Do UK Drivers Need an IDP in Spain?

No. If you hold a UK photocard driving licence, you do not need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to hire and drive a car in Spain. That covers the mainland, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, and in 2026 nothing about that has changed. You drive on your normal licence, exactly as you would at home.

The only two exceptions

There are just two cases where a UK driver still needs an IDP:

• You still have an old paper licence. Swap it for a photocard, or carry an IDP alongside it.
• Your licence was issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. These are not standard UK photocards, so some EU countries can ask for an IDP.

If neither applies to you, your licence is enough. For the record, the permit Spain uses is the 1949 type, and since 31 March 2024 you collect one in person from a PayPoint shop for 5.50 GBP rather than the Post Office. An IDP never replaces your licence, so you would always carry both.

What that means at the desk

With a valid licence in your pocket, the only thing left is handing your documents over. We recommend doing your online check-in before you travel: you upload your licence and passport in advance, then simply show them at the meeting point and the handover is done, with no queue and no paperwork after the flight.

And because every RentaCarBestPrice rental includes full cover as standard, there is no security deposit to block on your credit card either. So once your licence is sorted, there is genuinely nothing else to arrange.

If you are flying into the Costa Blanca, you can line the car up before you leave home with our Alicante Airport car hire or Valencia Airport car hire.