Spanish driving licence paperwork at the DGT: duplicate, exchange and points

The duplicate gives you a copy of your licence when you have lost it, it has been stolen or it is damaged, and it is also used to change personal details (name, sex or the move from NIE, the foreigner identification number in Spain, to DNI, the Spanish national identity card). The key requirement is that the licence must be valid: if it has already expired, a duplicate is not the right procedure, a renewal is.

The duplicate does not change the validity dates of the original licence. You can apply online with Cl@ve (Spain's official online identity system), a digital certificate or a DNIe (the Spanish identity card with a digital chip), by phone on 060, or in person at a Jefatura or Oficina de Tráfico (a provincial traffic authority office).

At the time of the procedure you are given a provisional licence that lets you drive (in Spain only). The final document arrives by post at your home address in around a month and a half, with no further action needed from you.

A duplicate for loss, theft or damage carries a tasa (official fee); changing personal details only has no cost. You can see the current amount on the service page for the driving licence duplicate.

This procedure tells the DGT (Spain's national traffic authority) your new notification address, that is, the address where you want to receive alerts, communications and notifications from Tráfico, the traffic authority (for example those about fines). It is free.

With the current EU model licence, the physical card does not show your address, so there is no need to change the card: what is updated is the notification address in the drivers' register. This change does not replace the renewal and does not alter the licence's validity date.

You can do it from the miDGT app, by phone on 060, or through the Punto de Acceso General (the Spanish government's central online access point) and the electronic office using Cl@ve, a digital certificate or a DNIe. It is worth keeping it up to date so you do not miss notifications that can have consequences.

The canje (exchange) lets you swap a valid foreign driving licence for the equivalent Spanish one when there is an agreement with the issuing country and you live in Spain. If your licence is from the European Union or the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), you can drive while it remains valid and the exchange is voluntary.

If your licence is from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, it is only valid for driving in Spain for 6 months from the moment you establish your normal residence. After that period, you must exchange it (if your country has an agreement) or obtain a new Spanish licence. Besides the EU and the EEA, there are bilateral agreements with numerous countries (for example Colombia, Morocco, Argentina, Brazil or Japan); the official list is published by the DGT and it is worth checking the up-to-date version.

The usual documents include a valid identity document, proof of legal residence in Spain, a psychophysical fitness report (a medical and psychological check) issued by a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores (an authorised drivers' medical centre) and the original licence, valid and in force. Since May 2025 the exchange can be started digitally, but you still have to go to the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico (the provincial traffic office) to hand in the original licence and collect the provisional authorisation. The final one arrives in around a month and a half. You can see the applicable tasa on the service page for the exchange.

When you lose all your points, the licence loses its validity and you cannot drive. To get it back you have to wait a minimum period: 6 months as a general rule and 3 months for professional drivers. If it is a repeat case within a set period, those waiting times increase to 12 and 6 months respectively.

During that time you must take and pass an awareness and road safety re-education course at an authorised centre, with a common part and a specific part adapted to your profile. Once the waiting period is over, you must pass a knowledge test (the theory exam) at the Jefatura de Tráfico.

The new licence is issued with a balance of 8 points. The case of a driver who still has points left is different: with a partial recovery course you can get back up to 4 points, once every 2 years (or every year if you are a professional driver), provided you have a positive balance and without exceeding your initial allocation.

It is worth distinguishing two situations. If the licence has simply expired and you still meet the requirements, renewing it is enough: a medical check at a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores and payment of the tasa. In that case there is no exam.

Loss of validity on psychophysical grounds is different: it happens when the DGT declares that the psychophysical aptitudes required to drive are no longer present (or after a prolonged expiry of the psychophysical section). To drive again you have to undergo the psychophysical aptitude tests once more before the competent health services and, depending on the case, pass a knowledge test, proving the requirement whose absence caused the loss of validity.

The service page for recovering a licence after loss of validity sets out the exact route for your situation, so that you know which tests apply to you before starting the procedure.

Managora prepares and files each of these procedures for you before the DGT, from start to finish. We check that you meet the requirements (a valid licence, a country with an agreement, waiting periods), we gather and validate your documents, we pay the tasa for you where applicable and we file the application.

We give you the receipt and the provisional licence where relevant, and we let you know when your final document arrives by post. We handle the duplicate and the change of address entirely online.

With the exchange and with licence recovery, the law requires some steps to be taken by you in person (handing in the original licence at the Jefatura, the psychophysical examination or the exam). Managora leaves everything ready and tells you clearly the single step you have to take yourself, with no queues and no need to interpret the rules.