How to get a driving licence in Spain in 2026

A Russian driving licence is only temporarily valid in Spain: for a tourist, 6 months from lawful entry; for a resident, 6 months from getting a residence permit. There is no exchange agreement with Russia, so after that you need a Spanish licence: a medical check, theory and driving tests at the DGT, almost always through a driving school. The fee is €94.05, a driving school from €1,100.

Below, step by step: how much longer you can drive on a Russian licence, whose licences are exchanged without tests, how the exams work, what it costs and what to know about the rules and fines. If you need the licence for your own car, the other half of the task is buying a car as a non-resident.

Is a Russian licence valid in Spain?

There is no driving licence exchange agreement between Russia and Spain: Russia is not on the DGT list of countries updated on 26 June 2026. So a Russian licence is only temporarily valid here, and after that it is not exchanged — you take the Spanish tests.

• A tourist can drive on a Russian licence until 6 months have passed since lawful entry into Spain.
• A resident — for 6 months from becoming resident, that is, from getting the residence permit (Article 21 of RD 818/2009). The regulation makes no exception for students.
• International permit and translation. The regulation recognises the Russian licence itself (Vienna Convention model), a licence with an official translation and an international driving permit — these are alternatives, not a required add-on. The DGT recommends getting an international permit before you come: it helps at a check and at a rental desk. It does not extend the 6-month period.

Driving any longer means driving without a valid licence: under the Traffic Act (Articles 77 and 80) it is a very serious offence with a €500 fine. The main risk is not the fine but insurance: after an accident a driver without a valid licence may be left without a payout.

Whose licences are exchanged without tests

Only a bilateral agreement allows a licence to be exchanged without tests. The DGT list has 33 countries. For people moving from the former USSR and nearby, the picture is:

Two caveats. The DGT does not exchange licences obtained at home when the person was already resident in Spain. And under Directive 2006/126 Spain may refuse to recognise an EU licence obtained by exchanging a Russian one: schemes like “exchange the Russian licence for a Polish or Serbian one, then for a Spanish one” come with no guarantee. In practice intermediaries sell such schemes for €950–2,000, and chats are full of stories of DGT refusals and fake licences.

How to get a Spanish licence: step by step

1. Become resident. A foreigner must show normal residence or study in Spain for at least 6 months to get a licence (Article 7 of the regulation). The document is the TIE.
2. Choose a driving school. You can prepare for the theory yourself, but the driving test is taken in a car with dual pedals with an instructor beside you — so in reality the driving test goes through a driving school.
3. Pass the medical check at an authorised drivers’ centre (centro de reconocimiento de conductores): it issues a certificate of psychophysical fitness.
4. Apply to the DGT on form Mod. 04 and pay fee 2.1 — €94.05. One fee covers two exam attempts.
5. Pass the theory, then the driving test. The tests are sequential: you cannot take the driving test without passing the theory, and a passed part stays valid for two years (Article 53).
6. Get the licence. Category B is issued for 10 years until the age of 65.

The theory test

The theory test is multiple choice: under the regulation it has 30 to 50 questions, and the DGT sets the exact number. Practice tests are on the DGT website and in driving school programmes.

Which language. Under the DGT application form (Mod. 04) the category B theory test can be taken in Spanish, in a regional official language — Catalan, Basque, Galician or Valencian — and in English, French or German. Russian is not on the list. On the form you can request an audio version through headphones and extra time. In practice people often prepare for the theory themselves and take it in English, while the driving test is in Spanish.

The driving test

The category B driving test lasts at least 25 minutes, not counting the meeting, the car check and the announcement of the result (Annex VI of the regulation). The car has dual pedals, with a driving school instructor or another accompanying person beside you. If you pass in an automatic, your licence will carry an “automatic only” restriction.

Mistakes in the driving test fall into three types. A mistake that creates danger for you or others or seriously breaks the rules is eliminatory (eliminatoria): one is enough. A mistake that hinders other road users or shortens the safe distance is serious (deficiente). Everything else, including clumsy handling of pedals and levers, is minor (leves). You fail with one eliminatory mistake, two serious ones, one serious plus five minor, or ten minor.

Long experience in Russia does not guarantee passing first time: in practice experienced drivers are failed on the Spanish driving style, roundabout priority and parking. The rules themselves are a good place to start: which side of the road people drive on here, how roundabouts work and what speeding costs — a short guide for newcomers. According to DGT data for 2026, roughly 46 to 70% of candidates pass the driving test, depending on the province.

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How much it costs

Driving school prices come from Spanish comparison sites for 2026: usually €1,200–1,800 in Madrid and Barcelona and €1,300–1,600 in Valencia. The total depends on the number of lessons and retakes, so compare the full cost to a pass rather than the registration fee. What running a car costs with fuel is shown in our overview of petrol prices.

How to choose a driving school

Ask a few questions before paying — the answers decide how much money and how many attempts it will take:

• how much registration (matrícula) costs and what it includes: access to tests, the textbook, the first exam entry;
• how much one driving lesson costs and how long it is — 45 minutes or an hour;
• how much a repeat driving test entry costs and how quickly the school gets a new date — in practice, in big cities bookings can be a month or two ahead;
• how many of the school’s students pass the driving test first time — the DGT publishes statistics by school;
• whether there is an instructor who explains in English, and a car with the gearbox you will take the test on.

