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Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info?

Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby Jan » Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:26 am

marcliff wrote:I think that's a good point - I would never change my British licence for any other country. There are many Europeans driving in the UK on their home-country licences, so why should there be a need to change to a Spanish licence. Keep it, is what I say!

Except for a couple of things. You cannot renew your UK licence if you are living in Spain. The DVLA will not issue one outside UK with a non-UK address. The photocard type (which are the only one being issued in UK from January) last for 10 years. You will not be able to renew it.
When you get to 70, you wlll not be able to renew it.
If you lose it, you cannot get a replacement.
As from next year, if you become resident in Spain you can still use your UK licence but it has to be registered with trafico and you will have to undergo the Spanish rules on medicals etc.
There is no need to take another test, either in Spain with a UK licence or in UK with a Spanish licence.

and if you go back to the UK and have a Spanish license, we have been told you will have to take another driving test
Whoever told you that is probably the same expat rumour starter that I regularly hear up the pub. You can change a Spanish licence for a UK one without taking a test. Unless, of course, the licence has run out.

For those who have taken out residency in Spain, I can see no drawbacks whatsoever in changing the UK one for a Spanish one even though you don't have to. If you're a non-resident then there would be absolutely no point and you wouldn't be allowed to anyway.
By the way, the Spanish medical for a driving licence consists of being able to walk into the office and asking for one. If you can do that, you'll pass. (not quite but it really is no big deal).


:text-goodpost:
Thanks for explaining.
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby RogerB » Sun Nov 16, 2014 10:55 am

jim wrote:roger b

you have to make 2 visits to traffico....the first is for the paperwork and you keep your uk licence, you are then notified by letter to return hand over your licence, you are issued with a 3 month temporary driving permit, your spanish licence will be sent by post...we got ours within 4 weeks



Ah well, I never got the second letter, then! I did go into the centre in Torrevieja where I did the medical etc, and they looked me up on the computer which said that Trafico was still awaiting info from DVLA ...this was only a few months ago, i.e. long after I should have had the letter, but I have still heard nothing.
One possible explanation may be that one has to give one's residential address on the form, and mail delivery to mine is very 'uncertain' (so i have rented a private PO Box in Doña Pepa).

As my UK licence does not run-out until 2016, I feel inclined to carry that until May '15 and then try to 'register' it!But no doubt that will have its teething problems :)
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby jim » Sun Nov 16, 2014 7:21 pm

Except for a couple of things. You cannot renew your UK licence if you are living in Spain. The DVLA will not issue one outside UK with a non-UK address. The photocard type (which are the only one being issued in UK from January) last for 10 years. You will not be able to renew it.

[quote][/quote]

according to an article in murcia today uk licence holders will have to comply with spain's driving laws, so you can have your licence inscribed at traffico and continue to use it but it also states that you will have to renew every 10 or 5 years, catch 22 you have to change to a spanish licence at some point

no reason not to and it saves you having to carry your passport everywhere
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby catral72b » Mon Nov 17, 2014 11:14 am

My wife and I applied August 2012. Had the medical, passed the aptitude test, went to Trafico at Alicante with all the forms and paid the fee: and nothing, we are still waiting! Just another money making scheme by the Spanish government against us expats. Trafico blame DVLC, and they blame Trafico.
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby marcliff » Mon Nov 17, 2014 5:49 pm

catral72b wrote:My wife and I applied August 2012. Had the medical, passed the aptitude test, went to Trafico at Alicante with all the forms and paid the fee: and nothing, we are still waiting! Just another money making scheme by the Spanish government against us expats. Trafico blame DVLC, and they blame Trafico.


So who is at fault then? The Spanish ripping off the expats or the DVLA who couldn't care less? We had our confirmation from DVLA to Alicante trafico within a couple of weeks and handed in the UK licence for a piece of paper saying we had done so. The new licences arrived a couple of weeks later.
There were dozens of people doing the same thing. Only one chap I heard of had a problem and that was DVLA not providing the certificate of entitlement.
I assume you still have your UK licence so why not try contacting DVLA and seeing where the problem is?
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby Chrispathome » Tue Nov 18, 2014 1:39 am

I thought if you had one of the new international driving licenses there was no need to change it.
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby marcliff » Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:41 pm

There is no need to change it, as already said. However, you can't renew it if it expires, gets lost or whatever. At the moment, you have to (or are supposed to) register your UK licence with trafico. From next year, you will be required to register it straight away and undergo medicals/aptutude tests etc in the same way the Spanish do. That is, as soon as you take residency.
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby RogerB » Tue Nov 18, 2014 9:00 pm

catral72b wrote:My wife and I applied August 2012. Had the medical, passed the aptitude test, went to Trafico at Alicante with all the forms and paid the fee: and nothing, we are still waiting! Just another money making scheme by the Spanish government against us expats. Trafico blame DVLC, and they blame Trafico.



That sounds very familiar ;)

From my experiences with contacting DVLA that is a pretty good way to start yourself on the road to a nervous breakdown .... when I tried to register my UK car here, at the ITV they found an error in the VIN number and I had to get a replacement V5 form from DVLA. It only took THREE MONTHS of emailing , phoning, writing etc :shock:
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby willemite » Sun Dec 28, 2014 4:56 pm

Hi everyone
We are in the process of thinking of changing our UK License for Spanish one as we are now Residence.
However, we are going to UK for holiday and need to hire a car, what happens if we dont have a 'license' but a piece of paper - not sure if the hire company would accept this.
Who would be the best person to undertake this task for us please.
Thank you
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Re: Changing driving licence from uk to Spanish, latest info

Postby ready766 » Sun Dec 28, 2014 6:56 pm

Nick Bateman in Benioja, his office is opposite the Citroen garage as you enter the village. Mike..
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