Your driving licence in Spain: the two-year myth, and what's really required
"After two years you have to exchange it" — for Dutch citizens that isn't true: that rule only applies to licences that are (almost) indefinitely valid. Your licence simply stays valid until the expiry date; *then* you renew in Spain, with a medical.
4 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
No, you don't have to exchange your Dutch driving licence in Spain. Not after two years, not on arrival, not on registration.
- It stays valid until the expiry date printed on it.
- Only then do you renew it in Spain, with a medical examination and about € 25 in fees.
- Whoever wants to go earlier exchanges voluntarily for € 28.87.
The find is on the page of the DGT, the Spanish traffic authority, about moving from an EU country. The notorious two-year rule exists, but applies only to licences that are indefinitely valid or valid for more than fifteen years. The Dutch one is valid for ten years at most, so falls outside it.
The pitfall is not Spanish but Dutch: quietly renewing your licence in the Netherlands at the old address after deregistering.
What really applies to a Dutch licence?
It's on every emigration forum: "in Spain you have to exchange your licence after two years." For Dutch citizens that is a myth. Your Dutch licence is simply valid in Spain for as long as it is valid. No registration with the DGT, no compulsory exchange, no deadline on arrival. That is striking, because for the car itself a clock of thirty days does run. The licence is the only part of the Spanish arrival without a deadline.
So when do I need to go to the DGT?
The moment comes by itself: when your licence expires, you renew it in your country of residence, and that is then Spain. That renewal gives you a Spanish licence, with the Spanish rules attached:
- a medical examination: the informe psicofísico (the report on your physical and mental fitness to drive), at a recognised examination centre, valid for ninety days;
- fees of about € 25.
After that you renew every ten years, and from your 65th every five, each time with that medical. Over 70 the renewal itself is free.
| Voluntary exchange (canje) | Renewal on expiry (renovación) | |
|---|---|---|
| When | at any time, once you live in Spain | as the expiry date approaches |
| Fees | € 28.87 | about € 25; free over 70 |
| Medical examination | not needed | yes, informe psicofísico, valid 90 days |
| What you bring | NIE and registration certificate | the examination report |
| What you get | a provisional licence straight away; the definitive one after about six weeks | a Spanish licence |
| Validity after that | 10 years; from 65 every 5 years | 10 years; from 65 every 5 years |
What does exchanging early cost, and when is it smart?
Voluntary exchange is possible at any time, for € 28.87, with your NIE and your registration certificate. You get a provisional licence straight away and the definitive one after about six weeks.
When is that smart? If your Dutch licence expires within a few years anyway, you might as well arrange it straight away. A Spanish licence saves hassle with rental companies, insurers and checks that don't see the Dutch card every day. Whoever is in no hurry waits: the exchange changes nothing about what you may drive.
One practical remark: the order is fixed. Without NIE and registration certificate there is no canje (exchange), so this belongs after the registration phase, not before. And that registration, unlike the licence, does have an appointment problem you need to count on.
What is the pitfall?
What you should not do: quietly renew your licence in the Netherlands at the old address after deregistering. Renewal belongs in your country of residence. Whoever gets around that drives on a document that raises questions at a damage claim you don't want to get.
There is a second, smaller pitfall: the medical. The informe psicofísico is valid for ninety days, so whoever does the medical and then waits months for a DGT appointment gets to do it again. Plan the medical only once the appointment is set.
What do I do today?
Practically, finally: this is an arrival chore without hurry, exactly as the step-by-step plan schedules it. The only thing you have to do today is put the expiry date of your licence in your diary, next to all those other dates this journey already watches for you.
- If it expires in the first two years after your move, the voluntary exchange straight after your registration is the calmest route.
- If it expires only years from now, you do nothing.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.4: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Spain or go straight to step 5.4 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- DGT — moving to Spain from an EU country — dgt.es
- DGT — exchange of EU/EEA driving licences (voluntary) — dgt.es
- DGT — renewing an expiring licence (medical and deadlines) — dgt.es
- RDW — validity of the driving licence, by age — rdw.nl
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