The Three Documents You Must Carry In Your Car To Avoid A 100 Euro Fine

The three documents you must legally carry in your car

The traffic police can stop any driver, resident or visitor, and ask for paperwork. The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), the Spanish traffic authority, says to carry these three whenever you drive, as originals, certified copies or the official digital versions covered below.

1. Your driving licence

A licence from any European Union or European Economic Area country is accepted as it stands. That area adds Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. A British licence is recognised for six months from the date you got residence in Spain. Exchange it for a Spanish one before that runs out. No driving test is needed.

2. The vehicle’s permiso de circulación

This is the registration document for the car, issued by the DGT. It shows who the registered keeper is and that the vehicle may use Spanish roads.

3. The vehicle’s ficha técnica, or ITV card

This card lists the technical details of the car. The test is the Inspección Técnica de Vehículos (ITV), the Spanish roadworthiness check. Cars registered from May 2016 usually have an electronic card. Older paper cards stay valid.

Are digital documents accepted in Spain?

This has changed, and much advice online is still wrong. The DGT runs an official service called miDGT. Your Spanish driving licence and permiso de circulación sit inside it, and in Spain they carry the same legal value as the paper versions. Outside Spain, only the physical licence is recognised.

Other essential items you must carry in your vehicle

Spanish law also sets out equipment that must be in the car.

The V16 beacon has replaced warning triangles

Since 1 January 2026 the connected V16 beacon is the only legal way to mark a broken down or crashed vehicle in Spain. Triangles no longer do the job. It is a small yellow light for the roof or the driver’s door.

It must be a certified model that sends its position to the DGT, with twelve years of that connection included in the price. Not having one is a minor offence fined at 80 euros. Cars registered abroad and passing through may still use triangles.

High-visibility jacket

If you get out of the car on a road outside a town, you must put on a reflective jacket. Keep it in the cabin, not the boot, so you can put it on before opening the door.

Spare tyre or puncture repair kit

The DGT lists a spare wheel, or a repair kit with the tools to use it, as obligatory equipment. Snow chains or winter tyres join the list where snow is likely.

What about spare glasses?

Plenty of new arrivals believe a second pair is compulsory. It is not on the DGT list of obligatory equipment. A spare pair is sensible, but it is not required.

What happens if you fail to produce the required documents?

Driving without your papers is a minor offence, fined up to 100 euros, halved if you pay within twenty calendar days. Other outcomes cost more:

• Driving with an expired ITV is a serious offence, fined at 200 euros
• The car can be immobilised until ownership or roadworthiness is proved
• A claim after an accident is harder to settle if the car was not legal

Stay protected while driving in Spain

A roadside check is an annoyance. A crash without private medical cover is worse, because health policies normally exclude injuries from road and work accidents. The Sanitas Top Quantum plan builds that cover in as standard, and on other plans you can add the traffic and work accidents add-on.

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