English
Español
The Spanish Ley del Tráfico is somewhat different to the UK Highway Code. Our contributor Paul Whitelock passes a slide-rule over the rules and regulations on driving in Spain…
Driving licences and other documentation
If you are from outside the EU, you will need an International Driving Licence issued by the correct authority in your home country. It must have one page of information in Spanish.
If you are a UK resident and your licence was issued after 1990 you can legally drive in Spain. However, if your licence was issued before 1990 you need an official translation into Spanish (available from the Spanish Embassy in London and the Real Automóvil Club de España if the licence holder is already in Spain). Holders of older licences may prefer to use an International Licence issued anywhere outside Spain.
If you are an EU citizen visiting Spain, or a Brit post-Brexit, and you are driving a foreign-registered vehicle you must have with you:
- Your passport, which must be valid for the period you are staying in Spain.
- Current driving licence, preferably the EU type with the ring of stars.
- All documents relating to the vehicle including vehicle registration (V5), MOT, motor vehicle tax and valid insurance.
- If the vehicle is not registered in your name, we suggest that you carry a letter from the registered owner giving you permission to drive.
- In addition, your vehicle must comply with all aspects of the equipment section below.
If you are driving a Spanish-registered vehicle you must have the Spanish equivalents of these documents: permiso de circulación, ITV displayed on the vehicle, motor vehicle tax (paid at the town hall) and valid insurance. Also carry a copy of a bank payment or other formal document showing that the insurance premium has been paid. Certified copies of the originals are acceptable.
Note that you can be fined for non-compliance and the fines can be very heavy. As a non-resident you can expect to be fined on the spot (with a generous 30% discount)! The police have even been known to accompany drivers to cash machines to withdraw funds. If this happens to you, make sure you get a receipt from the issuing officer. Some authorities also operate Special, or “Rapid Justice” courts and you may find yourself up in front of one of these.
Equipment for the car
Seat belts (where fitted) must be worn by all passengers and by the driver except when parking or reversing. Those excluded include pregnant women, disabled passengers or anyone suffering from a grave medical condition. In these cases, a medical certificate in Spanish, or an official translation of it, if it has been issued elsewhere, must be carried at all times when the vehicle is in motion. Failure to comply is considered a serious offence.
Children under 12 are not allowed in the front (unless at least 135 cm in height). In the rear, passengers under 135cm tall must use specially adapted safety devices and restraints. Children under three years of age must use child seats.
Dogs and other animals must be restrained when travelling in the vehicle. Usually this means a properly constructed and fitted dog guard, or a body harness and restraining lead. In Spain it is illegal to leave a dog in a car, even with the windows slightly open. If the dog is in distress and the police are called, I am told they have the authority to smash the windows. Even if they don’t , the animal rescue authorities who will be called by the police will certainly break into the car if they judge it necessary. Very expensive all round.
Set of spare lamps/bulbs and fuses, and correctly functioning spare wheel for your car AND the tools to change them must be carried in the vehicle.
First aid kit and fire extinguisher are not compulsory but we recommend that you carry one of each.
GB stickers: UK registered vehicles displaying Euro-plates (circle of 12 stars above the national identifier on blue background) no longer need a GB sticker when driving in European Union countries. This will no doubt change as a result of Brexit.
Spare pair of corrective spectacles must be carried in the vehicle at all times if the driver wears them for driving.
Headlamp converters are compulsory if you have a right-hand drive vehicle where the lights have not been converted for driving on the left.
Use of radar detection equipment is against the law – even carrying such equipment in the vehicle is an offence.
Mobile phones – you are not permitted to operate a mobile phone while driving unless it is part of a true “hands-free” device. Even stopping the car is not sufficient. You must pull off the road completely away from any traffic. You may not use an earpiece to operate the phone or, come to that, any “sound device”. Medically approved hearing aids are an exception.
Navigation aids and DVD players etc.
As the law stands at the moment, drivers must not use any screen-based aid to navigation – e.g. SATNAV (or entertainment – e.g. DVD player) while driving on the road.
Approved reflective vests for use in cases of accident, breakdown or other emergencies, are compulsory in Spain. There is some confusion about how many should be carried. Common sense suggests that there should be a vest for every occupant. The vests must be carried inside the vehicle so that they are available to be put on before exiting the vehicle. They must be visible from outside the vehicle. They must be worn at all times when they would be required – not just at night or in poor visibility.
Warning triangles are compulsory, two, in fact – they must be of a make and design officially approved by the Ministerio del Interior, bearing a round symbol E9 and the code 27R03. You are required to carry two of them. On roads that have two-way traffic, you should display one in front and one behind the vehicle at a minimum of 50 metres distance, so that they are visible to approaching vehicles from 100 metres. (If there is a bend in the road, or other obstruction, which means that oncoming drivers won’t see the triangle from at least 100 metres away – then place it on the far side of the obstruction). If it is a one-way street or a motorway/divided carriageway you need only place one triangle to warn traffic approaching from behind – at the minimum distances set out above.
Please note that, by January 2025, warning triangles will be phased out and will be replaced by a flashing emergency light that starts to work when you place it on the roof of your vehicle, rather like a police blue light. These are available for around 20 euros, eg from Amazon, and may be used now in lieu of the two warning triangles.
