Before you start

Residence in Spain and the padrón certificate
A valid foreign licence
NIE or TIE
A medical fitness certificate from an authorised centro de reconocimiento

Step-by-step

1
Establish whether your country has an exchange agreement
Spain maintains a list of countries whose licences can be exchanged without testing. It is specific and does not track how developed a country's driving standards are. Check the DGT list before assuming.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the six months expire
2
Act inside the six-month window
You may generally drive on a valid foreign licence for six months after becoming resident. After that it is not valid regardless of its expiry date, and driving on it is an offence with insurance consequences.
OnlineWho: YouWithin 6 months of residency
3
Get the psychotechnical medical certificate
Spain requires a fitness assessment at an authorised centro de reconocimiento de conductores — a short medical including vision and reaction testing. Quick, inexpensive and required for both exchange and a new licence.
In personWho: You
4
Book the DGT appointment and submit
Exchange applications go through the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico in Gipuzkoa with the medical certificate, the padrón certificate, your TIE, photographs and the fee. Your foreign licence is surrendered as part of the process.
In personWho: You
5
Get a Mugi card in your first week
One contactless card covers dbus in the city, the Euskotren including the topo to the French border, the Renfe suburban services and the Lurraldebus routes across Gipuzkoa, with fares that fall as you use it more. It makes the whole province, and Hendaye, casually reachable without a car.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
6
Understand that the geography, not policy, makes a car awkward
The city is wedged between hills, a bay and a river, with a small dense centre, narrow streets and very little parking. A residents' permit and a garage space are both expensive and scarce. A car earns its keep for the Pyrenees, the interior of Gipuzkoa and the sidrerías; it is a liability the rest of the week.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence and an official translation if not in Spanish
TIE or NIE
Padrón certificate
Medical fitness certificate from an authorised centre
Passport photographs and the paid DGT fee

Things most newcomers don’t know

Six months, not twelve — the Spanish window is shorter than most people assume.

Residents arriving from the UK or the US often assume a year. In Spain a foreign licence generally stops being valid six months after you become resident. Driving after that is an offence and can leave you effectively uninsured in an accident. Start in month one.

Source: Dirección General de Tráfico

The licence is Spanish, the enforcement is Basque, and the boundary is moving.

Issuing and exchanging the licence stayed with the DGT, so the canje guidance written for Madrid does apply here. Traffic enforcement in the Basque Country has been run by the Basque Government's traffic department and the Ertzaintza since the 1980s, so a speeding fine comes from Trafikoa rather than the DGT. Further transfers covering test organisation, vehicle registration and medical-fitness centres have been agreed and are phasing in from 2027, with licence issuance explicitly excluded. Check which side of the line a given procedure falls on rather than assuming.

Source: Gobierno Vasco / Dirección General de Tráfico

The Mugi card quietly makes the French border a commuter distance.

One card covers dbus, the Euskotren topo, Renfe Cercanías and the provincial Lurraldebus network, with fares that fall the more you travel. The topo reaches Hendaye in about half an hour, which is why living in Donostia and working in France is an ordinary arrangement here. Get the card in week one; it removes any need to think about tickets and it changes what counts as reachable.

Source: Lurraldebus / Mugi

Crossing the border to work is a tax question before it is a commute.

The Eurocity is a genuine cross-border labour market, but income earned in France by a Spanish tax resident engages the France–Spain treaty, and in some cases a specific cross-border worker regime. Because your Spanish side is administered by Gipuzkoa rather than by the state, you need an adviser who handles both the foral system and the treaty. Sort this out before accepting the job, not at your first filing.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a twelve-month grace period; the Spanish window is six months from residency.
Assuming your country has an exchange agreement without checking the DGT list.
Assuming the DGT handles everything on the road here — enforcement and fines are Trafikoa and the Ertzaintza.
Renting a central flat with a car and no included garage space, in the most parking-starved city in Spain.
Taking a job across the French border without advice on the treaty and the foral filing position.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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