Guardia Road Check – Possible Fines if Not All Paperwork in Order

Driving licence – not being able to present it warrants a fine of 10 euros. Presenting it, but with an expired address – a fine of 80 euros. Driving with an expired driving licence – 200 euros. Driving with a foreign driving licence that should have been renewed under ´2 year resident protocol ´- 200 euros (not going into the legality issues with that – enough info about that on our website 🙂 )

Driving with a licence that has been revoked/withdrawn – 500 euros and the loss of 4 points if you have a Spanish permit, or a foreign one that has been registered on the Registro de Conductores at Trafico. Driving with a licence renewed irregularly, so for instance in the UK while in fact a resident in Spain, in our experience fines for that offence vary between 200 and 500 euros.

ITV Driving with expired ITV – 200 euros. Driving with ´desfavorable´ ITV test result – 200 euros. Driving with a negative ITV test result – 500 euros without possibility for 50% discount when paying within 20 days.

ITV card or certificate not being able to present it – 10 euros.

´Permiso de circulación´  – not being able to present it – 10 euros fine. If it´s expired (temporary ones), or withdrawn (e.g. temporarily withdrawn if stopped and found that vehicle had no valid ITV) – 500 euros.

Insurance – driving without insurance leads to the vehicle being impounded and fines from 601 to 3.005 euros, up to the discretion of the Guardia officer.

Remember that although it is not legally required, it is advisable to carry proof of this year´s payment of vehicle tax, insurance paperwork plus proof of payment of premium for current policy year (especially if you have contracted a policy with a non-Spanish insurance company as not all will be connected to the central Insurance Database that the Guardia officers have access to).

And finally, please beware that residents cannot be asked to pay a fine ´on the spot´, only non-residents.

Please note: The information provided is based upon our understanding of current legislation. It is not legal advice but is provided freely to enable you to be properly informed. We recommend that if you are considering taking action, you should seek professional advice.