# Driving law - test for UK licence holders



## David Yeomans (Mar 19, 2021)

I just got a TIA residency permit, but found out its too late to exchange my 51 year clean driving license for a Spanish one. I live in Martos and no driving schools offer help for english speakers? What can i do? I am law abiding.


----------



## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

David Yeomans said:


> I just got a TIA residency permit, but found out its too late to exchange my 51 year clean driving license for a Spanish one. I live in Martos and no driving schools offer help for english speakers? What can i do? I am law abiding.


You have no choice only to take a driving test. There was a huge campaign last year encouraging anyone here to change it but the deadline was 31 December. 

You may find a teacher who speaks English but the exam will be totally in Spanish by law. The written exam can be done in English i believe but the practical one no. 

Sorry. No way round it. Thats brexit!


----------



## asiasi (Mar 19, 2021)

I dont think that is the case.From what I have read your instructor can accompany you and translate for you.
"The practical test is taken in Spanish and a translator may accompany the person being examined."
DGT Test Ingles 2021 | English Driving School.





DGT Test Ingles 2021 | English Driving School


Obtain your spanish driving license in English, all you need to pass the official theory test in English.




www.test-autoescuela.com


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

asiasi said:


> I dont think that is the case.From what I have read your instructor can accompany you and translate for you.
> "The practical test is taken in Spanish and a translator may accompany the person being examined."
> DGT Test Ingles 2021 | English Driving School.
> 
> ...


Can you post an official link rather than a driving school link?


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Megsmum said:


> Can you post an official link rather than a driving school link?


That site says that your ID can be 'residencia' OR passport & NIE, so that's wrong for a start. Proof of resdidency is required.


----------



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

asiasi said:


> I dont think that is the case.From what I have read your instructor can accompany you and translate for you.
> "The practical test is taken in Spanish and a translator may accompany the person being examined."
> DGT Test Ingles 2021 | English Driving School.
> 
> ...



I am not sure about this. It's a private school and like most businesses it's about money first questions later. Plenty of schools advertise Spanish driving test in English but careful reading seems to suggest that it is basically nothing more than giving you a badly translated manual that you study for the theory part. They tend to be vague about practical suggesting possibilities etc but implying it's up to you to arrange it. Last I looked the official site DGT makes no mention of doing test in other languages. I imagine you cant but there are no doubt instances where private agreements are carried out, if you know what I mean!!


----------



## asiasi (Mar 19, 2021)

After further investigation,it appears I was incorrect in my assumption that the instructor can act as translator.Apparantly the instructor does go with the examiner in the car but is not allowed to speak,and you must sit the test in a dual control car.To stop the instructor assisting with the dual pedals a small gadget is plugged in that buzzes loudly if he/she touches their pedals at any time.This would result in an instant fail.Although it appears that you can get by with just a basic knowledge of spanish as the instructions/directions given are not complicated.


----------



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

asiasi said:


> After further investigation,it appears I was incorrect in my assumption that the instructor can act as translator.Apparantly the instructor does go with the examiner in the car but is not allowed to speak,and you must sit the test in a dual control car.To stop the instructor assisting with the dual pedals a small gadget is plugged in that buzzes loudly if he/she touches their pedals at any time.This would result in an instant fail.Although it appears that you can get by with just a basic knowledge of spanish as the instructions/directions given are not complicated.


Even that sounds odd. The examiner in the back issuing instructions with no clear visual of the road ahead? In UK instructors I believe can go in the car but quite rightly have to sit it the rear how can an examiner give instructions and judge correctly what's safe and not safe from the rest seats


----------



## asiasi (Mar 19, 2021)

I got that from someones blog of their first hand experience sitting it.Can't see what they wuold gain from lying about it, but then I guess we are talking about the internet where you cant trust half of whats out there.
"A few minutes later, Ruben returned with my stern-looking examiner, who muttered a polite, but terse, greeting. We got into the car, the examiner in back, and the exam began. "








Getting a Spanish Driver's License - The Frugal Vagabond


Getting a Spanish Driver's License is intimidating. I'll break down each step of the process and help you get on the road with your very own EU license.




frugalvagabond.com


----------



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Again the lack of official information regarding the language that can be used in the practical suggests that it is all in Spanish. As for it being simple Spanish I would be wary of suggesting such a view of language. I very much doubt that you would be able to do the test without a good level of Spanish. How are you going to communicate? You might not be engaging in a long winded conversation but there will be the normal aspects of any social engagement. Without this it would be probably be considered too unusual and unprofessional for the examiner to.proceed. Imagine if there was an accident or emergency and the report stated that the person driving misunderstood the instructions?


