How to Book Your DGT Theory Test Appointment (Cita Previa): 2026 Step-by-Step Guide
To book your DGT theory test in 2026 you pay the exam fee (tasa 2.1, currently 94.05€) on the DGT website first, then request your appointment through the cita previa system at sede.dgt.gob.es — either via your driving school (autoescuela) or, if you are a candidato libre, through the "solicitud de prueba de aptitud" by logging in with Cl@ve or your digital ID. The fee, not the booking, is what actually reserves your place, and it covers two exam attempts.
Before you book: what you need
The single biggest reason people get stuck booking their theory test is trying to do it in the wrong order. The DGT system is built around your fee payment, not around a calendar. Before you touch the appointment system, get these three things ready.
- A valid identity document. Spaniards use the DNI; foreign residents use a NIE together with a valid TIE card (or the green EU residence certificate plus passport for EU citizens). Your name on the fee receipt must match this document exactly.
- A psychophysical aptitude certificate (informe de aptitud psicofísica). This is the medical and reaction-test report issued by a licensed driver medical centre (centro de reconocimiento de conductores). It is sent to the DGT electronically and is generally valid for 90 days, so do not get it months in advance.
- A way to identify yourself online. For the do-it-yourself route you need Cl@ve (Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente), a digital certificate, or your electronic DNI to log in to the sede. If you book through an autoescuela, they handle the digital identity on their end.
If any of these are missing, the booking flow will stop you partway through. Sort them out first and the rest takes minutes.
Step 1 — Pay the exam fee first: tasa 2.1 and save the justificante
This is the step almost everyone gets wrong. On the DGT sede you do not start by picking a date — you start by paying the exam fee. Go to sede.dgt.gob.es, open "Pago de tasas" (Payment of fees), and pay the theory exam fee. Then keep the receipt (justificante), because its number is what every later step references.
The exam fee is tasa 2.1. For 2026 it is 94.05€, and crucially it covers two convocatorias — two exam attempts. If you fail your first sitting, you do not pay again for the second; you only pay a new tasa 2.1 once both attempts are used up. You can pay it online with a card, and the system stores the paid tasa against your identity so the booking step can find it.
Free candidates pay this tasa directly themselves. If you are enrolled at an autoescuela, the school usually purchases and manages the tasa as part of its package — check whether the price they quoted you includes the 94.05€ or charges it separately.
Which fee is the exam fee (tasa 2.1) and what other tasas are not
The DGT fee catalogue is long and the codes look similar, so people routinely pay the wrong one. Here is the short version of what matters for a Permit B theory candidate.
| Fee | What it is for | 2026 amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tasa 2.1 | Obtaining a licence that requires a practical driving test — this is the exam fee, covering two attempts | 94.05€ |
| Tasa 2.3 | Obtaining a permit where no practical test is required (e.g. certain exchanges, points recovery) | 28.87€ |
| Tasa 3.1 (expedition) | Issuing your physical licence card once you have passed both theory and practical | Charged at issuance |
| Duplicate / replacement | A separate fee for a lost, stolen or damaged licence — not an exam fee | Around 20–21€ |
The key point: the duplicate or replacement fee is not the exam fee. It exists only to reissue a licence you already hold, and on the current DGT catalogue that duplicate is processed under a different tasa (commonly listed as 4.4), not under the 2.x exam series. If you are sitting your theory test for the first time, the only fee you want is tasa 2.1. Anything labelled as a duplicate, replacement, or "por deterioro/pérdida" is the wrong code for a new candidate.
Step 2 — Request the appointment on sede.dgt.gob.es
With the tasa paid and your justificante in hand, you request the appointment. There are two distinct paths, and which one you use depends on how you are presenting yourself.
- Through an autoescuela: the school books you a slot in the next available exam session at your local Jefatura. This is the default route for most candidates and the least hands-on — you tell the school you are ready and they place you in a sitting.
