There are several official documents that need to be renewed periodically to guarantee their validity and legality. Among these important records are the DNI, the passport and, of course, the driver’s license. These documents not only identify us to the authorities, but are also essential to carry out a variety of legal and administrative procedures.
Regarding the driving license, its periodic renewal is essential to maintain its legal validity and is a guarantee that the person who holds it is qualified to get behind the wheel. The B license, which authorizes driving cars and is the most common in our country, is valid for 10 years for drivers under 65 years of age, and five years for those over this age.
The process for renewing your driving license is simple. It is not necessary to take any exam or go to the DGT offices. The only requirement is to pass a psychophysical examination that must be carried out at an authorized Driver Recognition Center. Broadly speaking, it consists of a medical examination (evaluation of vision, hearing and general health), a coordination test and a psychotechnical assessment.
This medical examination is the same for all people, including those over 65 years of age. However, the frequency of these evaluations is reduced from that age to 5 years, which means that they are carried out more frequently to maintain more rigorous control over their health status in relation to the ability to get behind the wheel.
It must be taken into account that of the more than 27 million drivers in Spain, 5.2 million are over 65 years old, according to the 2021 Driver Census of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). According to data from the organization directed by Pere Navarro, people over 65 years of age are involved in around 30% of road accidents.
The standard fee for renewing a driving license is 24.58 euros, which corresponds to rate 4.3, unless special circumstances arise. In cases where a medical extension is granted for a shorter period than established, the prices will be lower: for renewals of up to 4 years, 19.67 euros; up to 3 years, 14.75 euros; up to 2 years, 9.83 euros; and for one year or less, 4.92 euros.
People over 70 years of age are exempt from paying the fee to renew their driving license. This implies that from that age they will only have to pay the cost of the psychophysical examination, which is independent of that associated with the documentation of the license.
The price of the medical certificate varies between 25 and 50 euros, depending on the center, although some automobile insurance and medical insurance companies offer this service for free as part of the contracted coverage.
Once the medical examination has been successfully completed, the authorized center staff provides the interested party with a provisional permit. The validity of the provisional permit is three months within Spain. Outside our borders you cannot legally drive with a temporary license. To do so, you must wait to receive the new document sent by the DGT by postal mail at home.
For this reason, the General Driver Regulations establish the obligation to notify Traffic of the change of address within a period of 15 days. By having the updated postal address, the vehicle owner receives notifications and communications from the DGT. This avoids the risk of not receiving notification of a fine in time, which could result in losing the deadline to appeal or pay it.