Information on the website of the Spanish Traffic Department (in Spanish).

Rules & Regulations

• Drive on the right in Spain
• The legal age for driving is 18 years
• Drivers must have a valid driving licence
• It's compulsory to wear a seat belt (el cinturón de seguridad) including in the back seats if belts are fitted. It is the driver's responsibility to ensure all passengers wear their belts (and the driver will be fined if passengers are not belted)
• Children under 12 years may not travel in the front seats, unless they are over 150cm tall
• Headlights must always be used in tunnels
• It is illegal to pass on the right (to "undertake") in free-flowing traffic
• Motorbike drivers may not carry passengers under the age of 12
• It is illegal to drive with headphones connected to a sound device
• Mobile cellular telephones may only be used with a "handsfree" system
• It is forbidden to carry devices to evade police vigilance (radar detectors, for example)
• Dogs must be restrained in a moving car

• Spain's breakdown and recovery service is the RACE
• See AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Road Traffic Accidents in Spain

What to carry in the car

The following documents, or copies certified with an official stamp (fotocopia compulsada), must always be carried in the car:

• Valid driving licence
• Residence Card, passport or identity card
• Vehicle registration document (permiso de circulación, vehicle log book) 
• Roadworthiness certificate (ITV, or MOT inspection certificate)
• Proof of vehicle insurance

Note: Photocopies of documents can be certified at the local town hall.

The following items in a car at all times. Not having these can result in a fine if pulled over by the police, or failure of the vehicle roadworthiness test, the ITV (Inspección técnica de Vehículos).

• A yellow, orange or red reflective vest. The vest must be accessible without leaving the car
• Two red warning triangles
• Spare bulbs and the tools required to fit them
• A spare wheel, inflated and the tools necessary to change it
• Approved child seats for children under 12 and/or 150cm
• Drivers that need corrective glasses must keep a spare pair in the car

Taxes

Types of Roads

Spanish roads were re-classified in 2004 in order to make them easier to understand and more consistent across the country. However, be aware that there may remain instances where the road may have two names and maps may be outdated.

• The motorway network is the Autopista. The autopista's road signs are blue
• The regional road signs are white

Motorways

For up to date information on the Spanish motorways see ASETA.

• The speed limit (límites de velocidades) on Spanish motorways is 120 Kph (74mph)
• There are orange, emergency SOS telephones about every 5 Km on motorways
• Motorway exits, salidas, (or sortidas in Catalan) are numbered

Toll roads

A ticket is taken from the peajes at the start of the route and handed over at the tollbooth where the payment is made at the end of a stretch of motorway.

Near major cities, tollbooths take an automatic payment for each stretch of road covered. Lanes allowing for "basket" payment system (automatic coin payment) are sign posted as Automatico - importe exacto.

Frequent motorway users can buy a tarjeta de la autopista, which offers savings and priority queues at the tolls.

Main Trunk Roads

For up-to-the-minute information on Spanish road conditions see the Dirección General de Tráfico website (in Spanish).

• Dual carriageways (autovias) are toll free
• The speed limit is 100 Kph (65mph) on a normal dual carriage way
• Main roads (carretera) have a speed limit of 90 Kph (56mph)
• Passing on the right - the inside - is illegal on these roads and overtaking is banned if there is a solid white line separating the traffic
• Orange emergency SOS telephones are usually spaced 5 Km apart on main roads.

Rural and secondary roads

• Speed limits are 50 Kph (31mph) in built up areas and will be sign posted if there are further restrictions - to as low as 20 Kph (12mph) in residential areas
• There may be railway crossings with no barriers
• Mountain passes are closed in extreme weather
• Snow tyres are recommended and snow chains are a necessity in some areas in the winter

Parking in Spain

Parking regulations vary depending on the time of day, day of the week or even the week of the month. For example, some towns may state that parking on an even day of the month means that parking is available next to the even numbered houses and some streets change which side parking is on mid-month. Signs are in blue and red and numbered 1-15 for the first half of the month and 16-31 for the second half when parking is restricted to the other side of the street. Some places require a permit to park during work hours (horas laborables).

 Car parks and parking (estacionamiento/aparcamiento)

Parking is restricted and most of the time roadside parking must be paid for at a parking meter. Individual meters (parquímetros) are being phased out and replaced with ticket machines (expendedor de tickets de estacionamiento). Blue zones (zonas azuls) indicate that parking must be paid at a ticket machine.

• Usually, parking must be paid for Monday to Friday 09:00-14:00 and 16:00-21:00 and Saturdays 09:00-14:00

Many city centre car-parks are underground, (aparcamiento subterráneo), with signs outside indicating if there are spaces (libre) or if it is full (completo). It is the norm to pay at the cash desk or pay station (cajero) before returning to the car and leaving. 

