Spain, extended to 60 days with the exemption for a change of residence (art. 65.1.d). Without a proven date of entry, the date used is the later of the purchase and the start of your residence.
  • DGT registration fee (1.1): €99.77 (amount displayed by the "Matriculación" page of the DGT sede on 23/10/2026; the DGT PDF table, which states €98.78, is not up to date). Payment by card at the office, never in cash.
  • Temporary green plates: valid for 2 months (extendable) during the procedures, if the car is insured.

Common pitfalls

  • Driving for months with foreign plates. Once resident, you cannot drive a car not registered in Spain; after the 30- or 60-day deadline, the registration tax becomes payable.
  • Reselling too early. A resale within 12 months loses you the exemption.
  • Modelo 05 or 06? It is modelo 06 (simple declaration of exemption). The law does not subject the exemption for a change of residence (art. 66.1.n) to prior recognition: that, made with modelo 05, only applies to other exemptions (art. 66.2, for example that for disabled people). File the 06 within the 60-day deadline.
  • A company or leased car: the law refers to a car registered "following the transfer of the habitual residence of its holder", used by them for at least 6 months in their former residence (art. 66.1.n). A car of which you are not the holder (company, lessor) therefore does not meet this text to the letter: in case of doubt, ask the Agencia Tributaria for a written reply (consulta tributaria) before importing it.
  • Periodic technical inspection. After registration, the car follows the Spanish ITV calendar, calculated from the date of first registration or entry into service recorded in the DGT vehicle register (ask the ITV which date is used for your imported car): for a passenger car, no inspection for the first 4 years, then every 2 years up to 10 years, then every year (art. 6 of Real Decreto 920/2017).
  • Canary Islands: own registration rates (see above) and IGIC instead of VAT for a new vehicle: 9.5% up to 11 fiscal horsepower, 15% beyond, 0% for an electric car or certain hybrids (art. 59 of Canary Islands law 4/2012). The registration tax is declared as elsewhere (modelos 576, 05 or 06 of the Agencia Tributaria, according to the DGT). For a change of residence, the import exemption also covers the IGIC (Agencia Tributaria).

What changes by country of origin

  • EU countries: procedure described above, without customs duties.
  • Swiss and British citizens (Scots included): the car comes from outside the EU. It must first be imported (customs). For a change of residence, a customs duty exemption exists if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months and used the car for at least 6 months in your former residence; the VAT exemption additionally requires that the car was bought with the normal taxes of your country, without a refund on exit (Agencia Tributaria). Deadline: the customs declaration (DUA, which also serves as the application for the exemption, with no prior application) is made within 12 months of your settling, or earlier if you undertake to settle within 6 months (a guarantee may be required). Documents: proof of your residence outside the EU for 12 months (any means of proof), proof of the end of your residence in the former country, your application or registration in the register of foreigners (or TIE), and a list of goods with their value and purchase date. For 12 months, you cannot lend, rent or transfer the car without notifying customs. At the DGT, the H1 import certificate is then required; cars from the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) after 1 January 2021 follow these third-country rules. British cars also have right-hand drive: the DGT does not detail the adaptations (headlights in particular): the vehicle must have a European approval (CoC certificate of conformity, ficha reducida signed by an engineer, or personalised approval before 2002). The DGT states that, if the car does not meet the Euro VI standard (Euro V for a mixed or commercial vehicle) or has no CoC, adaptations and additional procedures are needed before registration. The DGT also advises asking the Agencia Tributaria before importing, as it considers non-EU import complicated. It is the ITV station that decides on approval: ask it before importing.
Official sources (11) ›
  • DGT, "Matricular un vehículo proveniente de la UE" (updated 25/09/2024)
  • Agencia Tributaria, "¿En qué supuestos puedo estar exento del pago del impuesto en la primera matriculación definitiva?" (traslado de residencia)
  • BOE, Ley 38/1992 de Impuestos Especiales, consolidated text (last amended 30/09/2026): art. 65.1.d (30- or 60-day deadline), art. 66.1.n (exemption), 66.2 (prior recognition for other exemptions only) and art. 70 (rates, including 0% in Ceuta and Melilla)
  • Agencia Tributaria, "Los vehículos en el traslado de residencia – Requisitos para obtener la franquicia y la exención" (import from a non-EU country)
  • DGT, "Descripción de las tasas públicas aplicables en DGT" (PDF modified 24/09/2026: fee 1.1 at €98.78)
  • Sede DGT, "Matriculación de vehículos nuevos y vehículos provenientes del extranjero" (fee 1.1: €99.77; modelos 576, 05 or 06; H1 certificate; vehicles from the United Kingdom after 01/01/2021)
  • Agencia Tributaria, "Traslado de residencia. Franquicias y exención de impuestos" (deadlines, evidence, DUA, IGIC in the Canary Islands; page updated 12/05/2026)
  • Agencia Tributaria, "Plazos para realizar la declaración de despacho a libre práctica" (12 months, or 6 months with an undertaking; page updated 05/05/2023)
  • BOE, Real Decreto 920/2017 on vehicle technical inspection, consolidated text, art. 6 (ITV frequency)
  • BOE, Canary Islands law 4/2012 of 25 June, consolidated text, art. 59 (IGIC on vehicles; wording in force since 01/01/2025)
  • DGT, "Importar un vehículo de fuera de la UE" (updated 03/11/2025: customs, H1 certificate, ITV, homologation, CoC, ficha reducida, Euro VI standard)

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