The Spanish road net is very extensive and allows you to reach any corner of the country. Used daily by many vehicles, it offers the opportunity to get to know all kinds of places, from the main tourist destinations to much less frequented towns.

Obviously, to use it we need to have a valid driving license. As in the rest of the countries, there are different types depending on the vehicle that we are going to drive (motorcycle, car, van...):

• AM: Allows you to drive two or three-wheeled mopeds and light quadricycles.
• A1: For motorcycles with a maximum cylinder capacity of 125 cm3 and a maximum power of 11 kW.
• A2: Authorized to drive motorcycles with a maximum power of 35 kW.
• A: For motorcycles and motor trikes of any power and weight.
• B: The most popular, since it authorizes the driving of cars that do not exceed 3,500 kg of maximum authorized mass (mma) that are designed to transport no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver. They can also be attached to a trailer weighing less than 750 kg. In addition, it qualifies to drive motor tricycles and quadricycles.
• B + E: We will need this license to drive sets of coupled vehicles made up of a towing vehicle authorized by the B permit and a trailer or semi-trailer weighing more than 750 kg and less than 3,500 kg.
• C1: For cars other than those of classes D or D1, with mma between 3,500 and 7,500 kg.
• C1 + E: For sets of coupled vehicles made up of a towing vehicle authorized by the C1 permit and a trailer or semi-trailer with a weight greater than 750 kg, provided that the weight of the set does not exceed 12,000 kg.
• C: If we want to drive cars other than those of classes D or D1, whose mma exceeds 3,500 kg designed for the transport of no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver. In case of adding a trailer of mma greater than 750 kg, we will need a C + E.
• Finally, there are more types of permits for other vehicles, such as the D1 (for less than sixteen passengers and a maximum length of eight meters), the D1+E (with trailer), D or D + E.

Obviously, the most common driving licenses in Spain are those for mopeds, motorcycles and cars, that is, the first five on the list above. Regarding their period of validity, those of these categories (AM, A1, A2, A and B) must be renewed every 10 years if the holder is under 65 years of age. Once that age is reached, the validity is reduced to 5 years. The rest of the permits must be renewed every 5 years (or every 3 in the case of people over 65).

If you are a foreigner, the requirements to drive in Spain depend on your country of origin and whether you have established your residence in Spanish territory or not. Thus, tourists or residents with less than 6 months of stay can drive in Spain with the license of their country of origin if it is issued in accordance with certain annexes of the Geneva Convention or the Vienna Convention.

Those recognized in particular international conventions to which Spain is a party, or those written in Spanish or accompanied by an official translation, are also valid. Likewise, they can legally drive if they hold an international permit, which is valid for one year.

And what happens if you have been residing in Spain for more than 6 months? In this case, if you are a citizen from outside the European Economic Area and your country has an agreement with Spain in this area, it is mandatory that you exchange your original driving license for a Spanish one. You can consult the list of countries with an approval agreement on the website of the DGT (Directorate General of Traffic).

If you are a citizen of the European Economic Area (EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) you can continue to use the original permit from your country until its expiration date. Before that day you will have to request the renewal and you will obtain the European permit, a document with the same format for all these countries since 2013.

If you do not belong to either of these two groups, you must obtain your driving license in Spain, after passing the exams (a theory test – which you can request to take in English, French or German – and another relatively simple practice test) and pay the corresponding fees.