The short answer: go two years without any final penalty that carries points and you are back to 12 (article 65.1 of the Spanish Traffic Act, Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015). If you do not want to wait, a 10 hour road safety awareness course gives back up to 4 points, once every two years (Order INT/914/2024, article 4). If you reach zero, the Traffic authority (DGT) declares your licence no longer valid: six months without driving, a 20 hour course and a theory test (article 71).
In this article
- First, check how many points you have left
- Getting them back by doing nothing: two clean years
- The course to recover points
- If you hit zero: when you lose the licence
- Driving with no points is a crime
- Better still, do not lose them: act on the fine
- Common mistakes
- When to get help
- Frequently asked questions
First, check how many points you have left
You can check it free of charge in three ways:
- The DGT online office (sede electrónica), using Cl@ve, a digital certificate or a Spanish electronic ID card. The detailed statement shows each point lost and recovered, with its date.
- The miDGT app, on Android and iOS.
- Phone line 060, after answering some security questions. By phone they only give you the number.
Two things worth knowing:
- Points come off when the penalty is final, not when you are reported. That is article 64.1. The decision imposing the fine must state how many points you lose (article 64.2).
- There is a cap of 8 points per day even if you commit several offences, except for some very serious ones such as alcohol, drugs or reckless driving (article 64.4).
What each offence costs is set out in Annex II. Some examples:
| Offence | Points |
|---|---|
| Holding a mobile phone while driving | 6 |
| Alcohol above 0.50 mg/l in breath, or 0.30 for professional and newly qualified drivers (0.25 to 0.50, or 0.15 to 0.30 for professional and newly qualified drivers: 4 points) | 6 |
| Overtaking a cyclist without leaving 1.5 metres | 6 |
| Running a red light or a stop sign | 4 |
| No seat belt, helmet or child seat | 4 |
| Earphones, or handling the satnav while driving | 3 |
Speeding is in Annex IV: 2, 4 or 6 points depending on how far over you are, and the lowest band carries only a fine.
Getting them back by doing nothing: two clean years
If for two years in a row you receive no final penalty for any offence that carries points, you get your full 12 back (article 65.1). If you are a new driver, or you already had a new licence after losing everything, you start with 8, and after two years without penalties you move up to 12 (articles 63.2 and 65.2).
You may hear it is three years after a very serious offence. That rule was removed by Law 18/2021: since 21 March 2022 it is two years for every offence.
Keep all your points and you gain more: a 2 point bonus over the first three years without penalties and 1 more over the following three, up to a maximum of 15 (article 63.4).
The course to recover points
If you cannot wait, there is the partial points recovery course:
- Length: at least 10 hours, with a common part and a part based on your profile (speed, alcohol, distractions and so on).
- Points: up to 4, and never more than you have lost (Order INT/914/2024, articles 3 and 4).
- How often: once every two years, or once a year if you are a professional driver (article 65.4 of the Traffic Act). The two years run from the day you pass the course.
- Requirement: you must have at least 1 point. With a zero balance this course is no use.
- Where: at an authorised centre. The specific part can be done online; the rest is in person. You pay the centre directly.
Older sources say 6 points and 12 hours. The Act still says "up to a maximum of six points", but the Interior Ministry order in force since 4 November 2024 set 4 points and 10 hours, and that is what the DGT applies.
There are also safe and efficient driving courses. They last at least 6 hours including practice and, if you pass, add 2 points up to the cap of 15, with one course of each type (car or motorcycle) every two years. You must have a positive balance (article 63.5 of the Traffic Act and Order INT/209/2025, articles 5 and 6).
If you hit zero: when you lose the licence
When you lose all your points, the DGT declares your licence no longer valid and notifies you within fifteen days (article 71.1). From that notification:
- Six months before you can get a new licence. Three months if you are a professional driver.
- If it happens again within three years of getting your licence back, it is twelve months, or six for professionals.
To drive again (article 71.2 and Order INT/914/2024, articles 5 and 10):
- Licence recovery course, at least 20 hours long. You can do it during the wait.
- Medical certificate from an approved driver medical centre. The DGT says it is valid for 90 days, so time it with the test.
- Theory test at a Traffic Office, booked online or through 060. In Valencia, at the Provincial Traffic Office. You can only sit it once the whole waiting period has passed, and you have two years from finishing the course to pass. If you fail, you get two more attempts, each after a 4 hour refresher.
The new licence is of the same class you held, keeps your original seniority and starts with 8 points (articles 63.2.b, 64.6 and 71.2).
Driving with no points is a crime
Driving after your licence has been declared invalid for loss of points is an offence under article 384 of the Spanish Criminal Code: three to six months in prison, or a fine of twelve to twenty four months, or thirty one to ninety days of community service. And even if you have finished the course, you cannot drive until you pass the test.
Better still, do not lose them: act on the fine
You have twenty calendar days from notification of the fine to submit objections (article 95.1). If you pay with the 50% discount, the penalty becomes final that same day, and the points go with it (article 94). If you neither pay nor object, in many cases the fine itself becomes the final decision after thirty days (article 95.4). And a later appeal for reconsideration does not stop the penalty (article 96.3).
When a fine carries points and you have grounds, act in those twenty days. See how to appeal a traffic fine. If the fine was published on the official noticeboard and you found out late, read traffic fines you never received.
Common mistakes
- Paying every fine with the discount without checking whether it carries points. You save half the fine, but you accept the points.
- Using up the course while you still have plenty of points. It is once every two years. Keep it for when you need it.
- Not keeping your address up to date with the DGT, or not checking your electronic road address (DEV) if you have one (article 60). Deadlines run all the same.
When to get help
When a pending fine could take you to zero, when driving is your job, or when the loss of validity arrives and you do not know where to start. With your record in front of us it is quick to see what makes sense and which dates apply.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my driving licence points back in Valencia?
With two years free of any final penalty that carries points, which takes you back to 12, or with a 10 hour course at an authorised centre, which gives back up to 4 points once every two years. Centres are listed on the DGT online office and in miDGT.
How long do I have to wait to get all 12 points back?
Two years without any final penalty that carries points (article 65.1 of the Traffic Act). Since March 2022 there is no longer a three year period for very serious offences.
How many points does the course give back?
Four at most, and never more than you have lost. You can take it once every two years, or yearly if you drive professionally.
What happens if I run out of points?
Your licence stops being valid. You cannot get a new one for six months (three if you are a professional, twelve if it happens again within three years), and first you need a 20 hour course and a theory test.
If I appeal the fine, do I keep my points?
Not always. While you are objecting within the twenty days there is no penalty yet, so nothing comes off. But an appeal for reconsideration does not suspend the penalty (article 96), so what protects your points is objecting in time.