How to change a UK driving licence to a Spanish driving licence

How to change a UK driving licence to a Spanish driving licence

If you are living in Spain, then you have 6 months in which to exchange your UK driving licence for a Spanish driving licence. You will not be able to drive a vehicle after that period using your UK driving licence, if you are a resident of Spain. However, if for some reason you have not exchanged your UK driving licence for a Spanish one within 6 months then although you can no longer drive you can still organise the transfer to a Spanish licence, without having to sit the Spanish driving test.

To change your UK driving licence to a Spanish driving licence you will need an appointment at the regional traffic office (Trafico).

At the top of the page that opens is a google translate tool which will change the text into English.

When it opens you will see an icon showing a person sitting across a desk from another person. Click that icon to get to the appointment page.

Select Appointment request the first blue and white icon on the left showing a computer screen.

On the next screen select your Regional Traffic Office from the left drop-down column. Then in the right dropdown column select the procedure type. For UK licences select “Office Formalaties”/”Trámites de Oficina”. Do not select “Driving licence Exchanges”/”Canjes de permisos de circulacion”. This is for EU licences.

Below you will see a list of what you will need to take to that meeting.

When you attend that meeting you will also need to take:

  • A completed exchange application form.
  • Proof that you have successfully undertaken the aptitude test known as “psicotécnico”.
  • Your identification
  • Proof of residence (DNI or residence card/TIE)
  • Your UK driving licence
  • Your permit verification code
  • Proof of payment of the fee 2.3. We believe this can be paid at the Regional Traffic centre but please remember they do not accept cash. It will have to be a card payment. The fee in 2023 was 28.87 euros.
  • Current photograph 32x26mm in colour with a plain background.
Change UK driving licence to Spanish driving licence document
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DGT advise to change your UK driving licence to a Spanish licence before 31 January 2020

How to change your UK driving licence to a Spanish driving licence

The United
Kingdom will cease to be a member of the European Union if BREXIT takes place.
At that moment, all agreements related to driving licences will no longer be
valid for UK nationals.

The DGT (Dirreción General de Trafico) advises that you get your driving licence changed over before the 31 January 2020. Although your UK driving licence will remain valid for a further period of nine months in Spain, the conditions to transfer to a Spanish one after BREXIT are unknown.

If you are
living in Spain and want to transfer from a UK licence to a Spanish licence, it
might be better to do it now. There is a standard protocol in place to exchange
a UK licence for a Spanish licence now. After BREXIT, the UK and European
countries would have to sign a new agreement to exchange driving licences.

The process
is fairly straightforward and there are many people that will help you with the
paperwork. Shop around though to make sure you are not over charged. The process
takes around a month. You have to hand in your old UK licence and the DGT give
you a temporary document, which you can show to the Spanish police if you are
stopped, until your new Spanish licence arrives.

The DGT
post your new licence to your postal address in Spain, meaning there is no need
to return to the Regional Traffic Office to collect it.

If your UK
driving licence has not expired, as mentioned above, you can continue to use it
for up to nine months after BREXIT but the conditions to exchange it for a Spanish
licence could change.

If you want
to know more about changing your driving licence then you can read our article UK or
Spanish driving licence.

Or for more detailed information on how to change your driving licence form UK to Spanish then we have produced a step-by-step guide to changing your driving licence.

Need help?
You can contact us and depending
on your location we might have a professional contact in your area that can
help with the process.

Foreign driving licence in Spain

You can use a foreign driving licence in Spain to drive a vehicle. However, regardless of the law where you obtained your driving licence, you must obey Spanish law when using your driving licence. For example, it is possible to pass your driving test aged 17 in the UK. You would not be able to use your UK licence in Spain until you were 18 because that is the minimum age in Spain by law.

All driving licences issued in the European Union and the European Economic Area are valid for driving in Spain. If you are living in Spain then please see below as there is a time limit in which the driving licence must be exchanged for a Spanish licence.

If you intend to live in Spain then you should start the process of changing your driving licence to a Spanish driving licence once you arrive.

Please note that whilst the Spanish Government might allow you to drive with a foreign driving licence insurance companies are not obliged to accept them. There is not a problem with a European driving licence but with some countries the number of Spanish insurance companies that will provide insurance could be reduced.

Driving licence from outside EU

If you are from outside the EU and you have a qualifying driving licence then you must exchange it for a Spanish one within six months of arriving in Spain.

If there is an agreement between the country where your driving licence was issued and Spain then the process is relatively straight forward. It will mean you exchange your old licence for a Spanish driving licence. This process is done either by using the services of a Gestoria or by organising it yourself through the nearest regional Road Traffic Office.

If your driving licence is issued from a country where there is no agreement with Spain then you will not be able to exchange your licence. You will have to sit the Spanish driving test.

If you have a UK licence then please read this post.

Driving licence from an EU / EAA country

If your driving licence was issued by a country in the EU, or a country in the EEA then you have a period up to a maximum of two years to change your driving licence to a Spanish driving licence.

If your EU driving licence does not have an expiry date or perhaps it runs for longer than two years after you begin your residency in Spain, you still have to change it to a Spanish licence.

You change your driving licence to a Spanish driving licence through a Gesotria for a fee or you can undertake it yourself by collecting the appropriate paperwork, paying the fee and making an appointment with the Regional Traffic Office. Follow our step by step guide to change your EU driving licence to a Spanish driving licence here.

You cannot just go to your nearest Regional Road Traffic office. You must make a prior appointment.

How to change your EU driving licence to a Spanish driving licence

How to change your UK driving licence to a Spanish driving licence
How to change an EU driving licence to a Spanish driving licence yourself? If you need/want to change your driving licence from another EU country driving licence to a Spanish driving licence then you can either employ the services of a gestoría or you can do it yourself. Click this link if you want to change a UK driving licence to a Spanish driving licence.

How to change an EU driving licence to a Spanish licence

  1. Complete the application form

    You can download a copy of the application form to change from an EU to Spanish licence here.uk to spanish licence step by step 3

  2. Pay the appropriate Tax

    At the point of writing the tax is 28,30 euros. It can be paid by bank card at the Traffic department Office when you apply, by direct debit or in cash at a bank. You cannot pay by cash at the Traffic Office. The simplest way is to pay at the Traffic Office using your bank card.

  3. Identification

    You must provide proof of your identity. A valid identification card or Passport.

  4. Your Spanish residency document

    You will need to take your Spanish residency document. This could be the small green “Certificado de registro de Ciudadano de La Unión” card.

  5. Proof you are living in Spain

    You will need to prove you are living in Spain. This can be by way of a copy of the Padron. This shows you have registered at the Town Hall as a local resident. The document must be dated within the last three months to be accepted.

  6. Driving licence

    You will need to provide the original of your current driving licence.

  7. Photo

    A photo 32mmx26mm.

  8. Medical certificate

    You may need to also supply a medical certificate

    The medical certificate can be picked up and many different authorised locations. There are usually centres next to the Regional Traffic offices but there are also many centers throughout most towns which may be more convenient for you to use.
Once you have your paperwork ready you will need to make an appointment with the Regional Traffic Office. You cannot just turn up anymore. You need to arrange a prior appointment. Click the link to find out the process to make a prior appointment with the Regional Traffic office.