Any of us can get a traffic ticket at some point in our lives. Some only carry an economic sanction and others, in addition, the withdrawal of a certain number of points. As the months or years go by, it is very likely that we forget about those fines that have deducted points from us, and even how many points we have on the card, until one day, a surprise arrives in the form of a letter from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), reporting that we have no points left.
And the first thing to know is that with a permit without points you can not drive any type of vehicle. Even so, in Spain it is estimated that more than 100,000 people drive with a license without points, according to AMV. And they face serious consequences, since according to Article 384 of the Penal Code, driving a vehicle having lost all the points on the license is a criminal offense that is punishable by imprisonment for 3 to 6 months, a fine of 12 to 24 months or work for the benefit of the community from 30 to 90 days.
Actually, the amount that we must pay will be decided by a judge, there have been cases where the penalties have reached 6,000 euros, but the normal thing is that the fine is between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, which is not nonsense.
And not only that. If we drive a vehicle having lost all the points and we cause a traffic accident with an opponent, our insurance will cover the mandatory civil liability against third parties, but in such a situation, the insurance company may claim the amount of compensation based on the fact that we caused an accident with an invalid driving licence. In no case will it cover our damages even if we have the vehicle fully insured.
How to recover the card
If we have lost all the points on our card, we will have to a road awareness and re-education course and a theory test at the Provincial Traffic Headquarters. The course lasts 24 hours spread over two consecutive days (Friday afternoon and Saturday morning) of 6 hours each over 2 consecutive weekends. Its cost also depends on the Autonomous Community: Catalonia 424.07 euros, the Basque Country 433.02 euros, Ceuta and Melilla 355 euros, the Canary Islands 345.05 euros and the rest of Spain 401.45 euros.
This course can be taken from the notification of loss of validity of the permit, but the exam cannot be taken until 6 months have elapsed since the notification of withdrawal of the license, 3 months in the case of a professional driver.
If we are repeat offenders, that is, if we lose our license again in the 3 years after having recovered it, we will not be able to examine ourselves until 12 months have passed, 6 the professionals. Once finished, a paper certification will be issued stating that the course has been completed with satisfactory use, which will also be sent to the corresponding Provincial Traffic Headquarters.