- As a candidato libre: you use the "Solicitud de prueba de aptitud" (request for the aptitude test) section of the sede. You log in with Cl@ve or your digital ID, attach the paid tasa and confirm your medical certificate is on file, and submit the application. The DGT then assigns you to an exam session and notifies you of the citation (citación a examen), usually by email.
Do not confuse the generic "Cita previa" tool (used for counter tr ámites like duplicates and renewals) with the candidato-libre "solicitud de prueba de aptitud" path. They live in different parts of the sede. For a first-time theory exam by libre, the aptitude-test request is the correct entry point.
Choosing province, Jefatura and understanding the assigned exam date
You sit the theory test at a Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico (or an authorised exam centre) in the province where you apply. When you make the request you select your province and the relevant office. The DGT then assigns you to an exam session in that province — you generally do not get to pick any date on a calendar the way you would book a restaurant.
This matters for expats in two ways. First, demand varies enormously by province: Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, Málaga and the islands often have longer waits than smaller provinces. Second, you should request in the province where you actually live and where you intend to do your practical test, because moving your file between provinces later adds delay.
Why the appointment is to submit documents, not pick the date
One of the most common misunderstandings is treating the "appointment" as choosing your exam slot. In practice, the cita is the administrative step that confirms your file is complete — tasa paid, medical certificate valid, identity verified — and places you into the pool for the next available exam session. The DGT then tells you when and where to show up.
So if you are picturing a dropdown of dates and times you can freely choose, reset that expectation. Your real control is over when you complete and submit your file. The sooner your tasa and medical report are in and your request is filed, the sooner you are slotted into a sitting. Through an autoescuela the school manages this placement for you; as a libre candidate you wait for the assigned date in your notification.
No slots available? The weekday-afternoon refresh workaround
In high-demand provinces the cita previa system frequently shows "no hay citas disponibles" (no appointments available). This is normal and it does not mean you cannot book — it means the released batch is temporarily exhausted. The DGT releases new slots in waves rather than all at once.
- Check on weekday afternoons. Many candidates report that fresh slots tend to appear during the working week rather than on weekends, often in the afternoon after offices have processed cancellations and reloaded availability.
- Refresh persistently over several days. Cancellations reopen slots continuously, so a system that is empty in the morning can have openings hours later. Short, repeated checks beat a single attempt.
- Try a nearby exam centre. Within the same province there may be more than one authorised exam location; a busy main Jefatura can be full while a secondary centre has space.
- Avoid paid "cita" reseller sites. Third parties that charge to "find" you an appointment use the same public system you can use for free. Always book through the official sede.dgt.gob.es.
Be patient but methodical. The slot situation changes by the hour, and persistence on the official site almost always wins out over paying a middleman.
Doing it yourself vs letting an autoescuela book for you
Both routes lead to the same exam. The difference is how much administration you take on and how much flexibility you keep.
| Aspect | Candidato libre (yourself) | Via autoescuela |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays tasa 2.1 | You, directly on the sede | Usually the school, often bundled |
| Digital ID needed | Yes — Cl@ve or certificate | No — school handles it |
| Booking the slot | You file the aptitude-test request | School places you in a session |
| Cost | Lower — just the tasa and medical | Higher — service fees on top |
| Best for | Confident self-studiers, comfortable with Spanish admin | Those who want zero paperwork hassle |
For the theory test specifically, going libre is very doable: the exam itself is identical, and the administrative steps are the ones described above. Many expats book the theory test themselves and only use a school for the practical lessons, which is often where a local instructor's car and route knowledge genuinely help.
One 2026 change worth knowing before you sit
A note on timing, not booking: the DGT modernised the theory exam in February 2026. The core format that candidates know — 30 questions, three mistakes allowed, 30 minutes — remains in force, and the fees were not changed by this update. What changed is the content emphasis: the exam increasingly tests hazard anticipation, including risk-situation video items, and reflects the updated official sign catalogue in use since 2025. It does not change how you book; it changes how you should prepare.
So the booking process in this guide is unaffected. But once your cita is confirmed, make sure your practice material reflects the current 2026 question style rather than older memorisation-only test banks.