# Use or exchange your driving licence > Check whether your foreign driving licence is valid in Spain, and how to exchange a non-EU licence. - Page: https://autonomo.eus/steps/driving-licence - Part: Part E: Life in Euskadi - For: Everyone who drives - Last checked: 14 October 2026 An EU licence stays valid in Spain. **A non-EU licence works for only 6 months after you become a legal resident.** After that, you exchange it or get a Spanish licence. ## EU and EEA licences They stay fully valid while they are in date. ## Non-EU licences - **For your first 6 months as a resident:** you can drive if your licence is in Spanish, has an official translation, or follows the Geneva or Vienna convention model. An international driving permit, carried with your passport and licence, also works. - **After 6 months:** your licence is no longer valid in Spain. ## How to exchange it (*canje*) You can exchange your licence only if your country has an exchange agreement with Spain, and only if you got the licence before you became resident here. 1. Check that your country is on the [DGT's list of countries with an agreement](https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/permisos-extranjeros-y-de-fuerzas-y-cuerpos-de-seguridad/canjes-de-permisos/paises-con-convenio-de-canjes/). On the DGT electronic office page [Canje de permisos extranjeros](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/permisos-de-conducir/canjes-de-permisos/canjes-de-permisos-extranjeros) (exchange of foreign licences), pick your country in "Selecciona el país a consultar..." to see what it needs. 2. Get a medical report (*informe de aptitud psicofísica*) from a driver test centre (*centro de reconocimiento de conductores*). It is valid for 90 days. Find a centre with the [DGT centre finder](https://www.dgt.es/conoce-la-dgt/con-quien-trabajamos/centros-reconocimiento-conductores/): choose your province in "Selecciona una provincia". Tell the centre the report is for exchanging a licence, and which licence type you have. 3. Pay the fee (*tasa*) online with Cl@ve or your FNMT certificate in [Pago de tasas](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/otros-tramites/compra-y-actualizacion-de-tasas/) (pay fees), or in the miDGT app. You get a receipt with a 12-digit fee number. You can also pay by card at the traffic office. 4. Fill in [form Mod. 03, "Trámites de conductores"](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/export/sites/dgt/.galleries/modelos-solicitud/03/Mod.03-ES.pdf) (driver procedures) and tick "Canje". 5. Book an appointment at the provincial traffic office (*Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico*). An exchange always needs one. Use the DGT page [Solicitud de cita previa](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/otros-tramites/cita-previa-jefaturas/) (book an appointment): choose "Online - Solicitud, consulta y anulación de cita" (book, check or cancel). Pick the office, the area and the procedure. Click "Pedir cita" (book) and choose a day and time. You can also book by phone on 060 or in the miDGT app. You get an appointment receipt by email. 6. Bring your residence card, proof that you were not resident in Spain when your licence was issued, the medical report, and the fee. Also bring the form and your original licence. You hand the licence in. If your country has no agreement, you need to take the tests for a Spanish licence. See [DGT: get a new licence](https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/obtener-un-nuevo-permiso-de-conducir/requisitos-preparacion-y-presentacion-a-examen/). ## Where The DGT traffic offices in Bilbao, Donostia and Vitoria-Gasteiz, by appointment. [Book an appointment](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/otros-tramites/cita-previa-jefaturas/), or call 060. For each office, see [Book at the traffic office](https://autonomo.eus/steps/offices#book-at-the-traffic-office). ## Cost and time - Cost: €28.87 for a car or motorbike licence (fee 2.3, no tests). €94.05 for a lorry or bus licence (fee 2.1), because these usually need a driving test. - Time: you get a provisional licence at the appointment. The plastic card arrives in about a month and a half. ## Common mistakes - Driving on a non-EU licence after your first 6 months as a resident. - Letting the medical report expire before your appointment. ## Official sources - [DGT: driving with a foreign licence](https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/permisos-extranjeros-y-de-fuerzas-y-cuerpos-de-seguridad/conducir-con-un-permiso-extranjero/) - [DGT: exchanging a licence from another country](https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/permisos-extranjeros-y-de-fuerzas-y-cuerpos-de-seguridad/canjes-de-permisos/canjes-de-permisos-extranjeros/canje-de-permisos-de-otros-paises/) - [DGT: countries with an exchange agreement](https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/permisos-extranjeros-y-de-fuerzas-y-cuerpos-de-seguridad/canjes-de-permisos/paises-con-convenio-de-canjes/) - [DGT electronic office: exchange of foreign licences](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/permisos-de-conducir/canjes-de-permisos/canjes-de-permisos-extranjeros) - [DGT: driver test centres](https://www.dgt.es/conoce-la-dgt/con-quien-trabajamos/centros-reconocimiento-conductores/) - [DGT electronic office: pay fees](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/otros-tramites/compra-y-actualizacion-de-tasas/) - [DGT: form Mod. 03](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/export/sites/dgt/.galleries/modelos-solicitud/03/Mod.03-ES.pdf) - [DGT electronic office: book an appointment](https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/otros-tramites/cita-previa-jefaturas/) - [DGT: get a new licence](https://www.dgt.es/nuestros-servicios/permisos-de-conducir/obtener-un-nuevo-permiso-de-conducir/requisitos-preparacion-y-presentacion-a-examen/) Next step: [Get help with your business](https://autonomo.eus/steps/business-help.md) --- Free, independent information. Not an official government website or a gestoría. General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the authority before you act. Report a mistake: a@halawa.io. Source: Autónomo.eus (https://autonomo.eus).