Chapter 9: Driver licence

1. Licences/Permits

Authorize the driving of different types of vehicles.

1.1 Category B Driving Licence

1. 2-wheeled and 3-wheeled mopeds, light quadricycles.

2. Automobiles up to 3500kg MAM and 9 seats including the driver: Passenger cars, SUV, tricycles, quadricycles, lorries/trucks and motorhomes. Minimum age: 18; motor tricycles over 15 kW require age 21.

3. Special vehicles: Agricultural (any weight) and construction or services:

• Non-agricultural special vehicles generally require the licence corresponding to their MAM (B up to 3500kg). For passenger transport, B covers up to 9 seats including the driver; D1 covers 10-17 and D covers more than 17.
• The former allowance for non-agricultural special vehicles of any weight at up to 40 km/h applies only to B licences obtained before 8 December 2009

4. Vehicles with trailer:

• If the trailer is light (750kg MAM or less), B is sufficient, within the towing vehicle’s approved limits. Example: Truck 3500kg + trailer 750kg or less
• If the trailer is heavy (more than 750kg MAM), the following licence limits apply:
• B: combined MAM does not exceed 3500kg
• B with code 96: combined MAM over 3500kg and up to 4250kg, after the required test. Heavier combinations require B+E or another appropriate category

5. With a valid Category B licence held for more than 3 years, A1 motorcycles up to 125cc, 11 kW and 0.1 kW/kg may be ridden in Spain only.

1.2 Category A1, A2, A Driving Licence

Category A1	Category A2	Category A
Motorcycles up to 125cc, 11 kW and 0.1 kW/kg; motor tricycles up to 15 kW Sidecar allowed Age 16 to obtain	Motorcycles up to 35 kW and 0.2 kW/kg, not derived from a motorcycle with more than twice that power; no engine-capacity limit Sidecar allowed Minimum age 18, including applicants with A1 experience	Minimum age 20 years Any engine size Sidecar allowed Progressive access: at least 2 years with A2 and the required training; motor tricycles over 15 kW require age 21

1.3 Category AM Driving Licence

Minimum age 15 years old.

Authorizes driving 2- or 3-wheel mopeds and light quadricycles.

Mopeds may tow a trailer or semi-trailer not exceeding 50% of the towing vehicle’s unladen mass: no passengers in the trailer, daytime and good visibility, with a 10% reduction in the generic speed limit. Municipal rules govern urban traffic.

1.4 Driver’s licences

LCM Licence: Authorization to drive vehicles for people with reduced mobility. Can be obtained beginning at age 14, but to carry a passenger you must be 16. A valid Category A1 or B licence also authorizes these vehicles.

LVA Licence: From age 16, authorizes agricultural self-propelled special vehicles and combinations within ordinary vehicle mass and dimension limits and with a design speed no higher than 45 km/h. Category B is required if those limits are exceeded and also authorizes the vehicles covered by LVA.

2. Newly licenced drivers

Each driver will only be considered novice in the first year of obtaining their first licence.

Newly licenced drivers:

• Speed equal to other drivers
• Must have an L sign placed behind on the left side

During the 2 years after obtaining the first licence, you must respect the novice drivers’ alcohol limits: Breath 0.15 mg/L or blood 0.3 g/L. Drivers under 18 must have 0.0 in both.

3. Licence renewal

AM, A1, A2, A and B licences, and LCM/LVA, are normally renewed:

• Every 10 years up to age 65
• Every 5 years beginning at age 65

An expired driver’s licence does not authorize the holder to drive. Medical fitness may require shorter validity periods.

4. Driving licence points

8 points

• After obtaining a driving licence
• Normally the maximum that can be lost in one day, except for the specifically listed very serious offences
• Balance after regaining a licence lost through points: a full recovery course of at least 20 hours, the waiting period and the theory test are required

4 points

• Up to 4 may be recovered in a partial recovery course of at least 10 hours, normally once every 2 years (annually for professional drivers), without exceeding the initial balance

Novice drivers reach 12 points after 2 years without an offence carrying a points deduction; further safe driving can raise the maximum to 15. After a partial loss, 2 years without such offences restores 12 points.

5. Vehicle documentation

You must carry: a current driver’s licence, the technical inspection card (ITV/MOT) and the vehicle registration certificate. Carrying paper proof of insurance is not mandatory. In Spain, miDGT provides valid digital driving and registration documents.

If towing a trailer or semitrailer, carry its technical inspection card; a separate registration certificate and compulsory insurance are required when its MAM exceeds 750kg.

Certified copies are valid when properly checked and certified by an authorised body.

You must notify the directorate of traffic within 15 days if you change your address, and within 10 days if you sell a vehicle (indicating who the buyer is).

5.1 Vehicle registration certificate

Mandatory for motor vehicles and mopeds, and for trailers and semitrailers over 750kg MAM.

Contains the following information:

• Details of the owner
• Vehicle details: registration, registration date, MAM, number of seats, etc.

To know when you will have to pass the first ITV/MOT, look at the date of registration. The next inspection will be noted on the MOT card.

5.2 Technical inspection card (ITV card or MOT card)

Mandatory for automobiles, trailers and mopeds.

Includes technical details of the vehicle: laden weight, tare, MAM, width, etc.

The date of the next ITV/MOT is noted on it. The first periodic inspection is calculated from the first registration date and vehicle category; the vehicle already has its technical card before that first inspection.

It also lets you know if the vehicle can tow a trailer.

When undergoing the ITV/MOT, there are three possible results:

• Favourable
• Unfavourable: travel is allowed only to a workshop and back for reinspection within the specified period
• Negative: the vehicle may not travel under its own power; use external transport to the workshop and reinspection

Age of a passenger car = the first registration of the vehicle

Frequency of inspections

5.3 Compulsory insurance

Driving without insurance is subject to fines, immobilization and impounding.

Mandatory for motor vehicles and mopeds, and for trailers over 750kg MAM. In 2026, VMP/e-scooters also require compulsory insurance, registration and an identification label. Uncertified VMP marketed before 22 January 2024 may circulate only until 22 January 2027, and still require registration and insurance.

The insurance covers bodily injuries and damage:

• Bodily injury covers EVERYONE except the driver at fault for the accident
• Property exclusions include the insured vehicle and its load, and property of the driver, policyholder, insured person or owner, their spouses and relatives up to the third degree by blood or marriage.

The insurer’s compulsory cover excludes damage caused by a stolen vehicle; eligible victims may instead be compensated by the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros. Theft of the vehicle itself requires separate cover.

5.4 Responsibilities

A driver is responsible for infractions violating traffic rules.

The owner will be responsible for infractions violating vehicle maintenance (ITV/MOT, insurance).

The penalty for an adult not wearing a seatbelt is for that person; the driver is responsible for the required child restraint.

The driver is responsible for their own helmet and a passenger’s required helmet. If an individual registers a vehicle without holding a driving authorisation, a consenting, appropriately licensed main driver must be recorded.