Validity and exchange of an EU driving licence

Validity of an EU driving licence

Your European driving licence will be valid in Spain as long as it is current. Any exchange of your valid EU licence is therefore entirely voluntary. Exchange means we replace the driving licence you used to hold with an equivalent Spanish driving licence.

If your European licence expires, you must renew it in order to continue driving. This renewal involves exchanging your licence for a Spanish one.

Also, if the driving licence has an indefinite period of validity (no expiry date), or is valid more than 15 years for group 1 (AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE), or more than five years for group 2 (C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE), you must renew it two years after establishing your ordinary residence in Spain.

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Exchanging driving licences

Exchanging a licence involves approval of the driving licence you already hold. The licence you held is exchanged for the equivalent Spanish licence. The procedure is much simpler to follow than obtaining a new licence.

Driving licences issued in any Member State of the European Union (EU), and in the European Economic Area (EEA – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) are valid for driving in Spain as long as they are current and have not been withdrawn for any reason. The only proviso is that the age required for driving must be the same as required to obtain an equivalent Spanish driving licence.

As long as your EU and EEA  driving licence is current, exchanging it is entirely voluntary. The exchange means we replace the driving licence you held with an equivalent Spanish licence.

During this procedure, your original licence is withdrawn and we issue you with a provisional licence. You will receive your definitive licence in approximately one-and-a-half months. You do not need to visit your police station or DGT office; we will post your licence to you at home.

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• What do you need to exchange a licence?

  To exchange your licence, you must attend in person, and hand in all the documentation at any main Police Station or Traffic Office. To do this, you have to make an appointment via the appointment app . Make sure you choose the option ‘Exchanging driving licences’, and choose the country that issued your driving licence. A fee is charged for this procedure.

  On the day of your appointment, please bring

  • Your completed official application form for the exchange. This includes a declaration that you are not disqualified by court order from driving motor vehicles and mopeds and that you do not hold another EU or EEA licence of the same category as that for which you are applying, and that none has been restricted, suspended or withdrawn.
  • The applicant’s identity document: the original, current document proving identity is required: current identity card, residence permit or passport.
  • Proof of residence is required.
    • For non-EU citizens, this is a: current residence permit;
    • And for EU citizens: certificate of entry in the register of foreigners.

    On the official form, you can expressly authorise the DGT to verify your official registered address, identity and legal residence online. However, if the DGT cannot obtain any valid information, you must provide corroborating documentation.

  • Bring your current foreign driving licence for exchange.
  • Bring the reference number or proof of payment of fee 2.3, EUR 28.87 (the year 2022 2024). You can make the payment at our offices by credit card, cash is not accepted, or use a previously purchased fee from one of the channels authorised to do so.
  • Bring an original current colour photograph, size 32 x 26 mm, on a plain background, taken from the front, with the head uncovered and no dark glasses or any clothing which might make it difficult or impossible to identify you.

  If you keep your head covered for religious reasons, photographs with a veil are allowed, but the oval of your face must be fully visible uncovered from the hairline to the chin, so that it is not difficult or impossible to identify you.

• Who can do this?

  Anyone who holds a driving licence from:

  • An EU Member State;
  • The EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway); and is ordinarily resident in Spain.

  The licence holder, or any appointed proxy, must make the application for renewal.

  Through our authorisations register, you can appoint someone else as a proxy to act on your behalf.

  If someone else is going to complete the procedure on your behalf, please state the applicant’s and the proxy’s identity card numbers when you telephone 060 to book the appointment.

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