Cars & Driving in Spain

Car Driving Licence

English and other EU citizens

You can drive on a valid UK or other EU licence for six months, after which you must either:-

1. Leave Spain
2. Apply for your UK or other EU driving licence to be approved and stamped
3. Apply for a Spanish driving licence

Licences issued prior to 1990 are invalid unless accompanied by an official translation into Spanish; infringement could incur a very heavy fine. The minimum age to hold a driving licence in Spain is 18 years.
The British Consulate suggests that it is advisable to exchange UK licences for Spanish ones, which are also valid for visits to the UK. In England the DVLA will not put a non-British address on a replacement licence.
Licence Validity & Renewals

Driving licences are valid for ten years if the licence holder is under 45, for 5 years from the age of 45 to 70 years and two years thereafter. To renew a licence in Spain the applicant needs a medical certificate issued by an officially recognised centre.
To apply for your driving licence to be replaced by a Spanish one

Go to your local Provincial Traffic Headquarters, sometimes based within the Police Station, as it is in Gandia. Say you wish to change your British driving licence for a Spanish one. They will inform you that you must undergo a medical examination (as do Spanish nationals) and give you details of how to proceed...
Take with you :-

1. Your valid UK or EU driving licence
2. A copy of your NIE form
3. A photocopy of both sides of the driving licence ID photograph card
4. Your passport and one photocopy.
5. Two (2) passport photographs

Whilst the process may differ slightly in different provinces, the above documents should cover any requirement. The process is very simple and quick.
Your new Spanish licence is also valid for driving during visits to the UK.
To apply for your British driving licence to be stamped and registered

Make it evident that you want your licence stamped, not replaced and proceed as above.


In Spain you should always carry your Driving Licence, car purchase and car insurance documents together with a bank receipt showing that the insurance premium for the current period has been paid.
Failure to produce these documents if stopped by the traffic police can result in a fine of up to €300. This can be asked for on the spot and if you are unable to pay, your car can be towed away for later retrieval and probably incur another charge
Luminous Yellow Jackets

Road safety law passed in 2004. All drivers should take note that it is now against the Law not to have at least one luminous yellow jacket available in any car or vehicle whilst on the road, it is also mandatory that this jacket should be worn should you breakdown on any highway. These jackets are very low cost and available at many super markets, car & cycle shops.
Ensure that the jacket is an authorised version; I am advised that some of Chinese manufacture do not meet the road safety regulations.
If stopped by the police, there is an automatic fine if found not to be carrying one.
Halt Signs

Many drivers treat Halt Signs rather casually in some locations you can clearly see all around and that there is no obstruction so you do a perfunctory stop and go. This practice cost some friends a €65 on the spot fine. The law states you must be seen to physically stop, break on, off, gear change and go.
Traffic Regulations require that the following items be kept in the vehicle:

• Set of bulbs and tools necessary to replace them
• Two warning triangles - officially approved by the Ministerio del Interior, bearing a round symbol E9 and the code 27R03
• Spare tyre and the tools necessary to replace it
• A reflective jacket
• A spare pair of glasses (for those who wear spectacles to drive)

A fine is payable if these are not carried.

Import Tax & Registering your vehicle in Spain

Anyone who spends more than a total of six months a year in Spain is considered resident, and must pay import tax and re-register their imported vehicle. Tax can vary depending on engine c.c. If you take out a residence permit this all changes. Your car must then be registered in Spain but you can be exempt from the 12% registration tax. Get proper advice.
Non-residents can only register vehicles in Spain on temporary tourist plates, valid for a six-month period in any one year, and renewable annually.
Non-residents who become Resident - must obtain full national plates and pay the Impuesto Especial of 12%, which is based on the car's ready-reckoned value. (Non-residents from outside the EU are exempt from the Impuesto Especial).
Residents importing a vehicle must register it with the local authorities and obtain Spanish national plates. They should surrender the British vehicle's Registration Document to the DVLA in the UK and from them obtain a certificate of permanent export (V561) to present to the Spanish authority.
As a Spanish resident, your car with foreign number plate can only be driven from the Spanish border or port of entry to the place of residence in Spain and registration with the department of Transport and application for Spanish plates should take place during the first 30 days of arrival in the country.
For further information, requirements and fees, contact the "Direccion General de Trafico" in the area where you set up residence.
Bringing a right hand drive car into Spain You need a Road Worthiness Certificate; these are available from Spanish ITV (MOT) centres. Some adjustments to the vehicle may be needed to comply with EU regulations. Once obtained these should be carried in the vehicle at all times.
Car Purchase

