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OrientUP — Campo de Cartagena

Exchange a foreign driving licence in Spain

Requirements, documents and procedure for licences from Morocco, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Algeria, Bolivia and Brazil. Check the tests for your country and prepare your official DGT application.

Start here: issuing country and six months

An exchange (canje, also called homologación) replaces your foreign licence with its Spanish equivalent. The issuing country matters, not your nationality. This guide covers the ordinary agreement route for the seven countries listed, reviewed on 13/10/2026.

  • Car and motorcycle categories covered by these agreements can be exchanged without tests. Eligibility, documents and a medical assessment are still required.
  • As a general rule, a foreign licence allows driving for up to six months after you establish normal residence in Spain, provided it is valid, unexpired and you meet the minimum age. Applicable format or translation requirements also matter.
  • Booking an appointment, obtaining verification or submitting an application does not extend those six months or independently authorise driving. Afterwards you need a Spanish licence or valid temporary authorisation.
  • Passing the six-month point does not itself prevent an exchange application: it ends the foreign licence’s validity for driving in Spain. Do not drive without a valid authorisation.

Sources and verification

Morocco

Agreement applicable since 08/06/2004. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a driving test on public roads for professional categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: preliminary verification by the issuing country, followed by the exchange application. Prepare the common documents in this guide and use this country’s DGT page.
  • Since 07/04/2024, categories C, C+E, D and D+E no longer require the specific theory test. The driving test remains; do not rely on the theory requirement in the original 2004 text.

Sources and verification

Colombia

Agreement applicable since 31/07/2003. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a specific theory test and a driving test on public roads for categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: preliminary verification by the issuing country, followed by the exchange application. Prepare the common documents in this guide and use this country’s DGT page.

Sources and verification

Peru

Agreement applicable since 28/01/2004. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a driving test on public roads for professional categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: use the Argentina, Peru and Uruguay route, without a separate preliminary verification phase. Prepare the common documents; the DGT may check authenticity and request clarification.

Sources and verification

Ecuador

Agreement applicable since 25/09/2003. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a specific theory test and a driving test on public roads for categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: preliminary verification by the issuing country, followed by the exchange application. Prepare the common documents in this guide and use this country’s DGT page.
  • Equivalences updated from 14/09/2024: Ecuadorian A and A1 → Spanish A; B and C1 → B; C → D1; D → D; E → C+E. C1, C, D and E also include B. Categories F and G cannot be exchanged. An Ecuadorian C1 licence does not give you Spanish C1.

Sources and verification

Algeria

Agreement applicable since 06/10/2006. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a specific theory test and a driving test on public roads for categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: preliminary verification by the issuing country, followed by the exchange application. Prepare the common documents in this guide and use this country’s DGT page.

Sources and verification

Bolivia

Agreement applicable since 23/11/2007. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a specific theory test and a driving test on public roads for categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: preliminary verification by the issuing country, followed by the exchange application. Prepare the common documents in this guide and use this country’s DGT page.

Sources and verification

Brazil

Agreement applicable since 07/04/2009. Check the equivalent Spanish category, not just the letter on your original licence.

  • Cars and motorcycles: no tests for equivalent categories covered by the agreement.
  • Lorries and buses: a specific theory test and a driving test on public roads for categories covered by the agreement.
  • Procedure: preliminary verification by the issuing country, followed by the exchange application. Prepare the common documents in this guide and use this country’s DGT page.
  • Read the agreement together with its equivalence table amended in 2011. Do not assume Brazilian and Spanish categories are identical because they share a letter.

Sources and verification

Check whether your licence qualifies

The DGT assesses each application. A licence from a listed country does not guarantee that every category can be exchanged.

  • You must prove residence in Spain and identity, meet the age and medical requirements, and provide a valid, unexpired original licence.
  • The ordinary rule requires obtaining the licence before becoming legally resident in Spain. Agreements contain transitional provisions for licences issued before the agreement; ask the DGT with your exact dates before paying if this applies.
  • If your card was renewed or replaced after arriving, distinguish your first entitlement date from the current card’s issue date. Ask the DGT what evidence of the original date is needed; renewal alone does not prove a newly obtained entitlement.
  • If your licence was itself exchanged from a third country, do not assume it qualifies: agreements may exclude it. Tell the DGT its origin before spending money.
  • The application includes declarations about court-imposed driving bans and other EU/EEA licences of the same category or restricted, suspended or cancelled licences. Give accurate information.
  • An NIE number or municipal registration alone does not replace the required residence evidence. If you are seeking international protection or renewing your residence documents, confirm with the DGT which evidence it accepts in your circumstances.

Sources and verification

Documents to prepare

Gather your documents before submitting. Online applications need readable copies and scans of both sides of the licence; keep originals to complete the exchange.

