MESSAGE FROM BRITISH EMBASSY MADRID

No feedback from the CAB meeting at La Laguna on Thursday?
Anyone manage to go?

Spain could put an end to the nonsensense about not recognising UK licences for exchange after the transition period by ratifying the 1968 Vienna Convention which they are already signed up to. No other negotiations or agreements would be required.

Technically that means that Spanish licences should become non exchangeable for UK ones but the UK seems to have chosen to ignore that.

If nothing changes then we're left with the Kafakaesque situation where by dint of nothing more than a date on a calendar UK citizens living in Spain are instantly deemed incapable of doing what they've been doing for decades and in need of total retraining whilst the very same people simply visiting are not.

As even more of an insult resident UK citizens will be deemed less capable of driving safely than immigrants from some near 3rd world countries which Spain does have exchange agreements with.

The countries are these:

Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, Macedonia, Morocco, Peru, The Philippines, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.

BTW I was at a residents meeting yesterday in which it was stated that the driving test is being tightened up on and that unlike now when you can at least do the theory element in English that is coming to an end and everything will be in Spanish.

No megusta

A.N.Other wrote:Spain could put an end to the nonsensense about not recognising UK licences for exchange after the transition period by ratifying the 1968 Vienna Convention which they are already signed up to. No other negotiations or agreements would be required.

Technically that means that Spanish licences should become non exchangeable for UK ones but the UK seems to have chosen to ignore that.

If nothing changes then we're left with the Kafakaesque situation where by dint of nothing more than a date on a calendar UK citizens living in Spain are instantly deemed incapable of doing what they've been doing for decades and in need of total retraining whilst the very same people simply visiting are not.

As even more of an insult resident UK citizens will be deemed less capable of driving safely than immigrants from some near 3rd world countries which Spain does have exchange agreements with.

The countries are these:

Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, Macedonia, Morocco, Peru, The Philippines, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Well, Spain is entitled to do what it likes re third countries... If UK people don't like the outcome Well, they all knew what they were voting for.

Yes, those nasty Europeans kicking us out of the EU and changing the rules......oh, hang on a minute.

I'm not sure but I think I read that the UK has to renegotiate 759 different treaties with EU countries once all the treaties and agreements we currently have become null and void.
Important ones like movement of nuclear material, certification of pharmaceuticals, food standards and, of course, the really important ones like how can Brits continue to drive if they haven't followed the rules and changed their licence by now.
But never mind, people can go back to blue passports (oops, not according to the press today cos they have so many red ones to use up they'll still be using them for a year).

Seriously, anyone that thinks nothing will change at the end of the year unless UK gets some really good agreements is living in cloud cuckoo land. It wouldn't have been worth leaving otherwise.

The Brits living in Spain have no need to worry. They should change their licenses now before it is too late

It is those Brits that are thinking of moving to Spain AFTER next December. Those may well be in trouble unless they speak fluent Spanish.

..(I wonder if they mention THAT in "A Place in the Sun"? ..)

We have French driving licences and getting conflicting advice on whether we can change them for Spanish without the palaver of the computer test etc. Anyone in a similar situation?