Driving in Spain on a Polish Licence — No IDP, 120 km/h Cap & a €100 Fine

Three short answers for anyone planning a Spanish road trip from Poland. Yes, Spain keeps to the right, as you do. No, you do not need an international permit: the DGT lists licences from EU and EEA states as valid for as long as they are in force. And yes, the numbers on the signs are lower than the ones you are used to.

Paperwork in one paragraph

Take the Polish licence, an ID card or passport, and the car’s papers. There is no validity clock for a holiday. If you are bringing a friend with a non-EU licence, point them to the driving permit checker, because for them the answer changes.

Where Spanish limits differ from Polish ones

The last row is the one that surprises people. In Spanish towns a street with a single lane in each direction is 30 km/h, and a street with a single shared surface is lower still at 20. Spain also uses fixed, mobile and average-speed cameras.

What the fixed fines are

On a 120 km/h road, 1 to 30 km/h over costs EUR 100 with no points. From 31 km/h over it is EUR 300 and 2 points, and the bands climb after that. Pay within 20 days and the fine halves. For other offences, Spanish figures are higher than Polish ones in euro terms:

• Phone in hand: EUR 200 and 6 points.
• Seatbelt not worn: EUR 200 and 4 points.
• Red light: EUR 200 and 4 points.

At home a phone in the hand brings PLN 500 (about EUR 117) and 12 points, so the money is higher here and the points are lower. The speeding fine calculator runs other cases.

Alcohol

Poland’s limit is 0.2 per mille. Spain’s general limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.3 g/l for drivers in their first two years and for professional drivers. Do not read the higher number as an invitation; Spanish police run roadside breath tests.

The V-16 beacon and the vest

A reflective vest must be worn before you step on to the carriageway. Since 1 January 2026 a Spanish-registered car, which includes every hire car, must carry a connected V-16 beacon instead of warning triangles. The DGT fine for a missing one is EUR 80. A car on Polish plates may keep the triangle that its home law prescribes.

At the hire desk

If you collect a car in Spain, ask the staff to show you the V-16 device and how it is mounted. Check that the vest sits within reach of the driver’s seat. Photograph the car, and confirm how tolls are handled on the route you plan. The full set of regional rules is in the Spain driving guide.

Planning a long day

The 120 km/h ceiling changes the arithmetic of a long drive. A route you would cover at 140 on a Polish motorway takes noticeably longer here, so build in the difference when you plan overnight stops. Average-speed cameras measure you over a stretch rather than at a point, which means braking at the sign does nothing for the kilometres of earlier speeding. Fuel stops, rest breaks and traffic add time as well. Set the cruise control at the limit on motorways and leave it.

Emergency numbers

112 works everywhere and is the same as in Poland. Spain also has dedicated lines: police on 091, ambulance on 061 and fire on 080. Poland uses 997, 999 and 998 for the same three, which will not connect in Spain, so put the Spanish ones in your phone.

Sources

• DGT, licences valid for driving in Spain (EU/EEA licences valid while in force): dgt.es
• Reglamento General de Circulación, RD 1428/2003, articles 20, 48 and 50 (0.5 / 0.3 g/l; 120 and 90 km/h; 50 / 30 km/h urban): boe.es
• RDL 6/2015, Traffic Act, Annex IV and article 94 (speeding bands; 50% reduction within 20 days): boe.es
• DGT press release, V-16 beacon obligation from 1 January 2026 (EUR 80 fine; foreign-registered vehicles may use the device their own law prescribes): dgt.es
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Poland profile (140 km/h motorway; 0.02 g/dl): who.int