Spanish cities are better negotiated by foot or by public transport, but when you want to explore the coast or countryside, you will need a car… and some tips on how to deal with Spanish drivers.

A driving licence from any EU country is valid in Spain. You do not need a Spanish licence, but you will need to take your existing licence to the local provincial traffic department to be stamped and registered (see addresses below).

Driving in Spain can be intimidating

If you are a non-resident, you can only drive in Spain for six months a year.

Anyone from a non-EU country can drive for six months in one calendar year on their existing licence but must then obtain a Spanish licence.

To drive a foreign-registered car in Spain you must carry at all times your passport, current driving licence, valid insurance, vehicle registration document, a national identity plate (GB etc), two red warning triangles, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and a set of spare bulbs.

It’s a lot to remember, but you could be fined if any of these are missing.

Many non-residents bring their car to Spain and retain their national number plates, though this is strictly speaking illegal as it is assumed that you are returning to country of origin and paying tax and MOT there.

But anyone, from the EU or otherwise, who is intending to take up Spanish residency can bring their car with them without having to pay IVA or car registration tax – providing you can prove you owned the car for at least six months before bringing it to Spain, that you are a non-resident in the country you have come from and you have paid VAT in the country where the car was purchased.

Certificates of non-residence don’t exist in the UK, but you can obtain them from the Commisaries in all main towns or at the consulate office in Spain.

Residents have six months after obtaining their ‘Residencia’ to sort out legally ‘importing’ their vehicle.

It’s a tricky form-filling process which takes a few months and costs about 12 percent of the value of your car.

Local traffic departments

Jefatura Provincial de Trafico de Madrid,
Arturo Soria, 143,
tel. 91 301 8500.
Open 8.30am-1.30pm.

Prefectura Provincial de Transit,
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 184,
Barcelona,
tel. 93 298 6500.

Jefatura Provincial de Trafico de Malaga,
c/Mauricio Moro Pareto 13,
tel. 95 235 7200.
Open Mon-Fri 9am-2pm.

Jefatura Provincial de Trafico de Alicante,
Ferré Vidiella 4,
esquina San Juan Bosco, 12,
tel. 96 512 5466.

To apply for a Spanish licence

You will need :

• a completed application form TASA 2.3 (available from your local traffic department)
• Spanish residence card and photocopy
• Current foreign driving licence and photocopy (non EU residents will need an official translation and certificate of equivalence, available from the Real Automóvil Club de España, tel. 902 120 441, www.race.es)
• registration number of a Spanish-registered vehicle or a sworn statement that you do not own a Spanish-registered vehicle
• one passport photograph (non EU citizens need three, one signed by a doctor performing the medical examination. All non EU driving licence holders must obtain a medical certificate of fitness to drive)
• €16.20, payable at the traffic department

For further information, see the Department of Transport’s website www.dgt.es (in Spanish only).

Spanish roads

The quality varies from excellent on the main arteries to dire out in the sticks – and the standard of driving is equally erratic.

Road deaths are a constant fixture on the Spanish television news, with 14.3 deaths per 100,000 population – more than double that of the UK.

You only have to experience a Spanish motorway (autopista) to see the problem.

Machismo still rules among male drivers in Spain and a favourite game is to intimidate anyone in the fast lane by driving right up to your bumper to force you to pull across into a slower lane.

Motorways have an ‘A’ or ‘E’ prefix to the road number and are often toll roads.

For short distances you pay at a booth (peaje) as you exit the road (some toll roads allow you to collect a ticket at the start for longer journeys, so you pay the total when you exit).

Accident figures are still high

Useable lanes will have a green arrow, closed lanes will be indicated with a red cross.

Choose the lane with an attendant if you are not paying with a credit card or exact change.

Motorways and dual carriageways (autovías) - fast roads but not necessarily with a central reservation – have a 100-120kph speed limit as marked.

Main roads (carreteras nacionales) have an N or CN before the road number and country roads (carreteras comarcales) begin with a C.

The speed limit on country roads is 90kph, on urban roads 50kph and in residential areas 20-50kph as marked.

For road information, call 900 123 505 or see website www.dgt.es
 
Fuel (Gasolina)

At any garage you will see a choice of four pumps: Normal 92 octane,  Super 98 octane, Sin plomo (unleaded) 95/98 octane and Diesel (gasoil/gasoleo). Attendants will usually come out and serve you.

Do...

• expect the unexpected. The received wisdom is to expect the unexpected.
• Watch out for traffic lights, which are invariably positioned very high up in the blinding sun.
• take care at pedestrian crossings, especially if you are the pedestrian as cars will rarely stop at them.
• On dual carriageways vehicles may overtake on whichever side they feel like and some cars drive without lights when it is dark.
• carry all documentation (passport, driving licence, vehicle registration form) at all times. You can be also be fined for not carrying two red warning triangles, spare bulbs and a an emergency jacket if you have to stand at the roadside. It is also recommended  to carry a fire extinguisher and first aid kit.
• give way to traffic from the left, especially at roundabouts.
• wear a seatbelt, in front and back seats where fitted.

Don’t...

• be surprised when a car indicating left turns right or doesn’t indicate then turns, or stops without warning in the middle of the road, then takes off again apparently oblivious to anyone behind.
• pull into the middle of the road to turn left if there is a solid line in the road. There are often special lanes for this, signposted cambio de sentido.
• drink and drive - the limits are very low, the penalties very high and breathalyser tests are common.
• speed – fines are calculated at EUR 6 per km over the speed limit.
• drive while talking on a mobile. Fines are heavy.

Parking

If the strain of driving was too much, wait until you try to park.  In small towns, leave your car on the outskirts and walk in as otherwise you will invariably find yourself trapped in a maze of narrow one-way alleys.

In cities underground car parks are by far the best option. They are easy to enter and exit and provide extra security.

Otherwise look for parking spaces marked in blue and buy a ticket from a machine or attendant.

Watch out for a two-hour maximum parking time.

Tow trucks love foreign cars – and it will cost you about EUR 70 to get it back again.

Avoid parking where the kerb is painted yellow, red or white – or where there is a no parking sign, obviously.

Other signs to look out for are ‘Estacionamiento prohibido’ or a red circle on a blue background with a red line through it.

In some residential areas parking is permitted on one side of the street for the first half of the month (see blue and red sign marked ‘1-15’) and on the other side for the remainder (sign says ’16-30’).

Learning to drive in Spain

A one-hour lesson costs around EUR 25 and theory classes cost EUR 30-35 a month.

To take your test, you pay for three goes at a time, but only two per type of test (ie. theory or practical).

If you need another go at either test, you have to pay a second fee of about EUR 161 and wait about three weeks before retaking the exam.

A driving school will handle all the paperwork. To apply for a test you will need to present a copy of your residencia, passport photographs, a completed application form and the fee of EUR 160.95 and a medical certificate obtained at an official medical centre (EUR 24 fee).

You cannot take the practical exam until you have passed the theory test – and it is a tough one, given the Spanish highway code has three times as many rules as England with in-depth sections on first aid, car maintenance and vehicle loads.

The test consists of 40 multiple choice questions and you need 36 to pass. Practice papers and the tests are available in several languages.

The practical test is a group effort, with your instructor in the passenger seat and the examiner in the back, often with several other candidates.

After 20 minutes, a different candidate takes the wheel and you will be told if you have passed or failed.

A version of this article will be in a new Survival Guide to Spain which will shortly be available for free at bookshops, consuls, language schools and other outlets in Barcelona and Madrid.

[Copyright Expatica]

[February 2005]

Subject: Spain, guide to driving