The Three Documents You Must Carry In Your Car To Avoid A 100 Euro Fine
Expat Tips
Published: 25 July 2022 19:29 CET
If you drive in Spain you will know that just like in any other country, there are numerous offences for which you can receive a fine or have points taken from your licence. These include speeding, using your mobile phone or even playing your music too loud.
However, did you know that there are also three documents you must carry with you by law when driving in Spain?
Failing to produce any of these if asked by a traffic officer, can result in a hefty fine of up to 100 Euros.
So what are they?
Well, you may think it is your insurance papers and although you can be fined up to 3,000 Euros if these are not in order, it is no longer a requirement to carry them with you.
The first one is fairly obvious. It’s your driver’s licence or ‘Carnet de Conducir’ as it is known in Spanish. This needs to correspond to the vehicle you are driving, i.e. be the right category.
The fine for not carrying it is 10 Euros but this can be extended to 80 Euros if the licence is not up to date.
Shockingly, a recent report suggests that around 100,000 drivers on Spain’s roads do not have a valid licence.
The second document you must carry is the circulation permit or ‘permiso de circulación’. This document is a part of the log book and will confirm that you are the legal owner of the vehicle.
Finally, it is also necessary to carry your ITV document or ‘Inspecciòn Tècnica de Vehículos’. This is the equivalent of the MOT in the UK and confirms that your vehicle has passed the roadworthiness inspection.
As with the driver’s licence, there is a 10 Euro fine if you are not carrying either of these. Furthermore, if you don’t have one or they are out of date, the fine can increase to a whopping 500 Euros.
Alternative ways to carry proof of these documents
Although we initially said that you must always carry the originals of these three documents with you, there are a couple of exceptions.
Firstly, if you want to be safe in the knowledge that the originals are stored away somewhere safe, you may carry copies of the documents. However, the copies must be certified by a Notary.
This is a recognised service carried out by Notaries and doesn’t cost very much to do.
Secondly, you may prefer to carry your documents in digital format via the miDGT mobile phone app.
The app stores all of the documents mentioned above so that you can easily produce them if asked to by a trafico officer.
Once again, you will know that the originals have not been left in the vehicle where they can potentially be stolen.
Along with these three important documents, there are other things you should be carrying in your car. Check them out in our other article - Things You Must Carry In Your Car By Law When Driving In Spain