New Cars are subject to 16% IVA (VAT), payable the first time a car is bought and registered.
Purchasing is somewhat involved, you can’t just go into a garage and buy for cash, you need the following documents:-

1. your NIE or Residencia number.
2. the address of a place of permanent residence. (This can be a friend’s home as long as they will vouch for you and you remember to notify your change of address as soon as you move to your own purchased property.)
3. a Spanish bank account and can pay by cheque or by Spanish or International Credit card.

Second Hand Cars When you buy or sell a second hand car in Spain, the Impuesto de Transmisiones Tax of 4% must be paid (Transference Tax). Either by the garage or you and the sale must be registered with the authority.
Beware, ensure that when you buy a second hand car that there are no debts outstanding against it, you can be held responsible.



Car Insurance

Check the small print and query anomalies with your insurer!
Spanish insurance regulations differ from those in the UK. For example, after an accident, if a vehicle is declared a write-off in Spain, the insurance company pays only a percentage of the vehicle's current value, even when the policy is 'fully comprehensive'.
Do ensure that your policy states "Fully Comprehensive" if that is what you require. A recent accident with no other car involved cost one member of the English community €18,000 to replace his new car because he had not checked his policy terms, it only covered 3rd party.
Note: If you need to have your Insurance Policy cover car hire whilst your vehicle is ‘off the road‘ following an accident, you need to state this fact. It will cost a higher premium. Even if the accident is not your fault, claiming for incidental loss can be difficult and very time consuming.
EU legislation requires that motorists in member states have full third party insurance. However, there is nothing which regulates what is applicable to third party or comprehensive insurance. This is a matter for member states, whose regulations differ.

Motorway Travel

Should your car be involved in an accident on a Spanish motorway that was not the result of collision with another vehicle or careless driving but caused by debris being left on the roadway by whatever means, report the incident immediately to the police. I am advised that you then have the right to make a claim against the Government Highway Authority.

Parking General rules

Yellow Lines mean "No parking", Many ignore this but we don't advise you to! In fact, the Police are very tolerant but we do see cars being clamped for being on yellow lines. Unknown costs to retrieve.
Blue Lines mean "Find a meter" and pay for the time you require. Meters are situated at the side of the road or against buildings. Again many people say you can ignore the tickets. We are told that the authorities rarely chase offenders but we are also told that when you come to sell your property all such tickets are registered against the property as a debt, plus interest. We have also seen cars on blue lines (either they have overstayed the time period or did not pay at all) being towed away by the police but have not gone into the consequences.
Be Aware in some towns there are roads with no painted curbs, but notices on posts which say parking restricted and you must pay, search for a meter. In other streets there are notices restricting the side on which parking is allowed.



............dave..

I am over in Barcelona for a few days soon and a friend has offered me use of her car. My insurance company in England says my comprehensive insurance does not cover me so what do I need to do.

this is pretty much the same as france

In Spain its the car which is insured not the person Keith get your mate to put you on the insurance. That is the law over here as you say Dave but in the real world it is how the Guardia Civil Traffico officer who pulls you over decides to interperet the law on the day. The Guardia do the same job as the D.V.L.C in the U.K. registering new veichles so the recession has realy affected their revenue so they will stop you and fine you for anything at the moment so beware this is still a third world country when it comes to corruption.
Lucius

Check your insurance too as some companies 'green cards' only last for a certain time!

Wow, with all those requirements it might be less expensive to pay someone to drive you around for the time you're there on vacation! it would be better to be a passenger anyway, and be able to see the sights.