Vehicle and driving licence

Have you moved to Barcelona with your vehicle? You should know that you must register your vehicle to be able to drive if your period of residence is greater than six months. Therefore you must process your registration with the Department of Traffic (DHT) and you will get a valid number plate that identifies your vehicle. When you have it, you must buy and install new plates and take out insurance for the new registration number assigned.

If you got your driving licence in another country, you can exchange it. This formality validates your driving licence and entitles you to drive in Spain. For citizens of the European Union and the European Economic Area it is a voluntary formality. For all others, the formality is obligatory after the first six months of residence in Spain.

If you live in the city of Barcelona you can complete the AREA resident process, which entitles you to park on the street with preferential rates depending on your area of residence.