# General Questions on Driving Licenses etc in Spain



## Wibs (Apr 1, 2015)

Hi,

We are about to take up residence, but only for 6 months at a time (Sep-March) in El Faro, near Malaga, and we need to have a car, and we have a few questions concerning driving licenses etc:

1) Is it possible to get a Spanish driving license in addition to our UK driving licenses?

2) Do Spanish driving licenses have the same distinction between driving an automatic car or driving a manual car that we have in the UK (my wife only has a license for driving an automatic, mine is a full license)

3) If we ever get stopped by the police in Spain do we need to show the paper counterpart as well as the plastic card?

4) Does Spain have an equivalent to the annual MOT, Road tax and Insurance as in the UK? I am wondering if there are any problems buying a car in Spain, MOTing it, Taxing it, and Insuring it, with a UK driving license.

Thanks for any advice

Wibs


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

We are about to take up residence, but only for 6 months at a time (Sep-March) in El Faro, near Malaga, and we need to have a car, and we have a few questions concerning driving licenses etc:

1) Is it possible to get a Spanish driving license in addition to our UK driving licenses? No but you exchange your British licence for a Spanish one 
2) Do Spanish driving licenses have the same distinction between driving an automatic car or driving a manual car that we have in the UK (my wife only has a license for driving an automatic, mine is a full license) The British Automatic licence is not valid in Spain. 
3) If we ever get stopped by the police in Spain do we need to show the paper counterpart as well as the plastic card? The paper counterpart is now obsolete – BUT I would keep it for a while “just in case” 
4) Does Spain have an equivalent to the annual MOT, Road tax and Insurance as in the UK? I am wondering if there are any problems buying a car in Spain, MOTing it, Taxing it, and Insuring it, with a UK driving license. The MOT test is the ITV test, tax is at your local Ayuntamiento, Insurance available in a myriad of places. 

Davexf


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

davexf said:


> We are about to take up residence, but only for 6 months at a time (Sep-March) in El Faro, near Malaga, and we need to have a car, and we have a few questions concerning driving licenses etc:
> 
> 1) Is it possible to get a Spanish driving license in addition to our UK driving licenses? No but you exchange your British licence for a Spanish one
> 2) Do Spanish driving licenses have the same distinction between driving an automatic car or driving a manual car that we have in the UK (my wife only has a license for driving an automatic, mine is a full license) The British Automatic licence is not valid in Spain.
> ...


Personally - if you've only just renewed your UK driving license before moving
to Spain - I'd hang onto the UK driving license - it's perfectly valid in Spain
and for those Expats who get homesick and likely to return to the UK ( before
their UK license expires ) seems little point in getting the Spanish one.

Also the UK paper counterpart to the UK will be obsolete this year - and has
been replaced by this. *View your Driving Licence.*

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

Which is a niffty site that not only the license holder will find useful but also the
many Car Hire companies ( and GC Traffico ? ) will no doubt enjoy, to see
whether there's any penalty points on your UK Driving license.

But if you do decide to go for a Spanish Driving license, you can rest assured 
that even your Spanish Driving license records - infractions, penalty points
and classes of Vehicles you can drive - are all available on the Traffico website,
courtesy of the FMNT Digital Certificate ( which you can download on your 
personal computer ) 

State Tax Agency - How to obtain an electronic certificate

What a wonderful idea this is - absolutely marvellous that Expats can rest
assured - safe in the knowledge that - if perchance you got clocked on a Speed
Camara, a parking fine or your Car Tax is due. The Traffico site will record the details
within 24 hours of the information becoming available.
Which is very useful in Spain, as you get upto a 50 per cent discount for all
fines and Car Tax payments paid early. What a great idea this is - just the
business for those quite moments between updating your Facebook page
and twittering on Twitter.

Not only that but you can fill in the Renta online ( for those Expats brave enough )
to fill in their annual Tax Returns, check your Council details with more services
being added each year - the FMNT Site hopes to have many other organisations
in Spain signed up to the Digital Certificate, including the Spanish Inquisition. 
Which I'm sure many British Expats have always been curious to know whether
they are wanted for questioning by the Grand Inquisitor. As you know - one of 
the many delights of being an Expat in Spain.


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## Wibs (Apr 1, 2015)

Thanks for the info guys. 

Another question: can anyone recommend a good Spanish equivalent to the AA for breakdown cover? I will need cover for a car, not for a person, as I will leave the car for the use of the holiday tenants while I am back in the UK.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Wibs said:


> Thanks for the info guys.
> 
> Another question: can anyone recommend a good Spanish equivalent to the AA for breakdown cover? I will need cover for a car, not for a person, as I will leave the car for the use of the holiday tenants while I am back in the UK.


Our breakdown cover comes with the car insurance we use mapfre


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