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Licence points

How many points do you have left and how do you get them back?

How the points-based licence works under the Traffic Act and DGT rules: your balance, what each offence costs, what happens at zero and the courses.

Points-based licence

Your points: how many you have and how to get them back

12 points to start

8 if your licence is less than 3 years old or you've got it back after losing it. You go up to 12 after 2 years without losing points.

Up to 15 points

With no fines that cost points: 2 more after 3 years and 1 more after the next 3. A safe and efficient driving course adds another 2 (one of each type every 2 years).

At most 8 in one day

Even if you get several fines on the same day. This doesn't apply to very serious offences for speeding, alcohol, drugs, refusing tests, reckless or wrong-way driving, racing and jammers.

Deducted once the fine is final

If you pay with the discount, the fine becomes final that same day. Otherwise, when the procedure ends.

How to get points back

  1. Wait 2 years

    If you have no final fine that costs points for 2 years, you go back to 12.

  2. Partial recovery course: 4 points

    10 hours at an approved centre, if you have at least 1 point left. Once every 2 years (every year for professional drivers). You pay the centre.

    Source: Order INT/914/2024, points recovery courses, articles 3.a, 4 (BOE-A-2024-17780, consolidated text as of 20/12/2025)

The Traffic Act allows up to 6 points back with the course, but Order INT/914/2024 cut it to 4 from 4 November 2024.

If you run out of points

  • You lose your licence: 6 months before you can get it back (3 for professional drivers; 12 if it happens again within the next 3 years).
  • To get it back: a 20-hour course and a theory exam at Traffic. You return with 8 points.
  • Driving after losing your licence for points is a criminal offence: 3 to 6 months in prison, a fine or community service.

Source: Order INT/914/2024, points recovery courses, articles 3.b, 5, 10 (BOE-A-2024-17780, consolidated text as of 20/12/2025)

Check your points on the DGT website Find a recovery course

Source: Traffic Act (Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015), articles 63, 64, 65, 71 (BOE-A-2015-11722, consolidated text as of 01/10/2026)

Source: DGT: how the points-based licence works (updated 22/09/2026)

Annex II of the Traffic Act

What costs you points

The most common offences that cost points. Speeding costs 0 to 6 depending on how far over you are.

OffencePointsFine
Alcohol: over 0.50 mg/l in breath61.000 €
Alcohol, new or professional driver: over 0.30 mg/l61.000 €
Driving with drugs in your system61.000 €
Phone in your hand while driving6200 €
Carrying a radar jammer66.000 €
Overtaking a cyclist without leaving 1.5 metres6200 €
Reckless driving or driving the wrong way6500 €
Throwing a cigarette end or other object that could start a fire or cause an accident6500 €
Alcohol: over 0.25 and up to 0.50 mg/l in breath4500 €
Alcohol, new or professional driver: over 0.15 and up to 0.30 mg/l4500 €
No seatbelt, child seat or helmet4200 €
Running a red light, a stop sign or a give way sign4200 €
Not keeping a safe distance4200 €
Driving a vehicle your licence doesn't cover4500 €
Touching your phone or sat nav without holding it3200 €
Driving with headphones3200 €
Carrying a radar detector3200 €
Speeding0–6100–600 €

Source: Traffic Act (Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015), article 64, annex II (BOE-A-2015-11722, consolidated text as of 01/10/2026)

Source: Traffic Act (Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015), articles 76.a, 77.a, 80.1, annex IV (BOE-A-2015-11722, consolidated text as of 01/10/2026)

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How many points does a licence have?+

12 to start with, or 8 if you've had your licence for less than 3 years or got it back after losing it. With no fines that cost points you reach 14 after 3 years and 15 after 6.

When are points deducted?+

When the fine is final. If you pay with the discount, that same day. At most 8 points in one day, except for very serious speeding, alcohol or drug offences and a few others.

What happens if I run out of points?+

You lose your licence: 6 months before you can get it back (3 for professional drivers), a 20-hour course and an exam. You return with 8 points. Driving in the meantime is a criminal offence.

How do I get points back?+

If 2 years go by without final fines that cost points, you go back to 12. Before that, a 10-hour course gets you 4 points back, once every 2 years.

Sources

All figures come from the BOE consolidated texts and DGT pages, and each fine says which article it comes from. Reviewed on 16/10/2026. This is general information: what counts is what your notice says.