Frequently asked questions

The Category B (car) DGT theory exam has 30 multiple-choice questions with three answer options each. You need to answer 27 out of 30 correctly to pass - that is one of the strictest pass marks of any European driving theory exam. Other licence categories vary: AM (moped) is 20 questions, CAP (professional certificate) is 100 questions.

You have 30 minutes to complete the 30 questions for Category B. The CAP exam allows 150 minutes for its 100 questions. The clock starts the moment your computer terminal loads the first question.

Yes - for Category B (car) only. Since 2024 the DGT has offered an official English translation of the Category B theory exam at all major Jefaturas Provinciales de Tráfico. You select English when scheduling your cita previa. The questions are the same as the Spanish version, just translated.

Only Category B (car) is currently available in English at the DGT. Categories A1, A2, A (motorcycle), C (truck), D (bus), CAP and B+E (trailer) are Spanish-only. This is a common point of confusion - if you are testing for a motorcycle or commercial licence, you will need enough Spanish to follow the exam.

In person, always. The exam is taken on a computer at an authorised DGT centre or at certain partner driving schools. There is no at-home or remote option. Your identity is checked on arrival against your TIE or passport.

Go to sedeclave.dgt.gob.es, identify yourself with Cl@ve, DNI digital certificate, or your TIE number plus support code, then choose "Trámites de conductores" - "Examen teórico". Pick your Jefatura, choose a date and time slot, and confirm. Major cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga) can have 2-6 week waits; smaller offices are often available within days.

Immediately on screen at the end of the exam, then formally by SMS or email within 24 hours, and online in your DGT user portal at sede.dgt.gob.es. If you took the exam through a driving school, the school is also notified and can confirm. Keep the result screen printout if you can - some psicotécnico centres ask for it.

You can retake it after a minimum 7-day cooling-off period (10 days in some regions). The fee is €94.05 each attempt. There is no limit on the total number of attempts, but each one requires a new cita previa and a fresh fee. Most failures happen on roundabout priority, road-sign recognition, or alcohol-limit questions.

Bring your TIE or passport (whichever you used for the cita previa), the printed cita previa confirmation, your psychophysical certificate (psicotécnico) - usually transmitted digitally by the centre that issued it, and the receipt of your €94.05 Tasa 2.1 payment. If you booked through a driving school, they will tell you exactly what they need on top.

The DGT fee (Tasa 2.1) is €94.05 per attempt in 2026. On top of that you need a psicotécnico certificate (€30-€50) and either self-study materials or driving-school enrolment. If you fail and retake, the €94.05 fee is due again each time.

The DGT refreshes its question bank periodically - the last major update was in 2024 when English was added. Smaller updates happen each year to reflect new regulations (low-emission zones, e-scooter rules, alcohol limits). Our practice bank is reviewed against the latest official syllabus regularly.

You can study and present yourself for the theory exam "por libre" - on your own, without enrolling in a driving school. Many expats do this. However, for the practical exam you effectively need a school, because the exam car must have dual controls and only schools provide them. Plan to study theory independently and use a school for the practical.

Confirm your country qualifies (see our exchange-licence guide), get a psicotécnico medical certificate, pay the DGT fee (Tasa 2.3, €28.87 in 2026), book a cita previa at sedeclave.dgt.gob.es choosing "Canje de permiso", attend with all documents, and surrender your foreign licence. You leave with a temporary paper permit; the physical Spanish card arrives by post in 4-8 weeks.

Around 6-10 weeks end-to-end in most cases. The cita previa wait is the longest variable - 2-6 weeks in Madrid/Barcelona, often days in smaller cities. The appointment itself takes 30-60 minutes. The physical card is then posted to you within 4-8 weeks.

No. The whole point of a bilateral exchange agreement is that Spain accepts your foreign licence as equivalent without re-testing. You hand over your original, do the paperwork, and receive a Spanish licence. No theory or practical exam required.

The DGT keeps it at your appointment and returns it through diplomatic channels to the issuing authority (DVLA for UK, etc.). You leave the appointment without your original licence but with a temporary paper Spanish permit. Always take a colour photocopy before the appointment for your records.

No. Only currently valid licences in active validity can be exchanged. If yours has expired, you must either renew it in the issuing country first (then exchange), or skip the exchange and take the full DGT theory and practical exams in Spain. Provisional or learner permits also cannot be exchanged.

Typical preparation is 2-6 weeks of study at 30-60 minutes per day. People with prior driving experience tend to be ready faster (1-3 weeks); first-time drivers or learners with little Spanish-driving exposure usually need 4-8 weeks. The readiness score on your dashboard tells you objectively when your practice scores are above the pass threshold.

Mix the two formats: read each chapter of the summarised theory book once, then drill that chapter with 20-50 practice questions. Re-read the chapter for any topics where you scored below 90%. Once all chapters are green, do 5-10 full 30-question exam simulations under timed conditions. The variety prevents memorisation and builds exam stamina.

Most successful candidates do at least 30-50 full 30-question practice tests, plus chapter-targeted drills on weak topics. The exact number is less important than consistently scoring 28/30 or higher across your last 10 tests. If you keep scoring 25-26 you are close but not safe - more chapter drills are needed.

Consistently: roundabout priority and lane choice, road-sign recognition (especially the many regulatory and warning signs that look similar), alcohol and drug limits with their per-category variations, speed limits in residential zones, and overtaking rules on secondary roads. We add extra drill questions in these areas because they cause the most failures.

Both - studying only practice questions risks memorising answer patterns without understanding the reasoning, and the exam includes questions you have not seen verbatim. The summarised theory book on our site is designed to be readable in a single sitting per chapter and immediately followed by practice on that chapter.

The readiness score is a weighted percentage based on your recent answers across every chapter. We display green/amber/red per chapter. Most users who pass on the first attempt have all chapters green and an overall readiness score of 90% or higher across their last 10 full practice tests.

Two years. You have 24 months from your theory pass to also pass the practical exam, otherwise you must retake the theory. Most people complete the practical within 2-3 months of passing theory, so the 2-year window is a comfortable safety margin.

Enrol with a driving school for practical lessons (the school provides the dual-control car required for the practical exam), complete typically 8-20 hours of behind-the-wheel lessons, then your school books you for the practical exam. Pass that and you get a paper provisional permit on the day; the physical Spanish licence card arrives by post 4-8 weeks later.

Heavily personal. People with prior driving experience: typically 8-15 hours. People with no prior driving: 25-40 hours. The school decides when you are ready - they have a strong incentive to present only candidates who will pass, since their reputation depends on it.

No - the practical exam is always conducted in Spanish. The examiner gives directions in Spanish ("turn right", "park here", "prepare to overtake"). You only need a small set of driving-relevant phrases, which any decent autoescuela will drill with you before the exam.

Major expat hubs (Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Marbella, Valencia, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca) have several English-speaking schools - search "English autoescuela [city]" or check expat-community Facebook groups for recommendations. In smaller cities you may need to ask several schools; some have one English-speaking instructor among an otherwise Spanish-language team.