Permission to Drive My Car

It is increasingly common for friends or relatives visiting Spain on holiday to ask to borrow our car.

The problem often comes later: weeks after they’ve left, we may receive a fine at home for parking violations, entering a low-emission zone, or speeding. Authorities then ask us to identify the driver, but if we don’t have their full details, we end up having to pay the penalty ourselves.

Another frequent issue: the person borrowing the vehicle suffers a breakdown or has an accident and doesn’t know which insurance company covers the car, how to fill out the accident report, or which phone number to call for roadside assistance. If the owner is abroad and cannot be reached, the driver may be left stranded on the road not knowing what to do.

To avoid these problems, we provide a practical template of a **“Permission to Drive” document**. You can download it from the link we’ve left in the comments.

Once the document is completed, don’t forget to:

✔︎ Photocopy the driver’s licence (both sides).

✔︎ When signing , always write down the **date and time (This proves from which exact moment the responsibility for traffic offences passes to the new driver.)

Also remind them: no driver under 26 years old may use the vehicle unless they have been specifically declared to the insurance company and an extra premium has been paid. Due to the higher accident rate in this age group, most insurance companies will not provide coverage otherwise.