The rules affect firstly, the drivers, and secondly their cars and are set out in Royal Decree 763 of 1979, as amended

All drivers must be citizens of a European Union country, or of a country that has a reciprocal agreement with Spain, officially resident in Spain, and registered in the tax and social security system and up to date with your Social Security payments.

To qualify as a driver, which would also allow you to work as an employee for a taxi operator you must pass the examination in Spanish for a BTP driver’s license.  “BTP” stands for B group vehicles, Taxis, & Priority Vehicles.  This examination is administered by driving schools accredited with the DGT (Direccion General de Trafico).  Readers who are proficient in the Spanish language can access the DGT web site www.dgt.es, where you can practise mock exams online and have them corrected, so you have some idea of the questions you can expect to face. 

And so to the hard part!  If you not only want to be a driver but also operate your own car as a taxi then armed with your BTP license you must now apply to the provincial authorities in Alicante, Valencia, or Castellon for a passenger vehicle operator´s permit.  The number of permits is restricted according to the population for each area and there may be long periods of time when all permits have been allocated and none are available. 

When permits do become available it is announced in the official gazette for the Valencian Community, the D.O.G.V. (Diario Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana) which is available on- line.  This official announcement states the number of permits available, and the time period for submitting applications.  At the end of this period a list of the successful applicants is published in the D.O.G.V., and if successful you must then start work within 60 days after the permit is granted.

The car you intend to use must be approved as a “Vehiculo de Transporte”, a VT permit.    This is essential for all metered taxis and private hire “minicabs” (auto-turismos), and is applied for in the provincial Department for Infrastructure and Transport, “Conselleria de Infraestructuras y Transportes”.   Each provincial department publishes a list of approved cars, and which may not include the type of car which you hope to use.  The car cannot have more than 7 seats, including the driver´s seat, although in areas that are officially designated as “mountainous” this is increased to 9 seats.  

The car must be your own property and registered in your name.   It cannot be rented or leased, and you must of course have valid insurance for transport of the public for a fee.

If you are “moonlighting” using your own car without all these permits a standard car insurance policy will be invalidated, possibly with costly and tragic consequences in the event of an accident.  

It is also possible for the holder of a passenger vehicle operator´s permit to transfer it to a third party under strictly regulated conditions, and for a price which can range from €50,000 to €250,000 depending on the area.   The cost of a transfer of a permit covering an area which includes a busy airport, such as El Altet or San Javier, can be extremely expensive.

As you see the process of becoming a legally registered taxi or private hire driver and operator is complex and requires a considerable investment of money and time.  The legitimate operators are keen to protect their investment, and the authorities are keen to protect the public from the activities of unauthorised and possibly uninsured drivers.   Illegal drivers and operators are under attack from both of these directions and the days of these professional intruders are numbered .