Ukrainian driving licence exchange in Spain: DGT and temporary protection

Exchanging a Ukrainian driving licence in Spain: what applies as of October 2026

Ukraine is on the list of countries with which Spain has a driving licence exchange agreement (canje). The agreement has been in force since 31.10.2010, and in the DGT table updated on 26.06.2026, “motorcycle or car” licences are exchanged without exams, while “lorry or bus” licences require a practical road test [2]. According to the DGT page for Ukraine, categories A1, A, B and B+E are exchanged without exams [1].

After that, everything depends on your status. People with temporary protection (protección temporal) fall under a separate European regime: Reglamento (UE) 2022/1280. Valid Ukrainian licences are recognised within the EU for as long as the holder has temporary protection, and states may not require a sworn translation or an international driving permit [3]. The Council of the EU extended the protection until 4 March 2028 by Decisión de Ejecución (UE) 2026/1912 of 30.07.2026 [4]. Everyone else is covered by the general rule of the Reglamento General de Conductores: foreign licences are valid for no longer than six months from the moment you became an ordinary resident (residencia normal) [5].

Two regimes: temporary protection and a standard residence permit

The same Ukrainian licence card in Barcelona can follow different rules for next-door neighbours. The comparison below is based on the DGT page and European rules.

The key trap for recent arrivals: you cannot start an exchange with temporary protection straight away. The DGT page states plainly that for a canje based on the resguardo or the protection decision, 6 months must have passed since they were issued or since your confirmed date of entry into Spain [1]. The DGT defines residence as living in Spain for at least 185 days in a calendar year [1].

Who is covered by the special rules: Ukrainian nationals, stateless persons and third-country nationals who lived in Ukraine before 24 February 2022, their family members, and Ukrainian nationals who lived in Spain before that date (including without documents) and cannot return because of the war [1]. The status itself is covered in the article temporary protection for Ukrainians.

The exchange in Barcelona step by step

1. Check your licence. It must be valid, and the categories must match A1, A, B, B+E (or C and D, if you are ready for the practical test) [1][2].
2. Work out the date. With protection: 6 months from the resguardo, decision or entry. With an ordinary residence permit: get it done before your six months of driving run out [1][5].
3. Medical check. Informe de aptitud psicofísica at a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores: group I for A and B, group II for C and D [1]. The centre sends the result to the DGT register itself; the report is valid for 90 days [6].
4. Fee. Tasa 2.3 for an exchange without exams or tasa 2.1 for C and D [1][7].
5. Appointment. Cita previa on the DGT sede, by calling 060 or in miDGT; the province has two offices: Barcelona and Barcelona-Sabadell [9].
6. Application. Online with Cl@ve or a digital certificate (Ukraine is included in the canje digital service), in person at the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico or through a representative [1][8].
7. Handing in the original and the temporary permit. At the office you hand in your Ukrainian licence and receive a permiso provisional: it lets you drive for 6 months, in Spain only [1].
8. Card by post. According to the DGT, the permanent licence arrives in about a month and a half [1].

A checklist with tick boxes for each step is in the route card exchanging a Ukrainian licence step by step. Applying online requires Cl@ve: how to get it is explained in the article Cl@ve and Mi Carpeta Ciudadana.

Documents and what the exchange costs

The set of documents on the DGT page for Ukraine [1]:

• application, form Modelo 03;
• passport, DNI or residence permit;
• proof of residence: the resguardo for the protection application, a document from the decision or a TIE;
• proof that you were not resident in Spain when you obtained the licence;
• the original of your valid Ukrainian licence (except in cases of theft or loss);
• group I or II medical report;
• receipt for payment of the fee.

An old DGT PDF with rates shows amounts of €28.58 and €93.12, while the country table and the Ministry of the Interior page show €28.87 and €94.05 [2][7]. Go by the amount in the payment form on the DGT sede on the day you pay: if the fee went up after you purchased it, the DGT lets you pay the difference.

Special cases: lost licence, C and D, switching to another residence permit

Licence stolen or lost

The DGT accepts the application without the original if you have reported the theft or loss. But the exchange is carried out only after the Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the licence [1]. Reglamento (UE) 2022/1280 also allows EU countries to issue a temporary document with code 99.01, valid only for the period of protection [3].

Categories C and D

For lorries and buses, the agreement requires a practical road test, with tasa 2.1 as the fee [2]. Professional drivers should check their qualification card separately: the EU regulation has its own rules for Ukrainian CAP cards [3].

Moving from protection to arraigo or work

This is the least clear scenario. European recognition of licences is tied to temporary protection [3], while the general six-month rule is tied to residencia normal [5]. We found no official DGT guidance on how to count the driving period after a change of status. The practical solution: exchange the licence while you are still under protection and the 6 months have passed, not after the switch. On the switch itself, read how to move from temporary protection to a residence permit.

Licence expired or obtained while already in Spain

Expired licences are not exchanged. Licences obtained in the issuing country when you were already a legal resident of Spain are not exchanged either [2]. What remains is the exams: medical check, theory, practical test, tasa 2.1 for two attempts. The procedure for all countries is described in the article exchanging a driving licence in Spain.

After the exchange: validity, renewal and points

Spanish B licences are valid for 10 years, 5 years after age 65; C and D for 5 years, 3 years after age 65 (article 12 of the Reglamento General de Conductores) [5]. Renewal requires a new medical check; the fee, tasa 4.3, is €24.58 according to the Ministry of the Interior page [7].

Licences work on a points system: the usual starting balance is 12, 8 for new drivers and after losing your licence, with a maximum of 15 [11]. How many points the DGT credits after an exchange is not stated on the DGT page; you can see your balance in miDGT. For trips abroad after the exchange, you get a permiso internacional; the temporary permit is not valid outside Spain [1].

Common mistakes Ukrainians make when exchanging a licence

• Booking a DGT appointment two or three months after the resguardo: the DGT will send you back to the six-month rule.
• Paying for a sworn translation of the licence while holding temporary protection: the DGT does not require it.
• Renewing or replacing the Ukrainian licence remotely while already living in Spain and counting on a canje.
• Doing the medical check “in advance” and applying more than 90 days later.
• Going on holiday by car with the Spanish temporary permit: it is not valid outside Spain.
• Putting off the exchange until the last year of protection: verification in Ukraine and the post take time, and each extension of protection is decided by the Council of the EU.

How we can help

Exchanging a licence is a DGT procedure, and many people do it on their own. We help where the licence overlaps with your status: we work out the dates from your protection or residence documents, check the documents and plan the exchange together with the move to another ground. We gather the documents for this as part of help with documents. We do not promise DGT decisions or verification times in Ukraine. You can book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.