Driving licence in Spain – exchange, car import, low-emission zones and transport passes
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
The clock on a non-EU driving licence in Spain starts when you become resident: after six months, it is no longer valid. Here is how the exchange works, what applies to your car and your city's low-emission zone, and which discounted transport passes can replace a car in 2026.
Before you sort out your driving licence in Spain, note what changed on the roads in 2025 and 2026. Since 1 January 2026, the connected V16 beacon has been the only legal hazard-warning device, replacing warning triangles. Since 1 January 2025, vehicles without an environmental label may not drive in the city of Madrid, bar a transitional exception. Barcelona's low-emission zone returned to normal on 16 March 2026, and the national Abono Único pass arrived in late January 2026.
The DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico, Directorate-General for Traffic) handles licences, registration and labels. Every in-person procedure at a traffic office needs a cita previa (appointment); people aged 65 or over may go without, except for licence exchanges with agreement countries. The citizen line is 060, charged as a one-minute call.
Can you drive in Spain on your foreign licence?
| Licence from | Valid in Spain | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
| An EU or EEA country | While it is in force | Nothing – exchange is voluntary; Spanish rules on validity, medical checks and points apply once you are resident |
| EU/EEA, with no expiry date or valid over 15 years (cars, motorbikes) or over 5 years (trucks, buses) | Until two years after you become resident | Renew it in Spain |
| The United Kingdom | Six months from arrival or from gaining legal residence | Exchange it, without tests |
| Another country with an exchange agreement | Six months after you become resident | Exchange it |
| A country without an agreement, such as the USA, Canada, Australia, India or China | Six months after you become resident | Pass the Spanish tests for a new licence |
Source: DGT, Reglamento General de Conductores and La Moncloa, read 23 September 2026.
In those six months, a non-EU licence counts only if it is in force, you are old enough for the Spanish equivalent, and it is in Spanish, officially translated, on the Geneva or Vienna model or backed by an international permit. The DGT advises getting an International Driving Permit before you travel; it is valid for one year.
How do you exchange a driving licence in Spain?
According to the DGT list updated on 26 June 2026, Spain has exchange agreements with 33 non-EU countries: Andorra, Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Philippines, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, North Macedonia, Morocco, Moldova, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uruguay. The newest are Georgia and Moldova (29 September 2024) and Honduras (26 November 2024).
The licence must predate your legal residence in Spain (South Korea excepted) and must not itself come from an exchange with a non-agreement country. Bring your residence card and a fitness report from an authorised Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores (driver medical centre), valid for 90 days. The DGT keeps your original and issues a provisional licence; the card follows in about a month and a half.
| Procedure | Tests | DGT fee |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange an EU/EEA licence | None | €28.87 |
| Exchange a car or motorbike licence (A, B) from an agreement country | None | €28.87 |
| Exchange a truck or bus licence (C, D) | Usually extra theory and practical tests | €94.05 |
| Renew an EU licence that expires while you live in Spain – it becomes Spanish | Medical fitness report | €24.58; free over 70 |
Source: DGT, read 23 September 2026.
Bringing a car to Spain: registration, tax and what to carry
A car from another EU country must be re-registered before you drive it in Spain permanently: deregister it for export at home, pass a Spanish ITV (vehicle inspection) with its EU Certificate of Conformity or other accepted documents, pay the taxes and register it with the DGT. A car from outside the EU first clears customs, where you get the H1 import certificate after paying duties and taxes; one below Euro VI or without a Certificate of Conformity needs adaptations.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| DGT registration fee, car | €99.77 |
| Temporary green plates (placas verdes), 60 days, extendable | €20.61 |
| Registration tax, up to 120 g/km CO2, and electric | 0 % |
| Registration tax, above 120 and below 160 g/km | 4.75 % |
| Registration tax, 160 to below 200 g/km | 9.75 % |
| Registration tax, 200 g/km and above | 14.75 % |
Source: DGT and Ley 38/1992 on excise duties, read 23 September 2026.
These are the state defaults for the mainland and the Balearic Islands, unless the region has set its own. Moving your home here, your own car is exempt if you lived abroad for the previous 12 consecutive months, used it there for at least six months, bought it under normal taxation and keep it for 12 months; apply within 60 days of starting to use it in Spain. You also pay a yearly road tax to your ayuntamiento (town hall), based on the car's power.
Carry your licence, the permiso de circulación (registration certificate) and the ficha técnica (technical card), in original or certified copy. Third-party insurance is compulsory; a foreign policy is fine if it covers Spain.
