DGT Theory Topic 6, Documents: a Visual Summary
Topic 6 of the Spanish DGT theory test: licence categories and ages (AM, A1, A2, A, B, C, D), what a B licence allows, required documents, deadlines, number plates, ITV, compulsory insurance, new drivers and the points system — with tables, trick questions and a mini quiz.
Skilyapp Team
October 17, 2026
Topic 6 is the most "administrative" part of the Spanish DGT syllabus: driving licences, the documents you must carry, number plates, the ITV inspection, compulsory insurance, new drivers and the points system. There are no manoeuvres or signs, just deadlines, ages and numbers. That is why it is quick to learn once it is organised, and also why people fail it when they mix up two similar numbers: 10 and 15 days, 2 and 3 years, 12 and 15 points.
Here is the topic organised into tables, with pictures, the numbers explained, the usual traps and a short quiz with real DGT questions. Spanish terms are shown in grey on the cards.
AM at 15, A1 at 16, A2 at 18 and A at 20, after two years of A2. B at 18.
In the test: tricycles over 15 kW require age 21 even with an A licence.
Vehicles up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass and up to 8 passengers besides the driver. Light trailer up to 750 kg.
In the test: a 3,000 kg lorry can be driven on a B; a 3,501 kg one cannot.
First ITV 4 years after registration, then every 2 years and, from 10 years old, every year.
In the test: between 4 and 10 years it is every 2 years, not every year.
New drivers start with 8; after 2 years without final penalties they go up to 12. The maximum with bonuses is 15.
In the test: there is never more than 15.
What topic 6 covers
| Part | What the exam asks |
|---|---|
| Licences | AM, A1, A2, A, B, C, D, E, LCM and LVA; ages and what each allows |
| Documents | What to carry, photocopies, validity, renewal, duplicates, changes and selling a car |
| Number plates | Who needs one, colours and letters |
| ITV | When it is due and what each result means |
| Compulsory insurance | What it covers and what it does not, driving uninsured |
| New drivers and points | L plate, alcohol, points balance, how many each offence costs |
Driving licences: what each one allows
To drive motor vehicles you need a licence (permiso) or a special licence (licencia). All your categories are on a single document. The licencias are two special cases: LCM for mobility vehicles for disabled people (from 14) and LVA for agricultural vehicles (from 16).
| Licence | Age | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| AM | 15 | Mopeds and light quadricycles |
| A1 | 16 | Motorcycles up to 125 cc and 11 kW, with or without a sidecar |
| A2 | 18 | Motorcycles up to 35 kW |
| A | 20 | Any motorcycle, after 2 years of A2 |
| B | 18 | Motor vehicles up to 3,500 kg and up to 9 seats including the driver |
| C1 / C | 18 / 21 | Lorries (C1 up to 7,500 kg) |
| D1 / D | 21 / 24 | Buses (D1 up to 17 seats) |
What the exam asks most about the B licence:
- Up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass and 8 passengers besides the driver: cars, vans, motorhomes and car-derived vehicles within that weight.
- Light trailer (up to 750 kg): B is enough. Trailer over 750 kg: if the combination is no more than 3,500 kg, B; between 3,500 and 4,250 kg, B with extra training (the former B-96); above that, B+E.
- 125 cc motorcycles: with a B held for more than 3 years, in Spain only. Bigger bikes need A2 or A, however long you have had your B.
- Agricultural tractors of any mass: yes, on a B.
- Alternative-fuel goods vehicles up to 4,250 kg: with a B held more than 2 years, in Spain only, when the extra weight comes from the batteries rather than the load.
Documents you must carry
Whoever drives a car must carry, valid, and show to officers on request:
- The driving licence (permiso de conducción), which may also be shown on your phone in the miDGT app.
- The vehicle's registration document (permiso de circulación).
- The technical inspection card (tarjeta ITV) with the latest ITV.
- Proof of compulsory insurance (officers check the FIVA database, but it is wise to carry it).
Do not mix them up: the permiso de conducción belongs to the driver; the permiso de circulación belongs to the vehicle and proves it is registered; the ITV card holds its technical data. The road tax receipt and the warranty certificate are not required. Photocopies only count if certified (cotejadas) at a traffic office; colour or black and white, uncertified copies are worthless.
