Spanish International Driving Permit validity: one year, non-renewable

How long is the international driving permit from Spain valid?

Exactly one year from the day the DGT issues it, as fixed by the Spanish General Drivers Regulation (Royal Decree 818/2009) and the Geneva Convention model. The issue and expiry dates are printed in the booklet. There is no shorter or longer version.

Can you renew it?

No. The Spanish IDP cannot be renewed or extended. When it expires, the DGT issues a new permit through the same procedure as the first time: new application, new photograph, new €10.51 fee. If you travel outside the EU every year, you will apply once a year; with our service you can do it from the chat each time without repeating the trip with Cl@ve or a certificate. See how to apply.

When should you apply?

The year starts on the date of issue, so apply reasonably close to departure and the permit will cover the whole trip and the months after. Online applications are ready two days later, so there is no need to apply months ahead. With several trips, count from the first: a permit issued in October covers travel until the following October.

Your Spanish licence must stay valid too

The IDP is a translation, carried together with the Spanish licence and valid only while the licence is. If your licence expires six months after the permit is issued, the permit stops being useful then, whatever its own date says. Check the expiry date on your licence before applying; if it is close, renew the licence first.

Where is it valid, and where is it not?

• Not in Spain, the issuing country.
• Not needed in the EU/EEA (29 countries) or in the 30 countries with a bilateral agreement with Spain, such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland or Morocco. Japan is the exception: it requires the IDP too, as do South Korea and New Zealand in practice.
• Valid in the 103 parties to the Geneva Convention of 1949 and accepted in practice almost everywhere else. Vietnam does not accept it; China recognises no foreign licence or IDP.
• In the United States it is recommended, not compulsory; California does not accept it as a licence.

Valid for visits, not for living abroad

If you move to another country you must exchange or register your Spanish licence there; the IDP does not replace that. The same applies the other way: someone who moves to Spain with a non-EU/EEA licence must exchange it before the DGT can issue an IDP. If you want us to handle your new permit, choose below how you want to receive it. 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.