In Spain you must always carry the following with you at all times.

Driving licence
Permiso de Circulación
Fichas Technicas
Proof that your Impuestos de Circulación has been paid
Valid Insurance documents

NIE or Tarjeta de Residencia and a photocopy of your passport.



Luminous yellow Jacket (inside the car, not in the boot)
Two warning triangles
Spare glasses (if you need them for driving)
Spare tyre and the tools to replace it

Failure to provide any of the above will result in an automatic  'on the spot'  fine.

If you fail to produce just one it will be a fine (multa).  When you get up to five or six then they will probably impound your car and make you walk home !!

Here are a few basic traffic laws;


 A stop sign in Spain means stop.  It is not acceptable to roll over if there is nothing coming.  You must bring your car to a complete stop.   (150 euro fine and three points)

You may no longer use a mobile phone while driving.  (150 euro fine and three points)

A left turn across an unbroken white line on a national road is illegal. (150 euro fine and three points)

Overtaking on the right on an autopista or dual carriageway is illegal.  (150 euro fine and three points)

The drink drive laws are strictly enforced and the level (0.25) is much lower than the UK.  If you are caught drinking and driving you will be looking at anything from a heavy fine to imprisonment !!!!

The wearing of seatbelts (front and back) is compulsory.

Children under 12 cannot travel in the front seat unless using a suitably adapted restraint system.

The minimum age for driving is 18.

It is compulsory to use the left indicator to tell other road users that you are about to overtake.

It is compulsory to use the right indicator when pulling back in again. Failure to use both indicators when overtaking could result in an 'on the spot' fine.

When entering a dual carriageway, the Spanish are taught to come to a stop on the slip road and wait for a gap in the traffic. If you are behind them travelling at the same speed as the traffic already on the dual carriageway whilst at the same time looking in your mirror for a gap to pull into ??????  Ouch!

All driving schools in Spain teach their pupils to 'touch park' they will pull into a  parking space and keep going until they bump into the car behind.  That tells them it's time to select first gear and move forward.  It's perfectly normal and acceptable.

If you are driving a Spainsh registered car, you should be in possession of a Spanish driving licence. Your UK/EU photo licence is technically valid but it is so much easier to be able to present complete Spanish documentation as it saves any confusion.  (However an international model is valid)


The average Traffic Officer, both in Spain and in the UK, would probably not be aware of the finer points of EU law regarding number plates and driving licences and you would almost certainly escape a normal roadside stop.  However, it all goes pear shaped in the unfortunate event of being involved in an accident. At this point your insurance company enters the picture !!!

The first thing to bear in mind is that in the small print of most insurance companies there is a clause which will automatically drop the level of cover to basic liability as soon as the vehicle leaves the country it is insured in. 

If you are in any doubt as to the level of cover you have whilst you are outside the UK you should ask for a letter from your insurance agent stating that your underwriter is fully aware that you are living permanently outside the UK and is prepared to carry on insuring you on UK plates, on a car with no Tax or MOT, in a foreign country on a fully comprehensive basis.  Once you have that letter, keep it with you at all times.

The second thing to remember is that any insurance company, when faced with a potentially large claim, will  search for anything they can to avoid paying out and that would include incorrect documentation!

Consequently, once your insurance company has cancelled your policy because of incorrect documentation, the Police would then re-enter the picture as you would have been driving without insurance !!!!! 

At this point it would be completely pointless to start any sentence with;   "I've been told that ........"  or "My mate Fred said that .........."   or        " I thought that.............. "