Validity and paperwork:
| Procedure | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Validity of a B licence (and AM, A1, A2, A) | 10 years; from age 65, 5 years |
| Validity of C1, C, D1, D | 5 years; from age 65, 3 years |
| Renewal | From 3 months before expiry; no exams, just a medical check |
| Change of details on your licence (address, name) | 15 days |
| You sell a vehicle: the seller notifies | 10 days |
| You buy a vehicle: the buyer applies for a new registration document | 30 days |
If you lose your licence or it is stolen, you apply for a duplicate; you do not sit the test again. With an expired licence you may not drive, but you renew it the same way, without exams.
Number plates: who needs one and what colour
All motor vehicles, mopeds and trailers over 750 kg are registered. Light trailers carry the same plate as the towing vehicle. Ordinary plates have four numbers and three letters, without vowels, Ñ or Q. A motorcycle carries one plate only, at the back, vertical or nearly vertical.
| Vehicle | Plate |
|---|---|
| Car, motorcycle, lorry, bus | White background, black characters |
| Taxi and VTC up to 9 seats | Rear plate blue with white characters; front plate white |
| Moped | Yellow background, starts with C |
| Special vehicle | Red characters, starts with E |
| Trailer and semi-trailer | Red background, starts with R |
| Historic vehicle | Starts with H |
All of topic 6, one short lesson at a time
30 short lessons in Skilyapp: an everyday situation, 2 to 4 slides with tables and pictures, and 1 or 2 DGT questions with the answer explained.
ITV: when it is due and what the result means
The technical inspection is the registered keeper's responsibility. The vehicle's age counts from its first registration, not from when you bought it.
| Vehicle | First ITV | After that |
|---|---|---|
| Car and motorhome | At 4 years | Every 2 years until 10; every year from 10 |
| Motorcycle, tricycle, quadricycle | At 4 years | Every 2 years |
| Two-wheeled moped | At 3 years | Every 2 years |
| Van and lorry up to 3,500 kg | At 2 years | Every 2 years until 6; every year until 10; every 6 months after |
| Bus, taxi, ambulance | Every year until 5 | Every 6 months after |
The results: favourable (favorable), all good; unfavourable (desfavorable), serious defects: you repair them and go back for a re-inspection, and you may drive to the garage; negative (negativa), very serious defects: the vehicle may only leave the station on a tow truck. Light trailers do not have an ITV, and a major modification or an accident with serious damage requires an extraordinary inspection.
Compulsory insurance: what it covers and what it does not
Every motor vehicle needs compulsory third-party insurance. It covers the harm you cause to others: third parties' injuries and property damage, and the injuries of the occupants of your own car. It does not cover the at-fault driver's own injuries or damage to their own vehicle; that is what voluntary cover is for.
An example: the blue car runs a red light and hits the red car. The blue car's insurance pays for the injuries and damage of the red car's driver and passengers, and for the injuries of the blue car's passengers. The blue car's driver and the blue car itself get nothing. Driving uninsured means a fine and the vehicle being immobilised, but no points are deducted.
New drivers and the points system
A new driver displays the L plate (V-13) for the first year of their first licence, at the back on the left. The lower alcohol limit (0.15 mg/l in breath, 0.3 g/l in blood) lasts 2 years. Anyone who has held a licence for 3 years or less starts with 8 points; after 2 years without final penalties it goes up to 12. Three numbers not to mix up: 1 year of L plate, 2 years of the lower alcohol limit, 3 years for starting on 8 points.
The general balance is 12 points, and with good-conduct bonuses you can reach at most 15. A partial recovery course gives back up to 6. If you reach zero, the licence loses its validity once the decision is notified to you: you must wait 6 months (3 for professional drivers), take a course and pass the test, and you start again on 8 points.
Drugs, refusing a test, reckless or wrong-way driving, races, alcohol over 0.50 mg/l, a phone in your hand, overtaking cyclists without 1.5 m.
In the test: with these offences the 8-points-per-day cap does not apply.
Running a STOP, a give way or a red light, tailgating, no seat belt, child seat or helmet, alcohol between 0.25 and 0.50 mg/l.
In the test: reversing on a motorway or dual carriageway also costs 4.
An illegal U-turn, earphones connected, a phone held inside the helmet, radar detectors.