----------



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

asiasi said:


> I got that from someones blog of their first hand experience sitting it.Can't see what they wuold gain from lying about it, but then I guess we are talking about the internet where you cant trust half of whats out there.
> "A few minutes later, Ruben returned with my stern-looking examiner, who muttered a polite, but terse, greeting. We got into the car, the examiner in back, and the exam began. "
> 
> 
> ...


I have seen this blog before and it does seem detailed enough to be genuine. However, the writer seems to suggest that he opted for the Engish theory as opposed to Spanish due to a reduced question number and tellingly that he didn't fancy learning the technical vocab in Spanish. This suggests that the writer probably had some practical Spanish which no doubt made somethings easier. For example, he seems to do alot of administrative stuff without any help and I cant believe everyone is talking in English to him. Anyway I suppose within the next year we should get some more first hand experiences being reported.


----------



## alpinist (Feb 8, 2009)

I remember colleagues from the US saying their licences were only valid for 6 months in Spain, so the same probably now applies Brits? If so, maybe this is the right angle to look into 'loopholes' e.g. is that 6 months counted since arrival, or in a calendar year? When does it reset, if ever? Does it count the tine you're not in Spain? 

I don't suggest you break the law, just take advantage where possible. It can only be a matter of time before this licence issue is resolved through some sort of bilateral agreement, along with professional qualifications etc. which suddenly stopped being valid. If you can legally play the system until then, it would obviously save a lot of hassle.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

_Si_ said:


> I remember colleagues from the US saying their licences were only valid for 6 months in Spain, so the same probably now applies Brits? If so, maybe this is the right angle to look into 'loopholes' e.g. is that 6 months counted since arrival, or in a calendar year? When does it reset, if ever? Does it count the tine you're not in Spain?
> 
> I don't suggest you break the law, just take advantage where possible. It can only be a matter of time before this licence issue is resolved through some sort of bilateral agreement, along with professional qualifications etc. which suddenly stopped being valid. If you can legally play the system until then, it would obviously save a lot of hassle.


It's from arrival. 

You arrive with a visa & must register for the TIE within a month of that date. 

No wriggle room. Your licence simply stops being valid.


----------



## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

I thought you had 6 months from the date of arrival or more likely TIE issue.

Seems incredibly harsh to prohibit new arrivals from driving at all until they have passed a Spanish test which itself could easily take 6 months


----------



## alpinist (Feb 8, 2009)

Ah well. 

I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing the Eastern European licence exchange scams again then.


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MataMata said:


> I thought you had 6 months from the date of arrival or more likely TIE issue.
> 
> Seems incredibly harsh to prohibit new arrivals from driving at all until they have passed a Spanish test which itself could easily take 6 months


They can drive for the first 6 months, by the end of which they have to have passed teh test or stopped driving.

It has 'always' been that way for the majority of 3rd countrt citizens.

I was saying that the 6 month sstarts upon arrival, and that it can't be 'tweaked' by popping in & out of the country.


----------



## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Clear now, my misreading of your post.

Regarding language for the test it will necessarily be more perfunctory than conversational and expressions you will need to know might include the following.

