Driving licence medical assessment in Spain: how the test works

The driving licence medical assessment in Spain is done at a DGT-authorised driver recognition centre (Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores, or CRC), not by your GP. This guide is by Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera, an English-speaking GP licensed in Spain (Colegiado No. 484814280) who sees patients by video in English and Spanish. The centre tests your vision, hearing and reflexes, reviews your health declaration and sends the result to the DGT. A video GP cannot issue that certificate, but can help you prepare for it.

Who issues the driving licence medical certificate in Spain?

Only a DGT-authorised Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores can issue the informe de aptitud psicofísica. These are private centres approved by the DGT, Spain's traffic authority. They combine a medical check, an eye test and a coordination test in one visit.

In everyday Spanish the test is called the psicotécnico; the formal phrase is reconocimiento médico para el permiso de conducir. Say which licence category you hold when you book, because the standards differ.

The part people get wrong is assuming a GP can issue the certificate. A GP cannot, and neither can an online doctor. The DGT's system accepts reports only from authorised centres, so treat any website offering a remote certificate with suspicion. Before you book, check the centre against the DGT's list of authorised centres and ask it to confirm it handles your procedure. A website in English is not proof of authorisation.

What is tested at a driver recognition centre?

The visit has four parts and takes 30 to 45 minutes. It costs roughly 25 to 45 euros, depending on the centre and licence class; confirm the price when you book.

1. Vision check. Visual acuity, peripheral vision and colour perception, with or without your glasses or contact lenses. Bring them.
2. Hearing and reflex tests. Reaction time and coordination are measured on a simple simulator with two hand controls.
3. Health questionnaire. You declare diagnosed conditions and the medicines you take. Answer honestly. A false declaration can invalidate your insurance cover after an accident.
4. Result and transmission. Most people pass. The centre sends the report to the DGT electronically, so a standard renewal normally needs no separate DGT appointment.

If the examiner finds something, the centre can ask for a specialist report, shorten the validity period or add a restriction such as "must wear glasses". The rules are in the Reglamento General de Conductores (BOE).

How often do I need the medical check to renew my licence?

You take the test every time you renew, and the renewal interval depends on your licence group and your age. The expiry date is printed on your card. You can renew in the months before it expires.

Licence group	Categories	Standard validity under 65	Standard validity from 65
Group 1	AM, A1, A2, A, B, B+E, licence for agricultural vehicles	10 years	5 years
Group 2 (professional)	C1, C, C+E, D1, D, D+E and their subcategories	5 years	3 years

These are standard periods, not a promise about your individual renewal. Medical findings can shorten them for anyone. Check your real expiry date: a work rota, an employer's review date and the licence expiry can each set a separate deadline.

Which medical conditions must I declare for driving in Spain?

Spain requires drivers to declare a defined list of conditions: among them epilepsy, insulin-treated diabetes, significant vision or hearing loss, some cardiovascular conditions, sleep apnoea and some neurological and psychiatric conditions.

Declaring a condition does not automatically mean losing your licence. Many are managed with shorter renewal periods or a specialist report. The centre decides, based on your declaration and the test. If you are unsure how a condition interacts with driving, ask a doctor before renewal day rather than discovering the answer at the centre.

Medicines that affect driving

Some medicines slow your reactions and must be declared too. In Spain, boxes of medicines that can impair driving carry a warning pictogram: a red triangle with a car. Common examples are sedatives, sleeping tablets, strong painkillers, some antihistamines and some antidepressants. You can check any leaflet in the CIMA database of the AEMPS. A GP can review your list, explain which medicines carry the pictogram and discuss alternatives where clinically appropriate. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own before the test. Controlled medicines such as benzodiazepines and sleeping tablets are not prescribed by video; those decisions belong to in-person care.

What can a video GP do before the test, and what can it not do?

A video GP sits before the recognition centre in the process, not instead of it. Where it helps:

• Reviewing a condition before you renew. Epilepsy, insulin-treated diabetes, sleep apnoea, a heart rhythm problem or high blood pressure: a visit clarifies what to expect and whether you need a specialist opinion first.
• Checking your medicines. What you take, how it affects reaction time and what to declare.
• Interpreting a report or letter. If the centre flagged something or asked for specialist follow-up, a bilingual GP explains what was asked and what to do next.
• Sorting the paperwork. A summary of your medical history makes the centre appointment shorter.

