How to get your car driving license in Spain as an adult

There is something really funny about me writing this article. I have been known within my family and friend circle as the guy who will never drive, ever. All good things come to an end, and I managed to get my car driving licence here in Spain at the end of 2021, at the ripe age of 30.

Cost and duration

At the time of writing, I can see online that the driving school I used has a pack with 20 lessons (I needed 25) for 832€. This does not include a few fees like the official exam, the DGT fee, and maybe a couple more lessons, and the medical certificate. Realistically you are looking at 1000€.

It took me a while because I'm lazy and had no need for a car living in Barcelona. As I moved to Girona, I really wanted the licence and got on top of it. I seriously started taking driving lessons in August 2021 and got my licence in November 2021.

It all depends on where you live and how much time you can dedicate to it. I was working full-time and living in a city with a lot of demand for driving lessons, but it took 5 months.

Requirements

• to have been a resident of Spain for at least 6 months
• if you have a licence from another EU country, you'll need to exchange it.
• to be physically fit to drive. You'll have to get a medical certificate to be able to get the licence.
• to be 18 years old (for the car licence, known as "carnet B"
• be able to speak some Spanish. I have heard of schools where you can do it in English, but honestly, if you live here, you might as well get it in Spanish.

Finding a driving school

Look up reviews online, get recommendations from a friend, and consult their websites. Honestly, I think they all are pretty similar.

I started with Hoy-Voy while living in Barcelona, then moved to Girona where they also have a centre.

Get a medical certificate

The driving school will give you a recommendation for a clinic or a doctor, usually accompanied by a discount coupon. Book your appointment, go to the clinic, get examined, get your official certificate (make sure it says "B" licence on your paper), and bring it back to the driving school. You won't be able to sit in the theory exam before it.

The medical exam consists in a health questionnaire, your blood pressure being taken, a vision test and a perception test.

Study and pass the theory exam

If you are not a native Spanish speaker and you learnt it as an adult, the theory exam can be daunting. Some questions seem confusing, and there's a lot of vocabulary that I personally did not know before like "arcen", "calzada", "embrague"...

All schools now have a website or an app where you can train online. I recommend you read the book for the theory exam at least once, and then try to pass the exam. Because of some recent reforms with DGT (Direccion General de Trafico), the school will only present students that they are sure are gonna pass. For that, they will track your progress on the online platform, and once you have done something like 50 tests and passed most of them, they will allow you to go to the real theory exam.

When you are ready, contact your school to book an exam date, you'll probably have to go to their office with a couple of ID photos, your ID, and your medical certificate, and pay some fee.

On the day of the exam, make sure you arrive early, bring your NIE or your ID, a bottle and a pen. The results are available 24h later.

Start taking driving lessons

With Hoy-Voy, they had a platform where I could book driving lessons. I had to book pretty far in advance because there is always demand. I aimed for 2 to 3 1 hour lessons a week. I had to take around 25h of driving lessons before they let me go to the test. And I felt I needed them.

If you have never driven before, it can be challenging as an adult to seat next to an unknown person and get stressed out about the gearbox in a car. Add to that that you'll be talking in Spanish and it can be pretty hard at the beginning. You'll eventually get over it and it will be okay.

The Day of the Driving Test

You'll have done at least one mock driving test with your driving school so you'll know what to expect.

The driving test lasts 30 to 35 min, and takes place in the same car you did your lesson with. These are the steps:

• The examiner will ask you one or two questions related to the vehicle. It could be about the documentation of the vehicle, how to operate the lights or showing them where is the battery in the engine.
• Then you'll start the car and will drive the car wherever you want for 10 min, this is the "Conducción autónoma". Of course, don't make your life too complicated. I did not really know the area so I followed the flow of traffic.
• Next, you'll do the "Conducción dirigida" where the examiner will tell you directions, either "go left" or "follow directions to Palamos". This will bring you back to the driving centre where you will be asked to park. Stay calm, and you might get it!

Get your provisional licence

Once you have passed your exam, you can go to the driving school and collect your provisional licence and the "L" sign which indicates you are a new driver. This needs to be visible at the back of the car for one year after obtaining your licence.

You can drive with this paper only within Spain, you cannot cross a border.

Receive your proper licence

A month later, you should receive your proper driving licence by post. You can now legally drive!

Remember that as a new driver, you have only 8 points, and you should really stay away from alcohol if you drive, as you cannot have more than 0.3g/L in your blood and 0.15mgL in your breath for the first 2 years