Do you consider yourself a good driver? Yeah, you’ll have to prove it when you arrive in Madrid, first of all with the Spanish authorities. But before that, you have 6 months when you can use either your driving license or your international driving license.
—And, above all, to prove it to Madrid’s drivers —teases Almudena.
—That is fundamental. The moment of truth —agrees obediently Paloma.
—Actually, we always complain about the traffic in Madrid.
—And the way the people of Madrid drive.
—But the truth is, if you compare it to other cities, everything is quite standard.
To be honest, although the city counts with a very acceptable public transport system, there are many cars and many drivers, as well. These altogether with the circumstances of ordinary life in a big city, it provokes what we all know well.
—Peak hours during mornings and afternoons, Christmas traffic jams in shopping areas —starts listing efficiently Palo.
—Some demonstrations that collapses the city center —continues the realist Almu.
—Traffic jams on summer Fridays’ afternoons or Saturday mornings when exiting the city for weekend
—More traffic jams on Sundays when returning to the city.
—The same traffic jams on long festivities and some holidays
—And, of course, the bad weather: a snowfall or a storm.
Do not forget that the hardest part of driving in a new place is not knowing how to get to your destination and what to do with the car when you, finally, arrive. Above all, avoid jumping into the car without knowing the route on a working day or you’ll end up on the verge of a nervous breakdown (yes, like the hilarious Almodóvar film that takes place in Madrid). However, you can try early on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
—Do you remember what happened to Peter?
—Yeah. The South African who spoke no Spanish at all.
—For his first birthday in Madrid, he gave himself a GPS with voice recognition that he had wanted to buy for a long time in Johannesburg.
—Ah! I do remember. This is a good one.
—It resulted he could never use his voice because the GPS couldn’t understand how he pronounced the street names.
Returning to the harsh reality of paperwork, after 6 months of your arrival to Madrid, actually to Spain, the only driving license valid is the Spanish one, not even the international license. To obtain a Spanish driving license (if you already have a foreign one), you must exchange it at the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico).
The process varies depending on the issuing country of the permit you want to exchange. DGT distinguishes 3 groups of countries, depending on the group you are in, you will have to follow one process or another.
The 3 groups are as follows:
1.- Issued in countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
For these, the exchange is voluntary but the renewal (once it has expired according to the Spanish regulations) must be done at the DGT, not in the issuing country.
2.- Issued in non-EU countries (Andorra, Korea, Japan, Switzerland and Monaco)
In this case, once all the required documentation has been submitted (including a psychophysical fitness report) and everything has been checked for correctness, the exchange is made automatically.
3.- Issued by countries with an agreement: Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Macedonia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.
In these cases, the authorization is always subject to confirmation of the validity of the permit by the authorities that have issued it in each country.
All the detailed information about the process, the addresses and the fees to be paid can be found in the DGT, please note that you can hire the services of an agency (Gestoría) to carry out the process for you.
In The secret of relocating to Madrid you’ll find all the relevant information to carry out this and other procedures by yourself. If, in addition, you need help with the organization or, even if you want us to accompany you, check out our services.
In the meantime, you can receive regular information by filling out this questionnaire. And if you find it useful, we appreciate your sharing.
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