Get your driving license in Barcelona

If you have come to Barcelona, be it for a short or long-term stay, you may find useful to get a driving license. Barcelona has a lot to see, in and outside of the city’s borders. There are plenty of schools available for those who need to learn. Visitors from the European community who already own a license can obtain an equivalence.

The driving theory test

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First of all, there is no supervised driving before getting the final exam. By law, you can take the driving theory test from 17 years and 9 months old and the driving test at 18 years and one day old.

In Spain, there is a 30-minute theoretical test. The candidate can choose his own language and enjoys total freedom during the exam. He can go back and forth between the questions, with a maximum of 3 errors allowed. The result will be sent to him by email the next day.

The driving lessons can begin without passing the highway code. Each lesson lasts approximately 45 minutes. Most of the time, the practical training does not exceed 30 hours. The test lasts 25 minutes and takes place in Spanish. The first 5 minutes are meant for the candidate to get comfortable. During the following 20 minutes, he should follow the inspector’s instructions. The good thing is that the monitor is sitting next to the candidate, in the front seat, while the instructor is sitting on the back seat.

The Spanish driver’s license must be renewed every 10 years with a medical examination. The learning period, during which you should have an L sign at the back of your car, lasts one year but it doesn’t mean you have any speed restrictions.

Related articles : Driving in Barcelona and Spain

Advantages of getting your driving license in Spain

A candidate who failed his exam is allowed to try again after 12 days. If he fails the second time, he has to wait 18 days for another attempt. The time spent on obtaining the license is, on average, one and a half months. Financially, be ready to spend anything between 650 and 1100 euros.

Related article: Driving Schools in Barcelona

The administrative procedure

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To get your license in Spain, you need the certificate of registration of the European Union (which states your NIE). You also need to prove that you are a Spanish resident and provide the administration with either a lease or a work contract or a promise of employment or a student card.

If you want to change your own license into a Spanish license, or if you want to purchase a Spanish vehicle, you have to go through a specific process. You have to provide the following documents:

• Download the form at Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) and book an appointment
• Your ID
• Your NIE
• 30 euros in cash to pay the tax
• A written declaration stating that you are fully allowed to drive
• Original driving license
• A photo 32 × 26 mm

For those who already hold a Spanish driving license from 2013 or before, you have to renew it. To do so, you will need to provide the following documents:

• the specific form they will give you on your appointment day
• ID (NIE / Passport)
• Proof of address
• Current driving license
• Proof of physical capability which you can ask for in authorized medical centers
• A photo 32 × 26 mm
• Payment of tax: € 23.50

Practicatest English driving School

We would like to recommend Practicatest, an online driving school that helps you to get the Spanish driving license in a quick and dynamic way and of course, in English. They offer to their students the latest and official DGT driving test to ensure their pass at the first attempt.

Their driving teacher will help and solve all the questions by email, whatsapp or phone. Once you pass the theoretical driving test, they send their students to the best driving schools collaborating with Practicatest in many Spain cities, of course Barcelona applied. So if you are in Barcelona trying to learn and get your driving license we recommend Practicatest.

The prices are economical, offering many options like: Theory course with 60 day acces for 35€, if you want a 180 days access it is 45€, if you want to add the paper book to the last option it costs 59€ and if you want 2 practical lessons with 180 days access it has a price of 54€. So you could contact them and look for the best option according to your needs.