VTC licence: driver's permit, authorisation and transfer

In the VTC sector (used by platforms like Uber, Cabify or Bolt), 2 titles coexist that must not be confused. The VTC authorisation enables the vehicle and the company to provide the service. The VTC driver's permit enables the person driving.

The VTC authorisation is regional in scope since the Real Decreto-ley 13/2018: the service is contracted and starts in the region where the authorisation is registered. Urban transport is regulated by each autonomous community and, where applicable, the local council.

To operate legally you need both things: an up-to-date authorisation (with its visa) and a driver with a valid permit. Managora coordinates both procedures and tells you what you need in your specific case.

It can be obtained by anyone who has held a class B driving licence for at least 2 years, does not suffer from an infectious disease, does not habitually consume drugs or alcohol and has not been convicted of crimes against sexual freedom.

In the Community of Madrid, you must pass a 60-question multiple-choice test (60 minutes), divided into 4 modules: Spanish language, physical environment, accessibility and public service, and the legal framework of transport. You must pass each module individually.

Those who can prove they have driven a VTC for 1 continuous year between 12/01/2023 and 12/01/2024, or 2 years between 12/01/2020 and 12/01/2024, are exempt from the exam, as are those with an equivalent taxi permit or one from another region. The permit lasts 5 years and is renewed without repeating the exam.

Important: from 2 October 2026, no company in Madrid will be able to employ drivers without this permit. Managora prepares the issuance application and submits it via the electronic headquarters.

It depends on the autonomous community. By mid-2026, the granting of new authorisations is closed or suspended in Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, while it remains open in other regions such as Aragon, Galicia, Murcia or the Basque Country. This is a changing situation, subject to moratoriums, so it must be checked at the official headquarters of each region before deciding.

The historic ratio of 1 VTC authorisation for every 30 taxi licences (1/30 ratio) was questioned by the CJEU ruling in case C-50/21, of 8 June 2023, and by the Supreme Court in 2024: it cannot be imposed automatically and generically without justifying its necessity and proportionality on a case-by-case basis. Today, the basis for granting or denying are environmental and congestion criteria (Real Decreto-ley 5/2023).

That is why Managora first checks the viability: if your region does not grant new authorisations, the realistic route is to acquire an existing authorisation through a transfer.

VTC authorisations are transferable. Buying and selling allows you to enter markets where new registrations are closed, by purchasing an authorisation that already exists instead of requesting a new one.

The buyer must meet the same requirements as a new holder (being up to date with Hacienda, the Spanish tax agency, and the Seguridad Social, the Spanish social security system, having a registered address, and a suitable vehicle) and the authorisation cannot be moved to another autonomous community.

Before buying, it is advisable to check that the authorisation has an up-to-date visa, that it carries no charges or penalties, and that the vehicle meets the required age and environmental label. Managora carries out this prior check and processes the change of ownership for you.

The visa is the periodic review of the authorisation confirming that it still meets the requirements. It is biennial (every 2 years) and is done according to a calendar that assigns the month based on the last digit of the holder's NIF or NIE (foreigner identity number).

If it is not visaed on time, the authorisation is automatically considered expired, without the administration needing to expressly revoke it (article 51 of the Ley de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres). This is one of the most expensive mistakes in the sector.

An authorisation expired due to a lack of visa can be rehabilitated if requested within 1 year following the notification of the loss of validity of the authorisation (according to the ROTT, the regulation of the LOTT), not from the mere expiration of the visa deadline. Managora monitors your visa calendar so you do not miss the date.

A refusal is not the end. The administration can only deny based on objective and proportionate criteria: it cannot automatically and generically apply the 1/30 ratio without justifying its necessity and proportionality on a case-by-case basis, as pointed out by the CJEU in case C-50/21 and the Supreme Court (STS 474/2024, of 18 March).

Against the refusal, an appeal for reconsideration can be filed before the same body and, afterwards or directly, a contentious-administrative appeal. The usual deadlines are 1 month for the reconsideration and 2 months for the contentious appeal, counted from the notification.

Managora studies the resolution, checks if the refusal is genuinely motivated and submits the appeal for you, relying on European and Supreme Court jurisprudence.