Environmental labels and low-emission zones in Spanish cities
The DGT labels vehicles 0 Emisiones (blue), ECO, C (green) or B (yellow); the most polluting half gets none. The €5 sticker is sold by Correos and authorised sellers. Displaying it is voluntary, but city bylaws can restrict cars by label; foreign-registered cars may use their own country's equivalent. Under Ley 7/2021, towns of more than 50,000 inhabitants and island territories must set up low-emission zones (ZBE).
| City | Zone | Who is restricted |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid | All public streets | Since 1 January 2025, vehicles without a label, apart from a transitional exception for those domiciled in Madrid; fine €200, or €100 if paid early |
| Barcelona | ZBE Rondes, over 95 km² | Unlabelled vehicles on weekdays 7:00–20:00, with up to 24 authorised days a year; foreign cars must meet the Euro standard and register in advance, or risk a fine from €200 |
| Málaga | 404.03 hectares of the centre, phased in | From year two, unlabelled vehicles must be domiciled in Málaga, and from year three B-label ones too; cameras read number plates, so no sticker is needed |
Source: Ayuntamiento de Madrid, AMB and Ajuntament de Barcelona, and Ayuntamiento de Málaga, read 23 September 2026.
Public transport passes in Spain in 2026
Public transport is heavily discounted in 2026, with national money under Real Decreto-ley 17/2025.
| Pass | Who | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Abono Transporte 30 días, Madrid, zone A (roughly the city) | Ages 26–64 | €32.70 (B1 €38.20, up to €79.00 for E2) |
| Abono Joven, Madrid | Ages 15–25 | €10 for 30 days |
| Madrid passes for children and over-65s | Ages 4–6, 7–14 and 65+; under-4s need no ticket | Free |
| T-usual, Barcelona | Personal 30-day pass | €22.80 for one zone, €30.55 for two, €42.70 for three |
| Renfe Cercanías/Rodalies monthly pass, all zones of a network | General; born 2000–2011; born 2012–2026 | €20; €10; free |
| Abono Único – state interregional buses, Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia | General; born on or after 1 January 2000 | €60; €30 for 30 days |
| Málaga transport card | Per trip | €0.83 on EMT buses, €0.49 on the Metro |
Source: Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid, ATM Àrea de Barcelona (prices as displayed), Ministerio de Transportes and Consorcio de Transporte Metropolitano del Área de Málaga, read 23 September 2026.
Madrid's monthly passes go on a personal Tarjeta Transporte Público, costing €4. The Cercanías youth and child passes are for Spanish nationals and legally resident foreigners, and the youth Abono Único needs registration on the ministry's website at least 24 hours before you buy.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find your row in the licence table above | Before you become resident |
| 2 | Non-EU licence: get an International Driving Permit | Before you travel |
| 3 | Book a DGT cita previa and a medical report, then exchange your licence | Within six months of becoming resident |
| 4 | Bringing a car: re-register it and claim the tax exemption | Within 60 days of first using it here |
| 5 | Check your city's low-emission zone; register a foreign car for Barcelona's | Before you drive in |
| 6 | Buy a V16 beacon, or choose a transport pass | Now |
Source: DGT, Ley 38/1992 and Ajuntament de Barcelona, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- DGT – Trasladarte a España desde un país de la Unión Europea · dgt.es
- BOE – Reglamento General de Conductores (RD 818/2009), art. 15.4 · boe.es
- DGT – Países con convenio de canjes; DGT fee table · dgt.es
- DGT – Conducir con un permiso extranjero · dgt.es
- DGT – Canje de permisos de países extracomunitarios; list of convention countries · dgt.es
- DGT – 'Así funciona el permiso por puntos' (24 August 2026) · dgt.es
- DGT – Dispositivos de preseñalización V16 ( · dgt.es
- DGT – Antes de conducir por España ( · dgt.es
- DGT – Matricular un vehículo proveniente de la UE ( · dgt.es
- DGT – Importar un vehículo de fuera de la UE ( · dgt.es
- DGT – Matricular un vehículo proveniente de la UE; DGT fee file tasas.json · dgt.es
- DGT – Matrícula temporal: placas verdes; DGT fee file tasas.json · dgt.es
- BOE – Ley 38/1992 de Impuestos Especiales, art. 70 · boe.es
- DGT – Distintivo ambiental ( · dgt.es
- BOE – Ley 7/2021 de cambio climático y transición energética, art. 14.3 · boe.es
- Ayuntamiento de Madrid – Madrid Zona de Bajas Emisiones (ZBE), page · madrid.es
- AMB / Ajuntament de Barcelona – ZBE Rondes de Barcelona (zbe.barcelona) · zbe.barcelona
- Ayuntamiento de Málaga – Área de Movilidad: Zona de Bajas Emisiones · movilidad.malaga.eu
- DGT – Otros aspectos de interés (Peajes) · dgt.es
- Ministerio de Transportes – Listado de peajes actuales · transportes.gob.es
- SEITT (Sociedad Estatal de Infraestructuras del Transporte Terrestre) – Autopistas · seitt.es
- BOCM 31/12/2025 – Resolución del Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid: precios del transporte público en 2026 · crtm.es
- CRTM – Billetes y Tarifas; BOCM 31/12/2025 price table · crtm.es
- Ministerio de Transportes – Abono Único; press release 23/12/2025 · transportes.gob.es
- BOE – Real Decreto-ley 17/2025, art. 3 · boe.es
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.