In the test: a radar detector costs points; a radar warning app does not: it is allowed.
From €100 and no points to €600 and 6 points, depending on the limit and how far over you were. Limit 50 and doing 85: €400 and 4 points.
In the test: more than 60 km/h over in town or 80 out of town is already a crime.
Trick answers in topic 6
| What sounds logical | What the exam wants |
|---|---|
| An A licence does not cover a sidecar | A sidecar changes nothing: it does |
| A colour photocopy is valid | Only if it is certified |
| With 20 years of B I can ride any motorcycle | Only up to 125 cc, with a B held over 3 years |
| A tractor over 3,500 kg needs a C | Agricultural tractors can be driven on a B |
| Renewing means sitting the test again | Only a medical check; no exams |
| A 6-year-old car needs an annual ITV | Every 2 years until 10 |
| Unfavourable ITV: the car leaves on a tow truck | That is negative; unfavourable is repaired and re-inspected |
| Insurance covers the at-fault driver's injuries | No: their own injuries are not covered |
| Driving uninsured costs points | A fine and immobilisation, no points |
| The L plate lasts two years, like the lower alcohol limit | L plate 1 year; lower limit 2 years |
Mini quiz: 8 real exam questions
These are official DGT questions on topic 6, translated from the Spanish. Pick an answer to see whether you got it and why.
Question 1 / 8
May you carry a photocopy of your driving licence instead of the original?
A copy is valid if it has been certified, i.e. stamped at a traffic office alongside the original. Colour does not matter.
Question 2 / 8
Which damage is not covered by compulsory insurance for the person who caused an accident?
Compulsory insurance protects others. The at-fault driver's injuries and damage to their own car are excluded.
Question 3 / 8
May you drive an agricultural tractor with a maximum authorised mass over 3,500 kg on a B licence?
Agricultural special vehicles may be driven on a B licence whatever their mass.
Question 4 / 8
Who is responsible for taking a car to its ITV?
Anything concerning the vehicle itself (documents, ITV, insurance) is the registered keeper's responsibility.
Question 5 / 8
If your vehicle's technical inspection result is unfavourable, what must you do?
Unfavourable means serious defects that must be repaired; then you return to the station.
Question 6 / 8
Which documents must a car carry?
The vehicle's documents are the registration document, the ITV card and proof of insurance. Road tax and warranty are not required.
Question 7 / 8
To drive a 3,000 kg car towing an 800 kg trailer, which licence do you need?
The trailer is over 750 kg and the combination totals 3,800 kg: between 3,500 and 4,250 kg you need a B with the former B-96 training.
Question 8 / 8
How many number plates must a motorcycle carry?
Motorcycles have no front plate: only one, at the back.
How to learn topic 6
Organise the topic into four tables and go over them until the numbers come automatically: licence ages (15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 24), paperwork deadlines (15, 10, 30 days; 10 and 5 years), ITV (4, 2, 1) and points (8, 12, 15; 6, 4, 3). The rest is knowing whose responsibility each thing is: the driving licence is the driver's; the registration document, the ITV and the insurance belong to the vehicle and its keeper.
Alcohol limits and the penalties for testing positive are explained in the topic 7 summary, and every fine in the DGT fines table.
Study topic 6 with tables and DGT questions
Each lesson takes a few minutes and ends with real exam questions, answers explained. Learn at your own pace on your phone.
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¿Qué vehículos permite conducir el permiso B? +
Automóviles de hasta 3.500 kg de MMA y hasta 9 plazas contando el conductor, con remolque de hasta 750 kg. Con más de 3 años de antigüedad, también motos de hasta 125 cm³ en España.
¿Cada cuánto se pasa la ITV de un turismo? +
La primera, a los 4 años de la matriculación; después, cada 2 años hasta los 10 años, y a partir de ahí, cada año.
¿Con cuántos puntos empieza un conductor novel? +
Con 8 puntos. Si pasan 2 años sin sanciones firmes, sube a 12. El máximo con bonificaciones es 15.
¿Qué documentos hay que llevar en el coche? +
El permiso de conducción, el permiso de circulación, la tarjeta de inspección técnica y el justificante del seguro obligatorio. Las fotocopias solo valen si están cotejadas.
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