  • Identity and residence: DNI, passport and/or residence card or authorisation as applicable; EU citizen registration certificate where relevant. Provide any residence evidence requested by the traffic office.
  • Residence and first entitlement dates: TIE, residence or student card, or foreign nationals registration certificate, depending on your case. For Spanish citizens who acquired nationality in the issuing country before living here, the DGT requests consular registration and deregistration evidence.
  • The original, valid and unexpired foreign licence. If it is expired or lost, ask how to resolve this before applying.
  • A medical fitness report from an authorised driver assessment centre: group I for A/B exchanges without tests, group II where C/D tests are required. Tell the centre it is for an exchange.
  • Online application or signed official paper form for an office application; receipt or fee reference if already paid. Online: accepted electronic identification, an accessible email account and correct notification address.
  • Photograph or photo form: since 06/11/2024 the DGT does not ask for these again if it already holds them. Follow your case instructions if they still need to be collected.
  • Official translation, extra certificates or legalisation: where applicable to your document and requested by the DGT. There is no blanket apostille requirement for all these countries. The apostilled certificate mentioned for Argentina on the page shared with Peru is not a general requirement for Peru.

Sources and verification

Apply online step by step

Open the official online exchange service with a digital certificate or Cl@ve. You do not need an initial appointment for this route, but handing in the original licence at the end requires an office visit.

  • 1. Select the licence’s issuing country. For Morocco, Colombia, Ecuador, Algeria, Bolivia and Brazil, the holder must first request verification. Wait for a positive response and the reference sent by the DGT; this may take days or weeks.
  • 2. After positive verification, sign in again to apply for the exchange. Peru uses a route without this separate preliminary verification phase; the DGT can still check the licence during processing.
  • 3. Choose the categories to exchange and the office where you will finish. Enter contact, address and licence details; attach documents and confirm your medical assessment. Pay the appropriate fee or enter an existing payment reference.
  • 4. Submit and save the receipt. Check email and spam; if asked to correct documents, enter the relevant form and attach them to your previous application.
  • 5. Follow instructions for any required tests. When the DGT tells you to attend, hand in your original licence and collect the temporary one at the chosen office as instructed. Do not attend before the notification.
  • An authorised representative may submit the exchange application. For the six countries requiring preliminary verification, that first step can only be requested by the holder. The official page explains the representation register and representative forms.

Sources and verification

Apply at an office or get assistance

Without electronic identification you can use the office route described by the DGT. Appointments are free; calls to 060 may cost money depending on your operator.

  • Book a non-EU licence exchange appointment through the DGT website or 060. Select the correct office and procedure, not an unrelated service.
  • For the six countries requiring verification, booking starts the enquiry to the issuing country. Check the status before attending: PENDIENTE means no response; CONTESTADA allows attendance but does not guarantee approval; RECHAZADA needs clarification.
  • Take the documents and originals. Pay by card at the office or provide the paid fee. Cash is not accepted at the counter. Pass any required tests before completing the exchange.
  • If the country has not responded, follow DGT instructions for a new appointment and verification. Cancelling an exchange appointment can restart the procedure: check before cancelling.
  • General walk-in access for people aged 65 or over does not allow starting this exchange without an appointment. Completing an online exchange follows separate arrangements: follow the office notification.
  • From Torre Pacheco and Campo de Cartagena, use the official directory to check offices and opening hours. Confirm that your chosen office handles the procedure and check its conditions before travelling.

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Fees and additional expenses

Official amounts checked on 13/10/2026. Confirm the fee when paying: it is not the total cost of the process.

  • Without additional tests: fee 2.3, €28.87.
  • With additional tests: fee 2.1, €94.05. This covers two test sittings; once used, a new fee is required. Do not automatically add fee 2.3 to fee 2.1.
  • The medical assessment costs extra. Driving school, an examination vehicle, translations or certificates may also cost money if needed. Ask for itemised quotes; there is no single official price for these services.
  • Booking an appointment is free and hiring an intermediary is optional. Keep payment and submission receipts.

Sources and verification

While waiting and when your licence arrives

Verification, the decision and delivery are separate stages. There is no guaranteed total processing time: the issuing country’s response and tests can extend it.

  • An application receipt is not a temporary licence. After the foreign licence’s six-month driving validity ends, wait until you have valid authorisation to drive.
  • The DGT takes the original when completing the exchange and issues a temporary licence. The information checked states six months’ validity, within Spain only: always check the expiry printed on your authorisation.
  • The final licence normally arrives by post roughly a month and a half after completing the procedure, not after the initial verification request. This is an estimate, not a guarantee.
  • Track production and delivery on the DGT website. If it does not arrive or the temporary licence is close to expiry, contact the office handling your exchange; do not assume automatic extension.

Sources and verification

Errors, missing replies and professional driving

Keep your reference and submission receipt. Use the official website or 060 for problems and explain which stage you have reached.

  • If your country rejects or cannot find the details, check your name, number, category and dates with the issuing authority. Never alter documents or enter approximate information.
  • If the DGT requests corrections, add the required documents to the existing application within the notified deadline. A positive reply from your country is not final exchange approval.
  • For lorry or bus work, exchanging the licence does not replace CAP where required, other professional requirements or permission to work. Check CAP conditions and exemptions for your activity before accepting work commitments.
  • The OrientUP preparation checklist is personal and saved in this browser. Ticking it does not submit an application or check eligibility; provide documents only through official channels.

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My preparation checklist

Your data stays in this browser. No account is needed. On a shared device, keep your copy and delete your data when finished. Do not include identity documents or other people's private information.

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