"No Parking" signs (estacionamiento prohibido), are often blue with a red line across. Yellow or red painted signs on the curb also indicate No Parking.

Where the words "prohibido estacionar" or "vado permanente" appear beside a police code number on a garage door, police have authorisation to tow the illegally parked vehicle.

Certain zones display a sign of a tow truck, indicating that an illegally parked car may be towed (retiada grúa). In place of the towed vehicle, there should be a sticker or note stating where the vehicle has been impounded, or a giving number to call. If there is no note, contact the local policia municipal. It is illegal for anything other than an authorised towing company to tow a broken down vehicle.

Paying a parking fine 

Parking offenders risk having points deducted from their license for persistently breaking the law. All parking fines must be paid at the town hall (ayuntamiento) of the town in which the ticket was issued. In a few towns payment should be made at the police station, the Town Hall enquiries desk will be able to advise (open 09:00-12:00).

Facilities for disabled parking

Cars parked in disabled spaces must display the disabled sticker or blue badge in the window. A Spanish resident may request a disabled sticker and information on applying for a blue badge from their local town hall.

The blue badge is a standardised European Community disabled person's parking permit which provides parking entitlements to badge holders in all complying European countries - a blue badge from one EU country is valid in another. A person coming to Spain may apply in their home country for this universal badge which allows the use of reserved parking.

• Disabled spaces in car parks reserved for disabled people are marked with a wheelchair symbol
• Do not park if the space is marked with a vehicle registration number
• Some car parks allow vehicles displaying a disabled parking sign to park free of charge
• There are no concessions for disabled drivers on roadside parking

Driver's with a blue badge from another European country may display this Spanish translation beside a badge written in another language (text from the UK Automobile Association):

• See the UK Automobile Association website for more information: Click here

• To see a sample badge: Click here (PDF)

• Full details from the ECMT (European Conference of Ministers of Transport): Click here

Driving Licence Penalty Points

Some foreign drivers' licences (and all EU licences) are valid in Spain

• See AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Using or Exchanging a Driving Licence in Spain

A Spanish driver is issued 12 points which may be deducted when offences are committed. A well-behaved driver may accumulate additional bonus points up to 15. 

• The Nerja town hall has produced a PDF in English outlining traffic offences and points deducted for each offence (note this information is subject to change): Click here (PDF)

If a foreigner is resident in Spain and commits a driving offence, points will be deducted as follows:

1. Foreigners with an NIE number are considered resident and therefore the same as a regular driver in Spain. A note with the points that have been deducted will be registered on the list of foreign drivers each time an offence is committed until 12 points have been removed. The driver is them arrested.
2. Foreigners without an NIE number are considered as a non-resident foreign visitor and must pay the fine immediately in cash or have the car confiscated until the fine is paid.

A driver can find out how many points they have from the traffic department (DGT, Dirección General de Tráfico) website:

• Select the top option: Click here and enter the NIE number and driver's licence details

Fines

All motorists should know their codigo de la circulación, the rules of the road in Spain - the Spanish Highway Code.

• All "on the spot" motoring fines (muitas) paid within 30 days will receive a 30% discount. This allows time to appeal the fine and/or pay

Driving & Drinking 

A driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.5 grams per litre (or, a blood alcohol level of 0.15 grams per litre in the case of a driver who has had a licence for two years or less), will be considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol. The amount of alcohol in the system will vary according to weight, sex, normal alcohol consumption and the amount of food in the system. 

• The police have the power to carry out random alcohol tests on drivers at anytime. Testing is more common around Christmas/New Year and in the main holiday period of July/August
• Drivers involved in accidents or who are not driving in a suitable manner will be subjected to automatic testing
• The police will confiscate the driving license of a person caught driving over the legal limit. Failure of a drink drive test has serious implications: the vehicle and driving licence will be confiscated, a hefty fine will be imposed, and they may even be imprisoned
• A driver's Insurance is void if they cause an accident while under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Useful Information

• In the cities, rush hour (horas puntas) tend to be from 08:00-09:30 and 12:30-14:30 then again 15:30-17:00 and 18:30-20:30
• In Barcelona and Madrid the traffic jams (atascos) can last all day, the average traffic speed in Madrid is thought to be around 20 Kph
• Traffic around the coast will be much worse in the summer

Further Information

• AngloINFO INFOrmation page on the Green Card System
• AngloINFO INFOmation page on Accidents & Vehicle Insurance in Spain
• AngloINFO INFOmation page on ITV Vehicle Roadworthiness in Spain
• AngloINFO INFOmation page on Buying & Selling a Car in Spain

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