The dreaded driver’s license in Spain… This is something I have been trying to avoid for the last eight years but it is finally time. As many of you know, as a U.S. citizen there is no “convenio” between the United States and Spain on converting your U.S. driver’s licenses to a Spanish one. (Trust me, I’ve consulted lawyers.)

That being said, you have to start from scratch and in this article we will tell you the most painless way to do it.

The driver’s test in Spain consists of three different tests: vision, written and road skills test (particularly in that order). Typically, the autoescuela or driver’s school offers classes on the later of the two and the vision test you can easily get separately through a medical certificate center. The most common bundle is that the driver’s school provides road education classes for the written exam and also offers 5 or 10 driving classes together. Do not skimp on the driver’s classes as these are very important to pass the final exam. In the next article, I’ll dive into why.

The first step is finding the right autoescuela, you may think that they are all are the same or “the cheaper the better!” but here are a few things to consider prior to committing to one:

  • Not many years ago the Spanish government approved an automatic driver’s license. This is great for those who have no want or need to learn manual and are happy to only drive automatic cars. When you get your driver’s licenses it will be reflected on your driver’s license.
  • Think long and hard about where you want to be taking the road exam. Once you sign up with a driver’s school, you must take both the written and the road test within that city and/or autonomous community. That means if you sign up in Madrid center, you have to take the road test in Madrid center, more specifically Mostoles. And it is an open secret that Madrid is one of the hardest cities to pass the driver’s road exam. That being said, because I am “floja”, I decided to take my exam in Cuenca, an hour and a half outside of the city center. This is important because if you pass the written exam with an academy and later want to change schools or autonomous communities, it will imply not only an additional cost to transfer your information but time as well.
  • While you are narrowing down your school search, I suggest having a few things clear.
    • Type of driver’s license: Permiso B Automatico o Normal (manual + automatico) *If you are going to do automatic, the autoescuela needs to have an automatic car or you will have to switch schools after taking the written exam.
    • Timelines: how long does it take the school to present your candidacy for the written exam? And how long is the waiting list for the road classes? This is big because sometimes the wait can be up to two months once you pass your written exam if the school is very busy.
    • Written Exam resources: Are there in person courses or do they just provide practice tests? Do you want to take it in English or Spanish? There are some very inexpensive options depending on how much “help” you want with the written exam prep.

Now let’s say you find a school (congrats!), let’s get you prepared for the vision and written exam.

VISION TEST

In order to present yourself for the written exam, you have to have your psicotenico which is a medical certificate that you have good enough vision to drive on the road. Some places charge up to 40 euros, however there are more than plenty Groupons that offer good deals. *Pro tip is to call before you buy the Groupon, sometimes they have specific slots for the groupon buyers and it ends up taking ages to get an appointment. In my case, I had called a place that had a Groupon offer but they were willing to give me the same price without buying the Groupon and without the wait. The test is only to ensure you have good vision so be prepared to do some eye exam kind of questions and a hand-eye coordination exercise. There is no need to prepare in advance. Make sure you get your psicotenico as close as you can to your written exam. The certificate is only valid during three months so in the case that you fail your first written exam, if you sign up quick enough you can go again with the same certificate.

WRITTEN TEST

The written exam consists of 30 questions all related to road knowledge. They are all multiple choice with three different options and have a supporting photo to help better explain the question. Rumor has it that around 27 of the questions are almost common knowledge and there is always around 3 – 4 questions that are very specific questions that you would only know if you studied the manual. In 2021, I signed up for a driver’s school to take the written in Spanish and too be completely honest, I was very overwhelmed by all of the technical vocabulary and ultimately was demotivated to even take the test. This year, I decided to try my hand in English and personally I think that it was easier as a native English speaker. Yes, the translations are not the best but in both English and Spanish the goal essentially is to just memorize all of the practice questions you can. It is helpful to take in person classes, however if you are like me with a full time job, I just religiously did practice test after practice test until I felt like I was getting 28/30 correct.

An example question from the DGT website.

This took me perhaps three weeks after work of studying. The school that I had gone through used the AOEL Cloud practice questions and there was over 93 tests available, I made sure I went through them at least three times.

A quick clip of what practice tests could potentially look like from AEOL Cloud. These were tests in “exam” mode however there are other modes to practice.


When you submit your candidacy, they give you the date and location. I was told to bring a pen and my DNI or NIE. You are given 30 minutes to answer the 30 questions.

ROAD TEST
Once you pass your written exam you are half way there! The great thing is if you pass it on your first try, you are allocated two tries at your road test before having to pay the tasa or fee again. Why is getting several classes important? I suggest always to get at least 5 classes even if you have driven before.
Two reasons. Unlike in the U.S., you are not allowed to drive with any parent or driver over 25-years-old despite being in driving school. You are only allowed to drive with your assigned driver school instructor which means the more practice you are able to get in, the better. The second reason is that most instructors during the last few questions take you to the exact locations of where you will be tested in order for you to learn the route or at least be familiar with the area. This is key in order to pass on the first try. Initially I thought it was a scam to get so many classes but ultimately I decided to get 10! Between brushing up on parallel parking and learning the route of the town, I would rather have maybe 3 classes too much rather than a few classes short.

Things to keep in mind when taking the road exam:
*There is no protected right turn in Spain.
* It is prohibited to gesture a pedestrian to cross the road.
*If you do not know how to parallel park, you fail the exam.

Best of luck!