Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

For members

DRIVING

Beat the queues: 23 official driving matters you can do online in Spain

Forget waiting weeks for appointments and standing in queues at your local DGT office - here are 23 official matters you can do online if you have a Spanish driving licence.

Published: 19 March 2021 16:26 CET
Updated: 9 September 2022 13:26 CEST

Beat the queues: 23 official driving matters you can do online in Spain

Avoid having to deal with the DGT in person by doing some of these official driving processes online. Photos: Camilo Rueda López/Flickr, Jaromír Kavan/Unsplash

Bureaucracy in Spain can be a bit of pain.

Often, even just applying for an appointment to do something official can take weeks or even months. Then the process of going to the office and waiting in a queue is another lengthy process.

However, the good news is there are lots of official things you can do online, specifically with regards to driving in Spain.

Consulta de puntos – Checking how many points you have on your licence
Certificado de puntos – Getting a points certificate
Duplicado del permiso de circulación por pérdida, robo o deterioro y de la tarjeta de la ITV – Request a duplicate of your licence and ITV card due to loss, theft or damage
Solicitud del permiso de conducir internacional – Application for an international driver’s licence
Cambio de dirección para notificaciones – Change of address for notifications
Pago de multas – Payment of fines
Presentación de escritos y comunicaciones – Presentation of written communication
Consulta de notas de exámenes – Check exam results
Registro de apoderamientos – Registration of power of attorney
Presentación de alegaciones o recurso a una multa – Presentation of allegations or appealing a fine
Compra de tasas – Payment of fees
Curso de recuperación de puntos – Points recovery course
Identificación del conductor que conducía tu vehículo – Identifying the driver who drove your car (in case of a penalty)
Consulta de distintivo ambiental de un vehículo – Check the environmental label of your car
Transferencias de vehículos (cambio de titularidad en caso de compra-venta) – Vehicle transfers (change of ownership in case of purchase or sale)
Notificación de venta de un vehículo – Notification of the sale of a vehicle
Matriculación temporal para particulares (placas verdes) – Temporary registration for individuals (green plates)
Solicitud de cita previa – Appointment request
Informe del vehículo – Obtain a vehicle report
Cambio de domicilio fiscal de vehículos – Change of tax address for vehicles
Alta de un vehículo en baja temporal – Re-registration of a temporarily cancelled vehicle
Baja definitiva por traslado del vehículo a otro país – Permanent de-registration of a vehicle that has been moved abroad
Comunicación habitual del conductor – Registering a regular driver

READ MORE:

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Can you do your driving test in Spain with an automatic car?

Getting a car in Spain may be necessary depending on where you live in the country. For example, if you move to a rural area or a small town in Andalusia, northern Spain, Extremadura or Castilla-La Mancha, you will probably need your own vehicle.

Some of these places lack adequate public transport and you may have to move around to be able to access services in other locations.

If you live in big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia, it’s not so necessary to own a car as their public transport networks are very good.

But for those who do need a car, and may be coming from outside of Europe it may be daunting for them to have to learn how to drive a manual car instead of an automatic one.

EU nationals living in Spain can drive on their EU licence, as long as they are still valid, but non-EU nationals can only drive on theirs for up to six months until they need to exchange it for a Spanish one or take a new driving test.

Spain has bilateral agreements with a number of non-EU countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Ukraine and the UK. You can find a full list here.

This means that nationals of these countries can swap their licence for a Spanish one without having to take a Spanish driving test.

But if you’re originally from a non-EU country that doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Spain, like the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada for example, you’ll need to take a driving test in order to get a new Spanish driving licence.

READ ALSO – Driving in Spain: The documents to show if you get stopped by police

Driving a manual car (coche con cambio manual) where you have to change gears yourself can be difficult, particularly for those who have never ever driven these types of cars.

READ ALSO – Driving in Spain: Can I take my theory and practical tests in English?

Can you take Spain’s practical driving test with an automatic vehicle?

Good news – yes, you can. There is actually a special licence you will be issued for vehículos de transmisión automática, but you will only be able to drive automatic cars in Spain. It is a variant of the B licence, but only for cars without a clutch pedal or gearbox with gears.

The practical exam itself is no different from that for people getting the standard B licence, which allows holders to drive both manual and automatic cars.

With a manual car licence you can drive any type of car weighing 3,500 kg GVW, whether it has a manual or automatic transmission, but with an automatic driving licence you can only drive automatic cars.

This will still be a relief for those who never learned how to drive a manual car, but it may be difficult in some certain circumstances, if for example you’re hiring a car and they don’t have any automatic ones.

Electric cars are automatic, so that’s worth keeping in mind as well.

READ ALSO – Driving in Spain: Who can exchange their licence and who has to resit the exam?

If you do get caught driving a manual car and you only have an automatic licence you can be fined €500 and have four points removed from your licence. You will also not be insured to drive any other type of car.

The good news is that you can drive electric cars, as well as hybrid cars that don’t have a manual gearbox.

READ ALSO – Spanish driving licence: the essential language to pass your practical test

How can I get this special licence for automatic vehicles in Spain?

The first step is to find a driving school that carries out this type of test, as not all schools will offer the chance to get an automatic-only licence.

This is because the number of people wanting a licence for manual vehicles far outweighs the number wanting one for automatic transmission vehicles. In fact, according to Spain’s RACE car association, only one in every 100 people ask for an automatic-only licence in Spain.

If you’re going to be living in Spain long-term or even permanently, it may be advisable to take some extra driving lessons so you can learn how to drive a manual car and simply take the test for the normal manual licence.

Those that choose to take the exam in a manual car will be able to use their Spanish licence to drive both manual and automatic vehicles.

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!