{"id":1185,"date":"2019-07-26T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T08:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonneil.com\/blog\/?p=1185"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:17:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:17:15","slug":"driving-licence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonneil.com\/blog\/en\/driving-licence\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting your spanish driving licence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from driving on\nthe other side of the road, there are a number of significant differences with\nthe driving experience in Spain, starting with the whole process of getting\nyour licence. So in this article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonneil.com\/en?fuente=Adwords&amp;campaignid=1696610631&amp;adset=68830352151&amp;adid=331587389465&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwqLblBRBYEiwAV3pCJpU2sudFmkd3NMkICqKcikmT_gbXxi8OezEaWCZsxmsoozyzFSWzARoCrWoQAvD_BwE\">Sonneil<\/a> will explain how to go about getting\nyour driving licence from the point of view of a new driver who is starting\nfrom scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to obtain a\ndriving licence in Spain you must be at least 17 years and 9 months, but you\ncan\u2019t actually get behind the wheel of a car until you are 18 years and one day\nold. Once you have your licence it is valid in any EU member state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So what are the <strong>formalities\n<\/strong>for getting your Spanish driving licence? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well it all starts\nwith getting your NIE, or national identity number. This involves downloading\nan EX-15 form, from the website of the Spanish Department of\nForeign Affairs, filling it out and bringing it along with your identity card or\npassport and proof of your economic activity in Spain to the Spanish Foreign\nOffice (Oficina de Extranjeria). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After paying a fee of\naround \u20ac10 you&#8217;ll receive your NIE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also go to\nthe Spanish embassy in your country to obtain a NIE that&#8217;s valid for three\nmonths. Next, you need to get an Empadronamiento, which registers your name on\nthe census of the local town hall. This will require proof of your identity as\nwell as proof of address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once in possession of\nthese documents, bring them to your local Directorate General for Traffic or\nDGT office. You will also need to bring 2 colour passport-sized photos for your\nlicence and a medical certificate (Certificado Medico) to prove that you are\nboth mentally and physically able to drive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now you are ready to\nstart your lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are no\ncompulsory school hours to attend before you can do your test; however, unlike\nin the UK, there are no provisional licences in Spain, so before you pass your\ntest, the only person you can drive with is a licenced instructor. The average\nprice for a one hour lesson is around \u20ac25. On top of this you will have to pay\nfor your theory classes. These can cost between \u20ac30-35 a month or a one-off fee\nof about \u20ac300.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Test<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first test covers\ndriver theory, which consists of 30 questions to be carried out within 30\nminutes, allowing a maximum of three errors. The test is done by computer and\nallows you a choice of language. Be warned, preparation for the theory test in\nSpain is quite demanding and comes in the form of a thick manual containing 629\nrules, including lengthy chapters on first aid and vehicle maintenance. All of\nwhich must be learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second test is a\npractical one of 25 minutes and is performed in Spanish. It consists of\nquestions about the vehicle, 5 minutes of driving towards a destination and a\n20 minute driving tour following the instructor&#8217;s directions. If the practical\ntest is not passed it must be repeated and you will have to wait at least 12\ndays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cost<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are numerous\nfees to be paid along the way towards obtaining your licence and different\nformulas available to get you through the process, but in the end, depending on\nthe number of driving hours or the driving school chosen, the cost of obtaining\nyour license will be approximately \u20ac650 to \u20ac1200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s easier said than\ndone, but that all there is to it! Time to start planning that road trip&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apart from driving on the other side of the road, there are a number of significant differences with the driving experience in Spain, starting with the whole process of getting your licence. So in this article Sonneil will explain how to go about getting your driving licence from the point of view of a new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1180,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formalities-paperwork"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Getting your spanish driving licence<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Apart from driving on the other side of the road, there are a number of significant differences with the driving experience in Spain, starting with the whole process of getting your licence. 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So in this article Sonneil will explain how to go about getting your driving licence from the point of view of a new driver who is starting from scratch.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sonneil.com\/blog\/en\/driving-licence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sonneil Homes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SonneilHomes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-26T08:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-05T09:17:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sonneil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/02.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sonneil\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sonneilhomes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sonneilhomes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sonneil\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sonneil\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4f2459627d38234c09e354e49a31711d\"},\"headline\":\"Getting your spanish driving licence\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-26T08:00:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T09:17:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":586,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/02.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Formalities &amp; paperwork\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/\",\"name\":\"Getting your spanish driving licence\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/driving-licence\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/02.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-26T08:00:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-05T09:17:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sonneil.com\\\/blog\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4f2459627d38234c09e354e49a31711d\"},\"description\":\"Apart from driving on the other side of the road, there are a number of significant differences with the driving experience in Spain, starting with the whole process of getting your licence. 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