If your licence is from outside the European Union, it is only valid for six months from when you acquire normal residence in Spain; after that you must exchange it, which is only possible if your country has an agreement with Spain. For cars and motorbikes the exchange is direct and the fee is €28.87. You apply to the DGT online or with an appointment in Barcelona.
People who settle in Barcelona with a licence from another country often find out too late: the day they hire a car to drive to the Costa Brava, or when they are asked for their licence at a checkpoint. Whether you need to exchange it depends on two things: where it was issued and whether you are already resident. This is what the DGT and the General Drivers Regulation say, checked in October 2026.
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First: do you need to exchange it?
If your licence is from a European Union country or the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), you can drive with it while it is valid and the exchange is voluntary. However, once you acquire normal residence in Spain you are subject to Spanish rules on validity, medical checks and points, and if your licence has no expiry date you will have to renew it after two years of residence, under article 15 of the General Drivers Regulation.
If it is from outside the European Union, the window is short: your licence is valid for six months at most, counted from when you acquire normal residence in Spain, not from when you arrive. After that it is no longer valid for driving here, and to keep driving you will have to exchange it or get a Spanish one.
While you are not resident, article 21 of the same regulation accepts foreign licences that follow the models of the Geneva or Vienna international conventions, those written in Spanish or accompanied by an official translation, and the international driving permit.
Which countries have an agreement with Spain
Besides the European Union and European Economic Area countries, the DGT publishes the list of countries with an exchange agreement, updated on 26 June 2026: Andorra, Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Philippines, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, North Macedonia, Morocco, Moldova, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uruguay.
If your country is not on it, no exchange is possible and you will have to get a Spanish licence from scratch, with its exams. The United States, for example, is not on the list. Nor can you exchange a licence that was itself an exchange from a country without an agreement, or one you obtained in your country when you were already a legal resident in Spain; the only exception the DGT mentions is the Republic of Korea.
For cars and motorbikes (classes A1, A, B and B+E) the exchange is direct, with no tests. For lorries and buses (classes C and D) there is usually a practical test and, depending on the country, a theory test too: the DGT table sets this out country by country.
What you need and what it costs
Before applying you have to go to an authorised Driver Medical Centre (Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores) and get the medical fitness report, stating the type of licence you want to exchange. The report is valid for 90 days. The DGT also asks for your ID, a valid residence card and proof that you were not living in Spain when you obtained the licence. If it is from Argentina, you also need an apostilled Certificate of Legality and Seniority.
The fee is type 2.3, €28.87, for cars and motorbikes, and type 2.1, €94.05, when tests are required; the latter covers two attempts. At the offices you pay by card, never in cash, and online you pay in the same form.
At the end your original licence is withdrawn and you are given a temporary one. The permanent licence arrives by post at home in about a month and a half.
How to apply in Barcelona: online or with an appointment
Since May 2025 licences from countries with an agreement can be exchanged online through the DGT's electronic office, with a digital certificate or Cl@ve. First you ask the issuing country to confirm the licence is valid; once it replies, you apply for the exchange, and at the end you only have to go to the Provincial Traffic Office (Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico) you chose to hand in the original and collect the temporary licence.
If you prefer to do it in person, you need an appointment: on the DGT appointment website, Barcelona has two offices, Barcelona and Barcelona-Sabadell, and the procedure usually appears in the exchanges section as «Canje de permisos». That appointment starts the check with your country, which is why it can sometimes take a while; you can follow the status with your NIF or NIE.
A note for people aged 65 or over: although the DGT sees them without an appointment for almost everything, exchanges from countries with an agreement are not included in that exception. For questions, the DGT phone number is 060.
Checked
Checked in October 2026 against: the DGT list of countries with exchange agreements (countries, tests and fees), the DGT page on exchanging non-EU licences (six-month deadline, requirements, medical report, temporary licence), the DGT electronic office pages on exchanging foreign licences and the two-stage online exchange, the DGT press release of 20 May 2025, the DGT appointment page and the General Drivers Regulation in the BOE (articles 15 and 21).
Quick questions
How long can I drive in Spain on a foreign licence as a resident?
With a licence from outside the European Union, six months at most from when you acquire normal residence in Spain. European Union and European Economic Area licences are valid while they are in force.
Which countries have an exchange agreement with Spain?
Among others, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Morocco, Peru, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Ukraine and Uruguay. The United States is not on the DGT list.
How much does it cost to exchange a driving licence?
Fee type 2.3 costs €28.87 for cars and motorbikes, with no tests. If the licence includes lorries or buses and tests are required, fee type 2.1 costs €94.05.
Do I need a DGT appointment for the exchange?
If you do it in person, yes. You can also do it online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, and then you only go to the Provincial Traffic Office (Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico) to hand in the original.