With the deadline approaching, 2 October 2026 the Community of Madrid reports nearly 20,000 people officially accredited as drivers of Mietwagen mit Fahrer From this date, only drivers in the region who hold the Permiso de conductor de VTC may work. The regional administration announced this in advance.
The Permiso can be obtained in two ways: by passing an aptitude test or by providing recognised proof of experience. The test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions and lasts 60 minutes. Those who worked as drivers for at least one uninterrupted year before January 2024 or for two years within the preceding four years are exempt from the test. The body responsible for organising and administering it is the Dirección General de Transportes y Movilidad.
According to the authority, examination opportunities have been significantly expanded in recent months to process as many applications as possible by the deadline. More than half of the permits issued are said to have been granted after candidates passed the examination. The administration says the process was accelerated in June, when additional appointments were made available to assess thousands of applicants.
The measure is officially justified on the grounds of higher safety and quality standards, as well as greater legal certainty in relations between drivers, companies and users. Industry representatives and trade unions, however, point to bottlenecks in appointment scheduling and to hardship cases during the transition period. Several associations say they have considered or announced legal action against parts of the regulation. As of the deadline, however, the requirement has not been suspended.
For operators of chauffeur-driven hire cars in Madrid the new requirement means that work schedules and staff allocation must be tied to proof of the Permiso de conductor de VTC. Companies without enough accredited drivers could face capacity shortages in the short term, until more applicants pass the aptitude test or have their professional experience recognised. The specific impact is likely to vary depending on company size and staffing structure.
The rules are based on a regional decree dated 10 January 2024, which establishes a binding framework for authorisation, transitional periods and examination procedures. Whether any outstanding legal proceedings will change individual provisions remains unclear; as things stand, the Comunidad de Madrid is sticking to the start date of 2 October 2026.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).