Spain's planned reduction of the legal alcohol limit for drivers has been thrown into uncertainty following the decision to call an early general election for November 29, 2026.

The proposed reform would have introduced a common maximum limit of 0.2 grams of alcohol per litre of blood, equivalent to 0.1 milligrams per litre of exhaled air, for all drivers.

However, the measure had not yet become law when the Cortes Generales were dissolved.

The Proposed New Limit

The proposal, presented by the Socialist Parliamentary Group, seeks to change Spain's Traffic, Vehicle Circulation and Road Safety legislation.

Under the proposed reform, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.2 g/l or an exhaled-air concentration above 0.1 mg/l would constitute a serious traffic offence, up to the existing thresholds for the more serious category.

The proposal would also establish a single limit regardless of whether a driver is a newly qualified motorist, professional driver or has held a licence for many years.

The measure is intended to simplify the current system and send a clearer message about alcohol and driving.

Congress Had Only Just Started the Process

The timing is particularly significant.

On September 29, the Congress of Deputies voted to take the proposal into consideration, allowing it to begin its parliamentary processing.

The vote was 173 in favour, 168 against and five abstentions.

That vote did not approve the new alcohol limit.

It simply allowed the proposed legislation to proceed to the next stages of parliamentary consideration.

The official parliamentary record shows that the initiative was then at the stage following its consideration by the plenary, with further legislative processing still required.

The Early Election Changes the Situation

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on October 5 that Spain would hold early general elections on November 29.

The dissolution of Parliament interrupts the legislative work of the current parliamentary term.

As a result, the proposed reduction in the alcohol limit cannot simply proceed through the remaining stages of this legislature.

A future Parliament could introduce or reconsider similar legislation, but that would require a new parliamentary process.

It is therefore inaccurate to say that the new 0.2 g/l limit has been approved or is already coming into force.

What Is the Current Legal Limit?

For now, the existing limits remain in force.

For most drivers, the legal maximum is:

• 0.5 grams per litre of blood

• 0.25 milligrams per litre of exhaled air

Lower limits apply to certain categories of drivers, including novice and professional drivers.

The proposed reform would have replaced these different thresholds with the same 0.2 g/l blood and 0.1 mg/l exhaled-air limit for all drivers.

There has been no change to the general legal limit simply because the proposal reached Congress.

What Would the Reform Have Changed?

The proposed legislation would also have changed the way alcohol-related traffic offences are classified and penalised.

The proposal includes a new serious offence for driving above the new 0.2 g/l threshold, while the existing higher thresholds would continue to apply to more serious offences.

It also proposes changes to the points system.

Under the proposed text, a reading above 0.10 and up to 0.25 mg/l in exhaled air, or above 0.2 and up to 0.5 g/l in blood, would carry two licence points.

Higher readings would continue to carry heavier penalties.

These provisions remain proposals rather than current law.

DGT Continues to Push for Lower Alcohol Levels

The Dirección General de Tráfico has continued to support reducing the legal alcohol limit.

The DGT says alcohol contributes significantly to road deaths and stresses that driving after drinking increases the risk of a collision even within currently permitted limits.

The agency's position is that 0.0 is the only completely safe level for driving. That is the DGT's road-safety recommendation and should not be confused with the legal limit currently applicable to most drivers.

In September, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska also said the Government intended to continue promoting the proposal to reduce the limit to 0.2 g/l.

A Measure That Could Return in the Next Parliament

The election does not mean that the idea of lowering the alcohol limit has permanently disappeared.

If the next Parliament decides to pursue the measure, a new legislative initiative could be presented.

However, the final wording, parliamentary support, timetable and eventual entry into force cannot be known at this stage.

For drivers in Ibiza, Formentera and the rest of Spain, the practical situation therefore remains unchanged for now.

Current Limit Remains in Force

The key point is simple: Spain has not yet adopted the proposed 0.2 g/l general alcohol limit.

The reform had only entered parliamentary processing when the early election was called.

With the current legislature coming to an end, the proposal's future is now uncertain and would depend on the next Parliament.

Until any new legislation is approved and published in the Official State Gazette, the existing legal alcohol limits remain applicable.

For motorists, this means the proposed 0.2 g/l limit should currently be understood as a legislative proposal, not a new legal requirement.