Driving in spain

For those that might be unaware.
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/why-uk-drivers-banned-driving-licence-spain-brexit-321207/

Thanks for the info, im sure the policia will be out in force checking licences.

I thought it has always been the case that if you live here PERMANENTLY you were required to exchange your licence for a Spanish one. If you are going to move to another country surely you should do your homework and not expect just because you are British that you have a right to do as you like. Those here now have had plenty of opportunity to change their licence but I suppose it makes a good headline for the journalists.

Problem is, those who were resident before Jan 1st 2021 and had registered their intent to change their UK licence could do so by just filling in some paperwork. You were given 6 months in which to do so which officially started 1st Jan 2021. This was extended several times but this extension has now ended.

You could only exchange the licence if you had registered to do so.

Those who relocated to Spain after 1st Jan 2021 could no longer exchange the licence and would have to take a test in order to change the licence.

Yes, quite a few who were resident before the cut off date didn't bother changing as they thought an agreement would be made between UK and Spain. As it is, only Spain and Italy do not recognise the UK licence for exchange in the whole of the EU despite UK recognising all EU licences which can be exchanged for a UK one.

I know the British press are making a big thing out of this but I doubt their claims of "tens of thousands" of Brits will no longer be able to drive. Everyone I know who were resident before Jan 1st 2021 has changed their licence in a simple exchange. No longer the case and, if you move over now, you have six months from taking out residency to sitting a Spanish driving test.

Yes, those who just sat on their licence without doing anything about it are probably at fault for not registering their intent to do so before the cut off date but new arrivals will be at a disadvantage compared to those from Spain going to live in UK.

marcliff wrote:Problem is, those who were resident before Jan 1st 2021 and had registered their intent to change their UK licence could do so by just filling in some paperwork. You were given 6 months in which to do so which officially started 1st Jan 2021. This was extended several times but this extension has now ended.

You could only exchange the licence if you had registered to do so.

Those who relocated to Spain after 1st Jan 2021 could no longer exchange the licence and would have to take a test in order to change the licence.

Yes, quite a few who were resident before the cut off date didn't bother changing as they thought an agreement would be made between UK and Spain. As it is, only Spain and Italy do not recognise the UK licence for exchange in the whole of the EU despite UK recognising all EU licences which can be exchanged for a UK one.

I know the British press are making a big thing out of this but I doubt their claims of "tens of thousands" of Brits will no longer be able to drive. Everyone I know who were resident before Jan 1st 2021 has changed their licence in a simple exchange. No longer the case and, if you move over now, you have six months from taking out residency to sitting a Spanish driving test.

Yes, those who just sat on their licence without doing anything about it are probably at fault for not registering their intent to do so before the cut off date but new arrivals will be at a disadvantage compared to those from Spain going to live in UK.

This legal complication only applies to permanent UK residents in Spain – tourists can still hire cars and drive as usual.
Those who moved to Spain BEFORE 1 January 2021 will no longer have their UK licences considered ‘valid’
Those who moved to Spain AFTER 1 January 2021 will only have UK licences considered valid ‘from six months after residency was obtained’.

I have little sympathy for those who had been long resident but had actively chosen to not exchange their licences.

TBH I haven't heard what's become of those who registered their licences with DGT in the scheme which they introduced in June 2020, have they all now been processed?

If not, and if delays in that have been down to DGT inefficiency rather than inertia on the part of applicants, it would seem unfair to now include them in the ban.