What to Bring and How Car Hire Pick-Up Works in Spain
The easiest car hire pick-up in Spain is the one you mostly finish before you land.
If your rental offers online check-in, use it. Upload your licence and passport details at home, have your voucher ready, and the slow counter work is already done before you arrive.
That matters because the stressful part is rarely the car itself. It is the queue, the missing document, the card question, and the last-minute insurance pitch. Sort the basics early, and pick-up becomes a handover instead of a negotiation.
Start with online check-in
Online check-in is the best way to make collection simple. It lets you confirm the details that usually slow everything down at the desk:
- Your driving licence details
- Your passport or ID details
- Your flight or arrival time
- Your contact details and, where required, card details
Do it the evening before you fly, not while standing in the arrivals hall. Enter everything exactly as it appears on your documents. A typo in a licence number or a mismatched name is one of the few things that can turn a fast handover back into paperwork.
Online check-in plus key handover:
With RentaCarBestPrice, online check-in means your details are handled before collection. We then deliver the car directly to you — at the airport, holiday home, or agreed address — and hand over the keys in person. No terminal counter, no desk queue, and no parking-structure treasure hunt.
What to have ready
Even with online check-in, keep the essentials easy to reach:
- Check your driving licence is valid for the whole rental and not about to expire. Bring the photocard.
- Check your passport or ID card is in date.
- Have the booking voucher ready on your phone or printed.
- Bring a credit card in the main driver's name. Most rental companies in Spain require this, and they often will not accept debit cards, virtual cards, or mobile wallets at the counter.
- Know who is driving. Anyone who will drive must be present at pick-up with their own licence, or named as an additional driver in advance.
What you must bring:
For a hire car in Spain you need three things at minimum: a valid driving licence, a passport or national ID card, and your booking voucher. The main driver should also bring a credit card in their own name if the supplier requires one.
UK drivers do not need an International Driving Permit for Spain, and most EU and EEA licences are accepted as they are. If your licence is from outside the EU, check whether an IDP is required before you travel.
What happens at pick-up
If you are using a counter-based supplier, have your documents out and know what your booking already includes. You do not have to buy extra cover at the desk just because it is offered.
If your car is being delivered, follow the meeting instructions and keep your phone on. Before you travel, RentaCarBestPrice sends a clear email explaining where to meet and what to expect.
Check the car before you drive off
However you collect the car, spend two minutes on it before you leave:
- Walk around it and photograph any existing scratches, dents, or kerbed wheels from a few angles. Date-stamped photos are your protection against a damage dispute later.
- Check the fuel level and confirm the fuel policy. Full-to-full — collect it full, return it full — is the fairest and easiest to deal with.
- Find the basics: lights, wipers, handbrake, and how to start it (many cars are keyless or have an unusual ignition).
- Locate the documents and safety kit: the rental papers, the roadside assistance number, the high-visibility vests, and the warning triangle.
If something looks off — a warning light, a soft tyre, damage that is not on the agreement — flag it before you drive away, not after.
The short version
Do online check-in first. Then keep your licence, passport or ID, voucher, and payment card ready. Know where you are meeting the supplier. Photograph the car before you leave.
If you are flying into the Costa Blanca, see our options for Alicante Airport car hire or Valencia Airport car hire — both come with online check-in and direct key handover.