In Spain, driving schools and professional associations are complaining about sharply increased waits for practical driving tests. In the worst-affected provinces, candidates are now reporting waits of up to eight months between passing the theory test and taking the practical one. The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) acknowledges regional bottlenecks and has announced measures to expand testing capacity.
The situation varies greatly by region. Long waiting lists have been reported since the summer in Madrid ; reports of delays lasting months are also mounting in Catalonia and in the Basque Country By contrast, other Jefaturas, the DGT’s local offices, report waits of a few weeks to three months. According to the DGT, this range reflects uneven demand and organisational differences on the ground.
Professional associations and the driving schools’ umbrella organisation CNAE cite an insufficient number of examiners relative to the number of applications as the main cause. They also say that each examiner conducts fewer tests per day than in previous years. The associations are calling for vacancies to be filled more quickly, a more transparent appointment system and a predictable process that keeps training and costs under control. The waits delay entry into the profession, increase expenditure on extra driving lessons and can jeopardise deadlines in application and licensing procedures. Reliable overall figures on these knock-on effects are not available.
The DGT points to relief measures already under way and planned. Alongside a public recruitment process for new examiners, with appointments being made gradually, additional, temporary test slots have been arranged through Plan PRO . Parliamentary information and media reports cite an increase in staffing over several years; this can only ease short-term bottlenecks to a limited extent. According to the DGT, improvements will be targeted regionally to reduce the largest backlogs first.
Industry representatives welcome the direction of the measures but consider the pace insufficient. They say the backlog will only clear slowly unless the number of permanently scheduled examiners rises significantly and appointment scheduling becomes more reliable. The DGT, by contrast, stresses that capacity is reasonable given the available resources, but that reducing the backlog will take time. Forecasts of when there will be a noticeable return to normal therefore remain cautious: some relief is expected depending on the location, but waiting times are likely to fall nationwide only gradually.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).