Australians Driving in Spain 2026: Right Side, IDP, V-16

Spain rewards a road trip: fast motorways, good signs and empty country roads between the cities. For an Australian, the paperwork is quick to sort and the real adjustment is the side of the road.

The licence: card plus a permit or translation

Article 21 of Spain’s General Drivers Regulation sets out which foreign licences count. A licence written in Spanish, or carried with an official translation, is valid, and so is an international permit in the 1949 Geneva format, which is the one Australia issues. If you are not a Spanish resident, the licence works for six months from the day you enter Spain. The simplest route is an IDP from your state motoring club before you fly; keep it with your licence and passport. The driving permit checker covers other countries on the trip.

Switching to the right

Australia drives on the left; Spain drives on the right. The risky moments come early: leaving the hire-car park, a roundabout that now flows anticlockwise, a reflex glance the wrong way at a junction. Collect the car somewhere quiet rather than central Madrid or Barcelona, and go slowly until right-hand driving stops feeling backwards.

Limits, cameras and the beacon

Motorways are 120 km/h, other rural roads 90 km/h, and towns 50 km/h, dropping to 30 km/h on single-lane streets and 20 km/h where road and pavement share one level. Fixed, mobile and average-speed cameras are common. The lowest fine band, for example up to 30 km/h over on a 120 road, is EUR 100 with no points; the speeding fine calculator shows the steps above it. The alcohol limit is 0.05%, the same as home, and 0.03% for drivers in their first two years.

Since 1 January 2026, Spanish-registered cars carry a connected V-16 beacon instead of warning triangles, plus a reflective vest. Find both in the hire car before you set off. Emergencies: 112. The rest is in the Spain driving guide.

Sources

• Reglamento General de Conductores (RD 818/2009), art. 21 (valid foreign licences; six months from entry for non-residents): boe.es
• Reglamento General de Circulación (RD 1428/2003), art. 20 (0.5 g/l; 0.3 g/l for new drivers) and art. 50 (urban 20/30/50 km/h): boe.es
• Real Decreto Legislativo 6/2015, Annex IV (speeding fines): boe.es
• Real Decreto 159/2021 (V-16 beacon): boe.es
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Spain and Australia profiles (120 km/h motorway; 0.05 g/dl in both countries): who.int, who.int
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (Australia and Spain parties): treaties.un.org