Your driving licence medical report: arrange it at the right time

For a new Spanish licence, the relevant document is an assessment from an authorised driver recognition centre, called a Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores or CRC. It is usually described as the informe de aptitud psicofísica. A general medical letter is not the report issued through this statutory process. Article 44 of the Reglamento General de Conductores identifies the authorised centres as the bodies carrying out the assessment and issuing the report.

The timing has an important qualification. The report normally has effect for 90 days from the day after it is issued, but that limit has an exception when the report becomes part of an already initiated procedure to obtain or renew a driving authorisation. The exact rule is in article 15.4 of RD 170/2010. It is misleading to turn this into a universal instruction to pass the driving test within 90 days.

Start by naming the procedure

Tell the centre whether you are applying for your first Spanish B licence, renewing a licence or handling another licence procedure. Do not book under a vague description such as “a certificate for driving” and assume every administrative route is identical. This page focuses on the report for obtaining a licence; our licence application overview explains where that fits into the wider journey.

For someone using a foreign licence, the first decision is still which licence route applies. A medical appointment by itself does not resolve exchange eligibility or replace an expired driving entitlement. Use the foreign-licence overview to frame that separate question before paying for services you may not yet understand.

As practical preparation, ask the centre to confirm the appointment type, the documents it wants and the language in which it can explain the assessment. Those questions avoid surprises without assuming that every centre offers English-language appointments or has the same booking system.

Choose an authorised centre

The DGT's driver recognition centre information is a useful starting point for finding the appropriate service. Its professional guidance for recognition centres describes psychological, visual, hearing and general medical assessment.

This is a fitness assessment, not a road-sign quiz. There is no driving-theory score to memorise for the appointment. Leave questions about your health, treatment or the interpretation of a result to the professionals conducting it. This guide does not diagnose conditions, suggest changing medication or predict whether a particular person will be found fit.

Understand what happens to the report

Under RD 170/2010 article 15, the report is signed by the responsible director and delivered to the person assessed. The centre also communicates its result electronically and immediately to the driver register. Keep your copy available and check that the identifying details correspond to your application.

Electronic communication of the medical result and filing the licence application are distinct events. Avoid treating “the centre sent it” as proof that every part of a first-licence application is complete. Ask whoever is handling your application to confirm that the report has been incorporated into the relevant procedure. Keeping the receipt or acknowledgement with your own copy makes that conversation easier.

Plan around the 90-day rule accurately

Arrange the assessment when you are ready to progress with the application. Record the issue date and ask about the filing deadline while you still have time to resolve missing documents. The legal period begins the following day, and article 15.4 contains the exception for incorporation into an initiated obtain-or-renew procedure.

That exception is why an examination date after the initial report window does not, by itself, prove that you need a new report. Equally, having paid for a recognition appointment does not establish that the exception applies. Confirm the status of the application and report with the office or school handling it rather than making either assumption.

There is a different clock for a passed driving test. RGCond article 53.1 provides a two-year validity period starting on the day after the pass, with a new period when the next test is passed within it. Keep the medical report and exam-result dates in separate entries.

Frequently asked questions

Can my usual doctor's letter replace the CRC report?

Article 44 specifies an assessment and report from an authorised driver recognition centre. Ask the centre whether any additional clinical documents are relevant to your assessment; those are a different matter from replacing the required report.

Must I pass the theory test within 90 days of the medical?

That is not what article 15.4 says. It provides an initial report-validity period and an exception once the report becomes part of an initiated obtain-or-renew procedure. Confirm that incorporation rather than assuming the exam itself must occur within the initial window.

Does the centre send the result electronically?

Yes. Article 15.2 requires immediate electronic communication to the driver register. Keep your own copy and separately confirm that your licence application has been filed and includes the report.

Are all report results simply pass or fail?

No. Article 16 of RD 170/2010 distinguishes fit, fit with restrictive conditions, unfit and interrupted assessments. Ask the centre to explain the actual result and any next steps in your case.

Does the medical report let me drive?

It is evidence about fitness within a licence procedure, not a driving licence. The requirement to meet the other conditions and pass the applicable tests remains under RGCond article 7.

Where can I prepare the theory while arranging the application?

Use the English topic directory to plan the B syllabus. DrivingLingo offers a free daily car-theory practice test, full topics 1–3 and the sign dictionary, all free; these do not issue medical reports or decide licence eligibility.

Checked sources

BOE article versions and the linked DGT information were checked on 12 October 2026.