Getting a Driving Licence in Spain: Process and Costs

If you are new to Mallorca and your licence comes from a country with no exchange agreement with Spain, you have to start from scratch and take the Spanish licence. Plenty of people do it for other reasons too, because they never had a licence or because theirs lapsed. Going through a Spanish autoescuela is perfectly doable, but it takes a few months and costs more than a straight exchange.

At a glance

Getting a Spanish driving licence means theory lessons at an autoescuela, a theory exam with the DGT and then a practical test. You need an NIE number, a medical certificate and time, on average three to six months to a pass. Total costs land between 800 and 2,000 EUR.

Who has to take the full test?

If you hold a valid licence from an EU or EEA country, you do not need to do any of this. You exchange your licence, which is a completely different and much shorter procedure. The same now applies to UK licences: since the UK and Spain signed their bilateral agreement, British residents can exchange a DVLA licence without sitting a test, though a medical certificate is still required.

You do have to take the Spanish licence from scratch in these situations:

You have no licence at all and want one for the first time
Your licence comes from a country with no exchange agreement with Spain, which is the case for every US state
You had a licence that has expired and is no longer valid in Spain
You want to add a vehicle category (motorbike, truck and similar)

Before you assume the worst, check your own country on the DGT's official list of countries with an exchange agreement. Spain has agreements with a long list of states, among them New Zealand, Turkey, Morocco, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and most of Latin America, and the list does change.

Requirements for a Spanish driving licence

Before you sign up at an autoescuela, you need to meet a few conditions:

Minimum age: 18 for category B (car), 16 for a moped (AM)
NIE number: without a valid NIE you cannot register at all
Residence in Spain: proven by your Empadronamiento (registration certificate)
Medical certificate (certificado médico): a fitness check at an approved Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores, of which there are several in Palma
No serious criminal record: checked by the DGT

How do I get the medical certificate? You go to an approved Centro de Reconocimiento. The distinction from a normal doctor matters, because only these centres may issue the official form. The check takes about 15 minutes and costs between 25 and 45 EUR.

Finding an autoescuela and signing up

Mallorca has driving schools in Palma and in nearly every larger municipality. Some teach in English or German, which helps a lot when you are new, though the exams themselves follow the DGT's own language rules.

What to look at when choosing an autoescuela:

Ask about the pass rate for the theory exam, some schools publish it
Check whether learning material is available in English
Compare prices for driving lessons, the spread is wide

You normally register in person. You bring your documents, pay a registration fee and start the theory course.

The process: theory, exam and driving practice

A Spanish licence has two phases: theory and practice.

Theory phase

The DGT maintains an official question bank with more than 3,000 questions. The exam draws 30 of them, you get 30 minutes and you may get a maximum of 3 wrong. Four mistakes or more and you have failed.

The good news for English speakers: the DGT has published an official English version of the category B theory exam, and it is offered at most provincial DGT offices. Tell your autoescuela when you register that you want to sit the exam in English and they will note it on your application. Availability still varies by province, so confirm it rather than assume it.

Most autoescuelas use apps or web portals built on the official DGT question bank. Adults who study daily typically need four to eight weeks to be exam ready.

Your autoescuela books the exam slot with the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico). The DGT appointment page also shows waiting times and which examination centres on Mallorca are available.

Driving practice

Once you pass the theory, the driving lessons start. Spain sets no minimum number of hours. The autoescuela puts you forward for the practical test when it considers you ready. Realistically, 20 to 30 lessons before a first attempt is normal.

The practical test lasts about 25 minutes. A DGT examiner rides along, usually with your instructor in the passenger seat as well. You are tested on town driving, country roads and sometimes motorway.

Tip: the practical test runs in Spanish

Even if your Spanish is far from fluent, the practical test asks little of it. You need to understand instructions like "gira a la derecha" (turn right) or "para el coche" (stop the car). Many examiners speak slowly and clearly with foreign candidates. Learning the 20 or so standard commands beforehand is time well spent.

What does a Spanish driving licence cost?

Typical costs for 2026:

Posten	Kosten	Dauer
Medical certificate (centro de reconocimiento)	25-45 EUR	one-off
Registration at the autoescuela	50-150 EUR	one-off
Theory course (package)	150-300 EUR	one-off
Theory exam (Tasa DGT)	approx. 10 EUR	per attempt
Driving lessons (20-30 at 30-50 EUR each)	600-1,500 EUR	one-off
Practical test (Tasa DGT)	approx. 50-80 EUR	per attempt
Total (approximate)	800-2,000 EUR	one-off

Pass the theory first time and get by on around 20 driving lessons and you land at the lower end. Several exam attempts or more lessons and you can go past 2,000 EUR.

How long does it take?

According to the DGT's own information on driving licences, there is no fixed maximum duration for the process. In practice, plan for roughly this:

Theory course and studying: 4 to 8 weeks
Waiting for a theory exam slot: 2 to 6 weeks
Driving lessons after passing the theory: 4 to 8 weeks
Waiting for a practical test slot: 2 to 4 weeks

In total: three to six months from the start of the course to the licence in your hand. Start in high season and expect longer waits, because DGT slots on Mallorca are often fully booked over the summer.

What happens after you pass?

Once you pass the practical test you get a provisional licence (permiso provisional) valid for 90 days. The DGT then posts the plastic card to the address you gave.

Careful: the probation rules in Spain

New licence holders in Spain go through a probation period. For the first two years the alcohol limit is 0.15 mg/l in breath (0.3 g/l in blood) instead of the usual 0.25 mg/l (0.5 g/l), and you start with 8 points instead of 12. You reach the full 12 points after three years without penalties.

Coming from outside the EU: what is different?

If your licence is from a country like the United States and cannot be exchanged, you take the Spanish licence from scratch like anyone else. Your existing foreign licence is generally not credited, neither on the theory nor on the practical side. Worth knowing: once you become a legal resident, your foreign licence stops being valid for driving in Spain after six months, so it pays to start the process early rather than late.

If you want your specific case checked, a gestoria can do it, particularly when the question is whether an exchange is possible at all.

Re-registering a vehicle and the ITV roadworthiness test are the logical next steps for newcomers with a car of their own. Our guides cover re-registering a car on Mallorca and the ITV inspection in detail.

Conclusion

Taking the Spanish driving licence from scratch is a clear path, just a time-consuming one. You need an NIE, a medical certificate and an autoescuela you trust. Budget three to six months and 800 to 2,000 EUR. With daily theory practice and consistent driving lessons the exams are very manageable, even as a newcomer navigating an unfamiliar system, and the English-language theory exam removes the biggest hurdle. Start outside high season if you can, so DGT slots are not booked out for weeks or months.