International Driving Permit in Spain: how to get it with a Spanish licence

What is the Spanish International Driving Permit?

A grey booklet of 16 pages (106 × 143 mm) in the model of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949. It repeats the details of your Spanish licence in eight languages: Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian.

It is the official translation of your licence, not a licence in itself:

• Valid only together with your Spanish licence. If the licence expires, the IDP is useless.
• Not valid for driving in Spain, the country that issues it.
• Not a document for living abroad: if you move, you exchange or register your licence there.
• It shows only the categories you already hold, in Geneva classes: A (motorcycles), B (cars), C (goods vehicles), D (passenger vehicles) and E (trailers). The AM moped category has no equivalent.

Who can get an international driving permit in Spain?

Anyone who meets three conditions:

1. Normal residence in Spain. EU citizens prove it with ID or passport plus their EU citizen registration certificate; non-EU citizens with their residence authorisation.
2. A valid Spanish licence, or an EU/EEA licence already registered in the DGT Register of Drivers.
3. No ban or suspension on your right to drive.

A licence from outside the EU/EEA that has not been exchanged for a Spanish one does not qualify: you must exchange it first.

How do you apply?

Two official routes, explained step by step in how to apply:

• Online, at the DGT electronic office with a digital certificate, electronic DNI or Cl@ve. You choose the Jefatura for collection, pay by card and submit. Two days later it is ready to collect without an appointment, in person, with your ID and an original photo.
• In person, with an appointment at any Jefatura or Oficina de Tráfico, using form 3. Normally issued on the spot, depending on the office.

A representative can apply for you, online through the DGT Register of Powers of Attorney or in person with the free DGT form 24 signed by you. Spanish consulates do not issue it.

Where do you need it?

• EU and EEA (29 countries): your Spanish licence is enough.
• 30 countries with a bilateral agreement with Spain, among them the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Morocco, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil and Japan: the licence is enough, except that Japan requires the IDP as well, and South Korea and New Zealand do in practice.
• Rest of the world: you need the IDP, accepted by the 103 parties to the Geneva Convention of 1949 and, in practice, by almost all other countries. Vietnam does not accept it; China recognises no foreign licence at all.

In the United States it is recommended rather than compulsory, and California does not accept it as a licence.

Cost, validity and how we help

The official fee is €10.51 (DGT fee 4.5, 2026), by card only. The permit is valid one year and cannot be extended: afterwards you apply again. Avoid websites selling "IDPs" as a PDF or card for 35 to 150 dollars: no authority issues them.

If you prefer not to deal with Cl@ve or Spanish forms, we prepare and submit the application. Choose below whether you collect the permit at the Jefatura (ready in two working days) or receive it at home by certified post, printed and sent by a chartered gestoría with a DGT agreement (timeframe confirmed when you order, depending on your province). The fee is included in both. Depending on the option you choose, the application is handled by our team or by a chartered gestoría with an agreement with the DGT. We are not the DGT and have no connection with it.