Any person who lives in Spain and has a foreign driving license, can exchange it for a Spanish one in Traffic Headquarters

All those people who reside in Spain and have a foreign driver’s license, can exchange it at the Headquarters of Traffic by requesting an appointment by phone 060. But it is important to know if it is in force or expired, since the procedure will vary.

IF THE DRIVER’S LICENSE IS EXPIRED: You must call your embassy or consulate and request a renewal of your country’s driver’s license, they will inform you of the documentation to be submitted. Once your driving license is renewed, you can now complete the Exchange of your driving meat to Spanish. You must request time at the DGT by calling 060.

IF THE DRIVING LICENSE IS VALID AND/OR IS IN THE PERIOD OF RENEWAL: You have 2 possibilities, all of them in the DGT.

1_ Redeem it for a Spanish license: You must ask for time at the DGT (calling 060) to make a foreign driver’s license swap for the Spanish. They will tell you the necessary documentation to take the day of the appointment with Traffic.

2_  Register it in the Spanish driver register: with this procedure, what you are doing is formalizing your driver’s license in Spain.

What is the difference, then, between Redeem and Renew a driver’s license for a non-Spanish person?

1_ The RENEWAL of a driving license is always done when the license is about to expire or expired. The procedure is done at your embassy or consulate. And what is renewed is the driving license of your country with a new expiration date. You do not receive a Spanish card.
2_ On the contrary, when you REDEEM your driver’s license, you change your driver’s license issued in your country for a Spanish driver’s license. In these cases you may be in a renewal period or not, but it must always be in force. It is done at the DGT and always by appointment.

1_ Identity and residence accreditation: National Identity Document or NIE or valid Passport and any other means of proof requested by the Traffic Department, to prove residence.

2_ Driving license: original and photocopy.

3_ Psychophysical Aptitude Report issued by an authorized Driver Recognition Center. (This procedure can be done in our medical center. Reserve time to complete the Psychophysical Aptitude Report)

4_ A recent photograph of 32 x 26 mm. In the case of applicants who, because of their religion, wear covered hair, veiled photographs will be admitted, the only limitation for admission, that the oval of the face appears fully discovered from the birth of the hair to the chin, so that prevent or hinder the identification of the person.

5_ Heel photo, which will be provided at the Traffic Headquarters: completed and signed within the corresponding box.

6_ Pay the fee.

The Psychophysical Aptitude Reports are medical reports, which are made by the official Traffic Medical Centers, we are called Driver Recognition Centers. In order to obtain this Report we must perform a medical examination where we assess both the state of physical and mental health.

It is important that you know that in all the Driver Recognition Centers that we are approved by the DGT we must have a doctor and a psychologist. And they will be the ones to make the visit.

Below we detail what this medical examination consists of:

As we have said the medical examination is carried out by a doctor and a psychologist.

The doctor is going to review your medical history, in order to know if you have any relevant disease or have undergone surgery.

You will also have an ophthalmological examination to assess visual acuity: calculation of distance, glare level and visual ability. This test can be performed with or without glasses, as required.

It is the competence of the auditory assessment after an audiometry.

Finally, the doctor will check the cardio-respiratory system in order to determine that the blood pressure is adequate.

The final phase of medical examination is in the hands of the psychologist. It is the stage that gives more respect to the elderly as it consists of a psychomotor test through a computer program. With this psychotechnical test, the aim is to check the perception of movement and viso-motor coordination.

Once the medical examination has been completed, we issue and deliver the Psychophysical Aptitude Report. Which you must present to Traffic on the day of the appointment.

It is important to know that the results of the medical examination are controlled by the Medical Traffic Court. It would not be the first time that they annul a Psychophysical Aptitude Report due to the lack of professionalism of the medical center. So make sure you are getting a good medical examination, with doctors and collegiate psychologists.

There are 3 different situations in which it is mandatory to perform any of the procedures mentioned above:

1 – People with community driving licenses or from the European Economic Area:

That is, the EU countries, Norway, Iceland and Liechenstein.

The people who must renew or exchange their foreign driving license are:

COMMUNITY PEOPLE: That your driver’s license has expired or is about to expire.

Residents in Spain with more than 2 years of residence since January 19, 2013, with any of the following characteristics in their foreign card:

– They are holders of indefinite community driving licenses (without expiration date of their license)

– They are holders of driver’s licenses with a validity period of their driver’s license exceeding 15 years for Group 1 permits (AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE).

– They are holders of driver’s licenses with a validity period of their driver’s license for more than 5 years for Group 2 permits (C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D, DE).

 

2- People with driving licenses issued in non-EU countries (Andorra, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Monaco)

Particularities ?? Which are in the period of renewal, are expired, have been living in Spain for more than 2 years? When is it mandatory to complete a procedure?

What permits are not redeemed ?:

The permits obtained with a date after the signing of the respective Agreement are not exchanged, when the holder had obtained the permit as a legal resident in Spain.

 

3- People with driving licenses from countries with an agreement

Particularities ?? Which are in the period of renewal, are expired, have been living in Spain for more than 2 years? When is it mandatory to complete a procedure?

Which countries have an agreement ?:

Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Philippines, Guatemala, Macedonia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.

 

Exchange of driving licenses issued in non-EU countries (Andorra, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Monaco), and Exchange of driving licenses for countries with an agreement:

_   Written declaration of not being deprived by judicial resolution of the right to drive motor vehicles and mopeds, nor subject to intervention or suspension of which it is owned.

_   Written declaration of not being the holder of another driving license or license, whether issued in Spain or in another community country, of the same class as the one requested.

Korea: official translation of the permit made by a Consulate or by the Embassy.

Japan: official translation of the permit.

 

** Representation: When the documentation is not presented by the permit holder, the person who represents him must provide his original ID and authorization of the interested party to carry out the procedure, where he expresses his free character.