Converting an Australian Driver Licence in Spain

You cannot exchange an Australian driver licence in Spain. Spain's traffic authority, the DGT, exchanges licences only from EU and EEA countries and countries with agreements, and Australia is not on that list. After settling in Spain, you can drive on your Australian licence for up to six months, then must pass Spain's theory and practical tests.

Key takeaways

• The DGT's list of countries with licence exchange agreements, updated 26 June 2026, does not include Australia.
• A foreign licence of the right kind is valid in Spain for at most six months after you acquire normal residence there.
• The DGT advises visitors from outside the EU to get an International Driving Permit in their own country before they come.
• After the six months, a resident with an Australian licence must obtain a new Spanish licence, passing a theory test and a practical test.
• A notarised copy, a translation or an apostille does not change any of this.

Why an Australian licence cannot be exchanged

The DGT explains that an exchange (canje) swaps a licence you hold for an equivalent Spanish one, and that residents of Spain can exchange licences from two groups: EU and EEA countries, under the treaty between them, and other countries that have an exchange agreement with Spain. Its list of agreement countries, updated 26 June 2026, includes Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and others. Australia is not among them.

New Zealand's agreement, in force from 2 June 2023, is a reminder that the list does change, so check the DGT's page when you plan your move. Until Australia appears on it, the exchange route is closed.

Licence from	In Spain, after settling
An EU or EEA country	Valid while current; exchange possible without tests
A country with an agreement, such as New Zealand or the UK	Exchange possible; car and motorcycle licences usually without tests
Australia, with no agreement	Valid for up to six months; then a new Spanish licence by examination

The six-month rule

The DGT's page on driving with a foreign licence says licences from outside the EU and EEA are valid in Spain if they are written in Spanish or accompanied by an official translation, or if they follow the model in Annex 9 of the Geneva Convention or Annex 6 of the Vienna Convention. Even then, they are valid only while all three of these hold:

1. No more than six months have passed since you acquired normal residence in Spain.
2. The licence is current.
3. You are old enough to hold the equivalent Spanish licence.

After that period, the DGT says, those licences are no longer valid for driving in Spain. To keep driving, you must exchange your licence or, where that is not possible because there is no agreement with your country, obtain a new Spanish licence. For an Australian, it is the second.

The International Driving Permit

For drivers from outside the EU and EEA, the DGT's advice is simple: get an International Driving Permit in your own country before you come. It describes the permit as issued and accepted in practically every country, valid for one year, and complementary: you always carry it with your passport and your foreign licence. It sets out your details and licence classes in several languages, including Spanish.

The DGT's rule also refers to licences accompanied by an official translation. In Spain, an official translation generally means one by a sworn translator recognised in Spain, so a NAATI translation made in Australia may not be treated as one. An IDP avoids the question, which is why the DGT recommends it. An IDP does not extend the six months after you become resident.

Getting a Spanish licence

The DGT's page on obtaining a new licence says you must pass a specific theory test and a practical test, and in some cases a manoeuvres test on a closed track. Its general requirements include residing in Spain, having the required age and fitness, not being barred from driving, and not holding a licence issued by another EU or EEA state. The process runs in this order:

1. Get a medical and psychological fitness report at an authorised drivers' medical centre, saying it is for a new licence and naming the class. The DGT says it is valid for 90 days, so apply for the tests before it expires.
2. Apply for the tests, online or in person, or through a driving school, which lodges the application for you. The test fee covers two attempts; fail twice and you apply and pay again.
3. Pass the theory test. The DGT offers free online practice tests in the same format as the real exam, in the language you choose.
4. Pass the practical driving test. A pass in one test is kept for two years; if you do not complete the licence in that time, you sit all the tests again.

Most people prepare through a driving school, though the DGT says you can also prepare on your own. We do not quote the fees.

Do you need a notary or an apostille?

No, and it is worth saying clearly because some people expect one. There is no exchange for an Australian licence, so there is no exchange file for a notarised copy or an apostille to support. A notarised copy of your licence does not make it valid in Spain for longer, and an apostille on it does not create an exchange right that the DGT's list does not give. The practical documents are an IDP before you arrive, and your residence documents in Spain when you apply for the tests.

Our guide to notarising a driver licence explains when a notarised copy genuinely helps, for example for identity checks by a foreign bank. For other paperwork for Spain, such as visas or powers of attorney, see our guides to Spanish visa documents and apostilles for Spain.

If you hold another licence too

Some Australians moving to Spain also hold a licence from another country, for example the United Kingdom, New Zealand or an EU state, through citizenship or earlier residence. That licence may open a route an Australian one does not: the DGT's list shows exchanges for licences from agreement countries, and EU and EEA licences are valid in Spain while current. The DGT also warns that a licence is not exchangeable if you obtained it in your country of origin when you were already a legal resident of Spain, with an exception for South Korea. Check the rules for that licence before you rely on it.

Students and short stays

The DGT's general requirements for a new licence include residing in Spain, and they add a specific rule for non-EU foreign students: to obtain a Spanish licence, a student must show they have been studying in Spain for a continuous period of at least six months. An Australian on a semester exchange is therefore unlikely to qualify for a Spanish licence, and is better served by an IDP and the Australian licence for the stay. A tourist who never becomes resident is not caught by the six-month residence rule at all, but still needs the right documents, and the DGT's advice to bring an IDP applies.

An illustration

This is an illustration, not a real case. An Australian couple move to Valencia on residence visas. Before leaving, each gets an International Driving Permit in Australia. For their first months in Spain, they drive on their Australian licences with the IDPs and passports. In their third month, one of them enrols with a driving school, gets a fitness report, and sits the theory test, then the practical test, and receives a Spanish licence before the six months run out. The other leaves it too late and has to stop driving until passing both tests.

Once you hold a Spanish licence

A Spanish licence runs on a points system. The DGT explains that points belong to the driver, not to a particular licence, so they are shared across every licence class you hold, and losing them all means losing the right to drive any vehicle. Keep your Australian licence current if you expect to drive in Australia again; the Spanish licence does not replace it there.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming Australia has an exchange agreement because New Zealand and the UK do.
• Driving past six months of residence on the Australian licence.
• Relying on a NAATI translation instead of an IDP.
• Paying for a notarised copy or apostille that no Spanish office has asked for.
• Letting the 90-day fitness report expire before applying for the tests.
• Leaving the tests too late, so there is a gap without a valid licence.

In short

Spain does not exchange Australian driver licences, because Australia is not on the DGT's list of agreement countries. Bring an International Driving Permit, and you can drive on your Australian licence for up to six months after taking up residence. After that, you need a Spanish licence, by passing the theory and practical tests. No notarised copy, translation or apostille changes that. For other paperwork for Spain, our notarisation service covers certified copies and signatures.

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If a Spanish office has asked you for a document from Australia, send us what it asked for, and we will explain each step before you book.