Question
I am Spanish but currently living in California. We are relocating back to Spain in March and I don’t have a Spanish driving license anymore. My question is: would I be able to rent a car in Spain with my US driving license?
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
“Yes. You’ll need to get an international permit through AAA (for that you’ll need to fill out a form and get a passport sized photo). Your mileage may vary as to the extent your chosen rental company will want to see it, but it’s best to have it in case of an accident. They’re good for one year.
Once you’re in Spain, you’ll have six months to get a Spanish licence. Not sure how it works if you’ve had one in the past, but Spain doesn’t recognize US licences on a one-to-one exchange so it’s probable you’ll need to start over from scratch and pass the logic and technical exams. A bit pricey but after that you’re good.”
“You need an INTL license. Most places won’t take a US license, sometimes you can get lucky and they will, but I’ve had too many times where they pull out the Spain law that says you can’t.”
“I’ve successfully rented cars numerous times in Spain with only my MA license. I’ve had the international permit in my possession, but no one’s ever asked to see it.”
“Yes! You should get the international permit from AAA just to be safe.”
“Yes you can rent one with an American driver license, but just for assurance you need an international driving equivalent from the AAA to avoid any issues with police if you get pulled over . You can one on the sport for $15 or $20 at your local AAA office”
“If you can keep a USA credit card and use it to rent a car that should work. We did this for the first six months with no request for us to show an international licence (which we obtained from AAA). Good luck.”
“Definitely the international permit. I had an accident and the police were not interested in my US license, only the international one.”
“International license from AAA is a piece of cake and you’re good for a year.”
“you will need an appointment at the tráfico, but if you have had a license here before, they will renew it but again, you will need an appointment, and a few weeks to get that done.”
“Rent yes! But you have to do a canje if you have a license from the EU or retake the whole thing if it’s from the US”
“I just rented a car last week with my Delaware license. I’ve never had an issue.”
“My wife is a Spaniard and her license was so old it was a paper license…no problem renewing it”
“Yes, but get a international translation of the license.”
“You can “renew” a Spanish Driver’s License at the Spanish Consulate, even if it expired decades ago and you are not living in Spain. You can view the requirements on the Consulate’s website online. It’ll take a month and you can track the process on the DGT’s website.”
“My wife (Spaniard) was able to renew her spanish license after living in the U.S for 23 years. You can rent a car for up to 6 month after residency.”
“You have six months after you become a Spanish resident when you can legally drive on your US license, along with the IDP. You’ll need to obtain a Spanish license within those six months. You could ask Trafico if there’s any way to reactivate your old Spanish license, but if not, you’ll have to go to driving school and pass the driving tests.”
“I do it alllll the time. Tip: you will get a MUCH better rate doing it via Expedia dot Com than dot ES or renting locally.”
Need an international driving license? Check out IDA’s offer here
