Your complete guide to driving in Spain!
For more things to do in Ronda and nearby you may want to look into driving in Spain. If you want to drive in Spain, you can use your foreign driving license for the first six months if you are from outside the European Union (EU) area, or for up to two years if you’re from the EU or an EEA area (European Economic Area).
After these periods have passed, most foreign residents driving in Spain must obtain a Spanish driver’s license, although some exceptions do apply. And if you are driving a car in Spain that has been registered abroad, you must register it with the Spanish authorities after six months.
Exchanging your current license for a Spanish one
The number of countries and situations that allow for you to be granted a Spanish driver’s license without having to start from zero include:
– Diplomats and international staff
– Schools, military, and police organisations
– Citizens of the following countries who already have driver’s licenses in their home countries: Andorra, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Japan, Korea, Macedonia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
If you don’t fit any of the above criteria, and you do not have a driver’s license from an EU or EEA area country, guess what? After six months of driving in Spain with an international driver’s permit, you will need to go through the process of getting a license!
![]()
The Process
In order to get a Spanish driver’s license, you will be required to take classes with a registered driving school. In most cases, you will need to take at least ten one-hour classes in order to cover every section of exam preparation. You will then sit a written exam in-house.
Once you have passed it, you will need to do anywhere from 3 to15 lessons driving in the school’s car with an instructor before you are ready for the practical exam. The practical exam is also arranged by the school. Both exams are usually taken in Spanish, although an English version of the written theory exam is now available (we recommend it), and you can take a translator with you for the practical exam if you wish.
Once you’ve passed both exams, you’re ready to roll!
The Cost
At each step of this process, you will be charged for classes and/or exams. The whole process from start to finish can cost anywhere from €275 – 1,000+, depending on how long you have been driving, the school you go to, and how quickly you learn the system here.
Driving schools in Ronda, Spain
In Ronda, Spain, we recommend that you look into a few of the following driving schools to compare prices and check the availability of classes:
- Autoescuela Nueva Rilke, 952 87 50 34
- Autoescuela Espinel, 952 87 41 29
- Autoescuela Las Palmeras, 671 07 55 88
- Autoescuelas Moctezuma, 952 16 6016
For More Information…
For more details on the process of obtaining a Spanish driver’s license, do a Google search for “Driving in Spain,” and/or check the following links:
Driving in Spain has never been easier!
We hope that this article on how to get a working driver’s licence in Spain interested you a great deal. If you wish to learn more about Ronda, the White Villages of Andalusia (Pueblos blancos), and the whole Malaga province has to offer, we would like to kindly invite you to read one of our articles that will point you toward the most convenient places to park your car in and around the city of Ronda.
- Written by @SlowRonda Team