Points and fines: what a new driver should know

• 8 points to start with. Anyone whose licence is less than three years old starts with 8 points, everyone else with 12 (Traffic Law, art. 63). Points are deducted for offences, and at zero the licence is withdrawn.
• Up to 15 points for a clean record. Drivers with no sanctions get 2 points for the first three years and 1 more for the next three; a safe-driving course adds 2 points, up to 15 in total.
• 50% off for paying quickly. Paying a fine within 20 calendar days of notification halves it, but you can no longer contest it (art. 94). Fines, points and notices are visible in the DGT online office and in the miDGT app.

Spanish road rules: what matters for a driver from Russia

The catalogue of signs and road markings is approved by Annex I to the General Traffic Regulation (Reglamento General de Circulación). Most signs are recognisable, but in practice a few rules differ from what you are used to.

• The urban speed limit depends on the number of lanes. Since 11 May 2021: 20 km/h where the carriageway and pavement are at the same level, 30 km/h on a street with one lane in each direction, 50 km/h with two or more lanes. The town hall may allow 50 on a single-lane street, but only with a sign.
• STOP means a full stop. You stop at the stop line and, if the road cannot be seen from there, stop again where it can, and only then give way.
• Roundabouts. Vehicles already on the roundabout (glorieta) have priority. The DGT recommends driving in the outer lane, with the inner lanes used for overtaking, and leaving the roundabout only from the outer right-hand lane with the indicator on.
• A solid line must not be crossed or driven on. Where a solid line runs next to a broken one, the ban applies only to the lane on the solid-line side.
• Low-emission zones. Towns with more than 50,000 residents must introduce low-emission zones (ZBE, Law 7/2021), and entry depends on the car’s DGT environmental category: 0 Emisiones, ECO, C or B. Displaying the sticker is not compulsory, but the category applies; the sticker costs €5.
• The colour of paid parking is set by the town hall. The national catalogue of road markings has no “blue zone”. In Madrid, for example, any driver can park in the blue zone for up to 4 hours, while in the green zone local residents park without a time limit and everyone else for up to 2 hours.

Amendments to the regulation take effect on 1 October 2026 (RD 518/2026): when overtaking a cyclist outside towns, drivers must slow down by at least 20 km/h, and vehicles stopped after an accident must be passed with a gap of 1.5 m. These amendments do not change the speed limits for cars.

From what age you can drive

According to the DGT: mopeds (AM) from 15, light motorcycles (A1) from 16, A2 motorcycles from 18, motorcycles with no power limit (A) from 20, and cars (B) from 18.

Frequently asked questions

Can you drive in Spain with a Russian licence?

Yes, but only for a while. A tourist can drive on a Russian licence for 6 months from lawful entry, a resident for 6 months from getting a residence permit (Article 21 of the General Drivers Regulation). There is no licence exchange agreement between Russia and Spain, so after that you take the Spanish tests.

Can a Russian licence be exchanged for a Spanish one?

No. Russia is not on the list of countries that have a licence exchange agreement with Spain (DGT, updated 26.06.2026). Ukrainian, Georgian, Moldovan and UK licences, for example, are exchanged without tests. Belarusian, Kazakh, Armenian, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijani and Israeli licences are not.

If I exchange my Russian licence for a Polish or Georgian one, will Spain exchange it later?

There is no guarantee. The EU driving licence directive allows a country not to recognise an EU licence obtained by exchanging a third-country licence, and the DGT does not exchange licences obtained at home when the person was already resident in Spain. In practice intermediaries sell such schemes, and chats are full of stories of refusals and fake licences.

Do you need an international driving permit in Spain?

Not necessarily: for the first 6 months a Russian licence is valid on its own. An international permit or a sworn translation is an alternative that the DGT recommends carrying; in practice car rental companies sometimes ask for one. They do not extend the 6-month period.

What happens if you drive on a Russian licence more than 6 months after getting residence?

Under the Traffic Act this is driving without a valid licence — a very serious offence with a €500 fine (Articles 77 and 80). Insurance may refuse to pay out after an accident. The criminal offence under Article 384 concerns people who never had a licence or were disqualified.

Can you get a licence without a driving school?

You can prepare for the theory test yourself. The driving test is taken in a car with dual pedals, with an instructor in the passenger seat, so in practice the driving test is taken through a driving school. The DGT has not clarified whether the exemption for people who already held a licence applies to Russian licences.

How much does it cost to get a licence in Spain?

The DGT fee is €94.05, covering two exam attempts. The medical check costs about €30–50. Most of the cost is the driving school: according to Spanish comparison sites for 2026, a category B licence without retakes costs €1,100–1,900, and a driving lesson €25–45.

How many points does a new driver have in Spain?

8 points while the licence is less than three years old, then 12. Without offences you can build up to 15 points. A fine paid within 20 days is halved, but then it cannot be appealed.