Talk Quesada forum

The only definite thing about Brexit is that it will be a lot worse than not leaving. That is a definite, definite

"Sorry, can you explain that? If there is no agreement between the countries for an exchange of licences, then how come many of us have changed our licences from a UK one to a Spanish one?"

Currently mutual recognition (and exchange) of driving licences is provided for by EU directive, post Brexit that will no longer apply so licence exchanges fall back to the Vienna Convention of 1968 which Spain is a signatory to but has not ratified.

It's for the same reason that post Brexit UK visitors both to Spain and elsewhere in the EU will need to carry an IDP with their licences.

To compound the situation there are two different IDP's and which one you need depends on which version of the Vienna Convention individual countries are signed up to, the 1968 or earlier 1949. France for instace is a signatory to the 1949 which means to drive to Spain to through France to requires both.

Do not take anything you read on this forum as gospel .From what I've just read I would be totally confused.check everything with the relevant government web sites.And good luck

Why confused ?

It's a fact that between members of the EU the directive on driving licences mandates exchanges although each member can apply certain of their own rules to that, requirements for medicals and periods before an exchange is demanded for instance.

It's a fact that when the UK leaves the EU the directive will cease to apply and while there may be subsequent agreements, either with the whole of the remaining EU (deal Brexit) or between UK and individual countries (no deal Brexit), absent those the rules on driving in Europe do fall back to the various Vienna conventions of which BTW there are in fact three not just two.

It's a fact that Spain has signed but not ratified the 1968 convention and therefore has neither agreement nor obligation to exchange a UK licence for a Spanish one once UK has left the bloc. It's because of that that have offered a post Brexit 9 month grace period for exchanging a UK licence but its a specific concession driven by circumstance. BTW until March 2018 UK were also only signatories but ratified then precisely to minimise such issues in the post Brexit environment, if Spain were to similarly ratify the convention the problem would instantly disappear !

If anybody wants to cross check the information against UK government advice be my guest.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-eu-after-brexit#driving-licence-and-idps

I note that I made an error with the which IDP applies to which country for which I apologise however it's a minor detail which doesn't materially alter anything.

The original post had nothing to do with Brexit, it was about exchanging a UK licence for a Spanish one which should have been done by many people out here once they realised they intended to be "Residents" or stay here for more than 6 months.

AndyC wrote:The original post had nothing to do with Brexit, it was about exchanging a UK licence for a Spanish one which should have been done by many people out here once they realised they intended to be "Residents" or stay here for more than 6 months.

True, not directly to do with Brexit but indirectly Brexit is very important as if UK leaves with no deal there will be a very limited time for residents to exchange their UK licence for a Spanish one. An earlier poster flagged that the Spanish Authorities have said they may give 9 months grace. And if they don't change their licence they will have to take a Spanish driving test to be able to continue to drive.

It is also relevant for people asking if they will still be able to drive in the UK on their Spanish licence ( which the OP was asking too. ) Hence this is NOT an example of a thread that has gone completely off on a tangent. Just another example of Brexit having a clear impact that people can't ignore.

Also residents weren't previously required to change their driving licences within 6 months, don't know where you got that from. I think you are mixing that up with residencia rules.

A point perhaps worth a mention is that if you passed your test in UK then even if you have exchanged your licence for a foreign one you remain entitled to hold a UK licence which means you are entitled to drive there regardless of which licence you physically possess at the time.

What you cannot do is hold more than one EU licence at a time and the latest one issued instantly nullifies and voids any and all previous ones.

If stopped by the police they can immediately check your entitlement with DVLA by your name and date of birth and the last address reported if necessary.

Still got my little red one …!!!!!

Shiva,
When we changed ours over to Spanish it was illegal to drive in Spain with a UK licence if your intention was to stay more than 6 months or seek permanent Residencia. Just like the Tax rules, 183 days and you are deemed to be resident in Spain and must comply with their driving laws. This also applies in the UK if a foreigner moves there to live. If the UK crashes out of the EU then your UK licence may not be valid anywhere in the EU as it carries the EU flag. We have no idea at the moment how the Police or Insurance companies will deal with this.

AndyC wrote:Shiva,
When we changed ours over to Spanish it was illegal to drive in Spain with a UK licence if your intention was to stay more than 6 months or seek permanent Residencia. Just like the Tax rules, 183 days and you are deemed to be resident in Spain and must comply with their driving laws. This also applies in the UK if a foreigner moves there to live. If the UK crashes out of the EU then your UK licence may not be valid anywhere in the EU as it carries the EU flag. We have no idea at the moment how the Police or Insurance companies will deal with this.

I think you must have done it a very long time ago or else you were just under a misapprehension. The current rules for Driving Licences are different from the rules for Residencia.
EU License holders usually have 2 Years in which to change their driving licence from when they become resident.
See here for the advice from Abaco, who are a well respected source : https://www.abacoadvisers.com/spain-explained/life-in-spain/news/time-get-spanish-driving-licence

This is the relevant extract:
"If you are a resident of Spain with a licence issued in another EU country then you must change yourdriving licencewithin two years of becoming a resident if your licence doesn't comply with Spanish law. Currently some driving licences have no expiry date and others have one of 15 years or more. In Spain, a Spanish driving licence is valid for 10 years up to the age of 65. After the age of 65 you must renew it every 5 years. The licence you hold must have the same time limits or needs changing.
If this applies to you, you must change your licence whether it has expired or not. Of course, if you wish, you can apply for a Spanish driving licence before you have been a resident for two years."


However, with Brexit looming it is really neither here nor there. All residents holding a UK licence would be well advised to look into changing it now.

I did mine some time ago.