What a video GP cannot do:

• Issue the informe de aptitud psicofísica. Only an authorised centre can.
• Waive or shorten the test for any reason.
• Guarantee that a condition will not affect the outcome. Fitness-to-drive decisions follow the DGT's rules. Where a genuine evaluation shows that your situation needs specialist input, the honest answer is a referral, not reassurance.

Dr. Yelamo can assess medical certificates for other purposes, such as sport or study, but never this one. Neither issuance nor acceptance of a certificate is guaranteed.

Professional drivers: which medical check do I need?

If you drive for a living, you may be asked for two different documents. The CRC report covers your group 2 licence. An occupational health report covers your fitness for a specific job. One cannot stand in for the other, and a general medical letter replaces neither. The phrase apto para el puesto refers to fitness for a job; a request linked to permiso de conducir refers to the licence.

Provider	Best for	Main advantage	Important limit
DGT-authorised CRC	The licence medical assessment, including group 2	The only recognised route for licensing	Does not by itself meet an employer's occupational health requirement
Employer's occupational health service (prevention service)	Workplace fitness for a specific job	Covers the employer's legal health surveillance process	Does not renew the licence or replace the CRC
GP or video GP	Health guidance, medicines review, records review	Helps you prepare and understand your records	Replaces neither exam, statutory or occupational

Language support is a practical benefit, not proof of authorisation. The accepted provider is defined by the procedure, not by an advertisement.

Questions to ask the recognition centre

• Are you a DGT-authorised Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores?
• Do you assess my licence category?
• Is this appointment for a renewal, a first licence or another procedure?
• Which identity documents should I bring, along with my current licence?
• Do you need existing medical reports before the appointment?
• Can the assessment be done in English, or what language support is allowed?

Questions to ask your employer

Ask human resources or the company's prevention service, in writing: is this a licence assessment or an occupational one, which service must carry it out, is there a specific form, who receives the result and how, and is a separate CRC appointment also required?

Do not buy a general certificate first and seek approval afterwards. If a new job asks for a general fitness certificate rather than a driver assessment, see certificates for starting a job.

Why the requirements vary from driver to driver

Six things decide what you need: the purpose (licence or workplace), your licence category, your age, the examiner's findings, your employer's process, and the procedure (renewal, first licence or exchange). Being paid to drive does not, by itself, tell you which assessment you need. Start with the licence you hold and the written instructions.

How do I find the right provider, step by step?

1. Identify the document. Ask whoever requested it for its exact name, purpose and any form. Keep the written instructions.
2. Confirm the provider. DGT-authorised CRC for the licence; the employer's named service for workplace fitness.
3. Prepare your records. Bring your identity document, current licence, glasses or lenses, and the medical reports the provider asks for.
4. Attend in person. An earlier talk with a GP does not replace the exam.
5. Confirm submission. Find out who sends in the result and whether any separate paperwork step remains.

My licence was issued outside Spain. What changes?

Tell the centre where your licence was issued and which Spanish procedure you are completing. A licence from another EU member state is generally valid while you live in Spain. After you take up normal residence, you register it with the DGT, and renewal then follows Spanish rules, including the medical check. Licences from outside the EU follow a different route, normally an exchange within a set period. The rules depend on nationality, licence class and residence status, so verify your case with the DGT. Questions about exchange and recognition belong to the DGT, not to a GP.

What happens if I drive with an expired licence?

Driving with an expired licence is an administrative offence with a fine, and your insurer may refuse a claim after an accident. If your renewal is delayed by a health question, resolve the health question first. Book the centre two to four weeks before your licence expires, not the week of. That buffer absorbs the most common snag: a flagged result that needs a specialist report.

Do I need to speak Spanish at the centre?

The test itself involves little conversation, but the declaration form and follow-up questions do. Some centres in larger cities have English-speaking staff, so ask when you call. Being understood matters, so that a language problem is not mistaken for a medical finding. A video visit in English can settle any medical question beforehand.

Emergencies

A video visit is for urgent, non-emergency care. Call 112 (or 061 in regions where that is the medical emergency number) or go to the nearest emergency department for:

• Chest pain or a sudden irregular heartbeat with faintness.
• A seizure, a blackout or fainting, especially while driving.
• Signs of a stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech, sudden loss of vision.
• Severe low blood sugar with confusion or inability to swallow.
• A head injury or any road accident with injuries.

Do not drive yourself to hospital with any of these symptoms. See emergency numbers in Spain.

Frequently asked questions