Talk Quesada forum

Hi,

We are planning to leave the UK in June 2020 and settle in Spain permanently, and have owned a property in Quesada for the past 12 years.

We wont be able to get over there before late August for anything more than a day or so, so we need to find someone to help with getting the residencia application in and completed.

The original plan was to arrive in Spain late August and get everything completed by the end of the December 2020 transition period, but after seeing the news just out of the DGT, I need to move things forward to make sure I get my license swapped within the 9 months grace period, and I cant see everything getting completed in the 2 months that I will have remaining if we don’t arrive until the end of August.

What we ideally need is, and I have no idea if these are possible;

• Someone to sign the padron for us
• Do all the necessary paper work for residencia
• Make the application and declare the intention of swapping my driving license

Another problem is that for most of June July and August we will be back and forth between France and uk with only a few days in Spain.

Any recommendations for help with the above?

Thanks
Phil

You need to be a resident to do all that

jpeg wrote:You need to be a resident to do all that

And that's why I'm looking for someone to do the paperwork and sort out residency for me.

There are certainly people who can help with the process but there are key things that only you can do. Someone else with power of attorney might be able to sign you on the padron ( I signed my husband on it, he didn't have to go in person ) but that is really not a difficult thing and you could easily do that yourself on your next flying visit, it's the easiest thing of the lot. But I think your residency interview has to be done in person. You can get someone ( recommend SGM Abogados) to fix the appointment at the National Police Station, go through with you the paperwork needed ( you will need to take out health insurance unless you are state pensioners and have S1 forms ) and take you to the appointment but I think you have to physically show up yourself. You cannot apply to get the driving licence changed unless you already have your residency card, so that comes after, You also have to do a medical for the driving licence change application and clearly noone else can do that for you. They can bring you there but...

I think the most you can do is to 'get your dolls in a row' i.e appoint a good gestor/agent to help you ( SGM Abogados https://www.facebook.com/sgmabogados/ are good) with residency, see if they can get an appointment for you soon after you arrive in August. They'll tell you all the other stuff you need. If you are eligible for an S1 you will only be able to get sent out this from the Newcastle Office a month before you say you are moving, they wont send it before. You need that for the interview ( or else take out health insurance). You'll need proof of sufficient savings in a Spanish bank or regular income . If you can get your paperwork in order and have an appointment lined up for eg Start September ( I wouldn't be surprised if August was 'difficult' given so much closes down in August), you'd have your residency card, then you can get the driving licence sorted. Torrivieja Translators https://torreviejatranslators.com/ are good on sorting out Driving Licences as they are affiliated with DGT in Elche.

Given that we are still in the EU until 31 January at least , the final deadlines are all a bit of a moveable feast . But you can only do what you can do, in sequence. And you have to be physically here for the key appointments. ...

The Padron needs to be less than 3 months old when you present for Residencia, so maybe something to leave for now. It's a 5 minute process once you turn up at the town hall with relevant docs.

"Make the application and declare the intention of swapping my driving license"

You don't 'declare' anything, you either exchange your licence or you don't and if you do then you surrender your UK licence in return for which you get a temporary piece of paper which has no validity outside of Spain.

New licences are supposed to turn up in around 3 weeks but there are many instances where folk have had to wait up to 3 months.

As already mentioned you of course need to have secured residencia first.

In short then, and assuming DGT are still accepting applications, don't apply for an exchange until you are certain that you won't be needing to drive anywhere else for up to 3 months.

No, AN.
Due to the lack of appointments because of the huge demand, trafico stated that if you declare your intention to change your driving licence before Brexit day then it will be honoured even if your appointment is after Brexit day (which was October 31st when they made that announcement) and that there would be a 9 month grace period after Brexit day but only for those who had submitted their application and declared their intention to change it before 1st November (extended now until 1st Feb 2020).

So declaring the intention of changing your licence was perfectly correct and this is a special protocol introduced specifically for those with UK licences.

But those doing so must obtain residency and declare their intention to change their licences before 1st February and I think the OP is not correct when he says he can do these things during the 9 months grace period.
As I read it, the applications for all these things have to made before Brexit day (whenever that will be) as the original protocol did say that after 1st November anyone who hadn't applied would need to take a Spanish driving test. I assume that date has been extended to 1st Feb 2020 but applying after that date would not be in line with the protocol.

The full information can be seen at the DGT Website which has been updated to specifically state the application must be made before 1st February 2020 and only non-residents can drive on a UK licence after that date for a period of 9 months. You can't apply after that date to exchange the licence but can drive during that grace period if you have applied to change your licence before then.

Lots of things are going to change after Brexit unless new agreements are signed.

Oh, gawd...dont start an argument with A.N...!!!