Acelera : Speed up
Frena : Brake 
Reduce la velocidad : Reduce your speed 
Detente/Para : Stop 
Pisa el embrague : Step on the clutch 
Ponte el cinturón (de seguridad) : Put on your seatbelt 
Asegúrate que tienes bien colocados los retrovisores : Make sure your rearview mirrors are correctly positioned Arranca el coche : turn on the car 
Pon las luces cortas/largas : Put on your headlights/hi-beam 
Pon el intermitente : Put on your indicator (*highly unlikely lol*)
Gira el volante a la izquierda/derecha : Turn the wheel to the left/right 
El semáforo está en verde/en rojo/en ámbar : The traffic light is green, red, yellow 
Mete primera, segunda, tercera, cuarta, quinta marcha : Go into first, second, third, fourth, fifth gear 
Mete la palanca de cambio en punto muerto : Put the gearbox in neutral 
Da marcha atrás : Reverse 
Pon las luces de emergencia : Put on your emergency lights 
Aparca en batería, en línea o en paralelo : Park at an angle, in line, parallel park 
Pon/Quita el freno de mano : Pull up/down the handbrake 
Circula por esta carretera de sentido único : Drive along this one-way road 
Cede el paso : Give way 
Adelanta a la furgoneta : Overtake the van 
Incorpórate a la autopista/la rotonda : Merge onto the motorway/roundabout 
Acuérdate que es una carretera de sentido único/dos sentidos : Remember it’s a one-way/two-way road 
Toma la primera/segunda/tercera salida : Take the first/second/third exit 
Échale un vistazo al punto ciego : Check your blind spot 
Mira por el retrovisor : Look through the rearview mirror 
Cambia de carril : Change lane 
Métete por el carril de dentro/fuera : Take the inside/outside lane 
Toma la siguiente salida : Take the next exit 
No superes el límite de velocidad : Don’t go over the speed limit 
Ten cuidado con la curva : Be careful with the turn 
Deja pasar al peatón en el paso de cebra : Let the pedestrian cross at the zebra crossing 
Asegúrate que no vienen coches en el cruce : Make sure there’s no oncoming traffic at the crossing 
Toca el claxon/la bocina : Honk your horn 
Pon el limpiaparabrisas : Put on the windshield wipers


----------



## Penza (Sep 9, 2018)

Please stop freaking people out about the driving tests, it is not that scary!!

I am not a Brit, but am Australian with 30yrs of bad driving habits under my belt, and have recently done the tests.

Firstly the theory - you can do this in ENGLISH! The theory book is available in English, sure the translation is not quite up to scratch, but it is perfectly understandable. There are hundreds of practice tests online in English (both free and paid), so you can make sure you are well prepared before the test. The test is 30 questions (exactly the same if you do it in Spanish) and you need to get a min of 27/30 to pass. The test is not straight forward, so do not think you can just wing it! But if you put in the effort to study and do plenty of practice tests, you should have no problem in passing first time.

Secondly the practical - this can only be done in Spanish. But I did this knowing precisely 6 words of Spanish. I took lessons in English, but my instructor gave me a list of all the Spanish words I needed to know for the test and then very quickly started giving me instructions during the lesson in Spanish, so I got used to the words and phrases. Although he gave all corrections in English. On the day of the test, the instructor comes with you in the front (as they are the only ones insured to operate the emergency pedals) and the examiner sits in the back. My instructor explained that I did not speak much Spanish, but understood simple directions. I also made sure I knew the phrase 'I am sorry I do not understand, can you please repeat' in case I needed it. The examiner was super helpful and calm (I do live in a part of Spain that has a lot of foreigners), and spoke slowly and clearly. Again I made sure I was well prepared and knew all the possible routes, so all I had to listen for was the 'turn left, turn right, stop etc' and did not bother with any of the verbs or fluff of the examiners conversation (of which there was almost none). 
My instructor did say that if, during the test, you get totally confused about what the examiner is telling you, then in general the examiner will ask the instructor to translate, but that this situation hardly every happens as the instructions are just not that complex. Remember examiners are used to testing terrified 18yrs olds with almost zero driving experience (in Spain a learner driver is only insured to drive with an instructor, not with any other driver, unlike in the UK or Aus - so Spanish learners have very little driving experience when they take the tests) - so the examiner is not out to make the test hard, or tricky!

So my advice in general - put in the work, be prepared, keep the nerves in check, breath and you will be absolutely fine.😀😀


----------



## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

30 years of driving suggests that you may be under 50 years old, many facing a test in Spain will be in their late 60's or considerably older and that can make a massive difference.


----------



## Penza (Sep 9, 2018)

MataMata said:


> 30 years of driving suggests that you may be under 50 years old, many facing a test in Spain will be in their late 60's or considerably older and that can make a massive difference.


Mmmmm I am not sure.
I think, to suggest that just because you are over a certain age the driving test will be some sort of massive almost impossible mountain to climb is doing people in their 60s, 70s and 80s a disservice. People who are prepared to up sticks and move to a totally different country, to start a whole new life, with perhaps little command of the language are, on the whole, made of sterner stuff. My grandmother moved to Australia in her early 70s and had to resit the driving tests - yes it took effort, yes it took more than one go, yes it took quite a bit of tutoring from my cousin, but she got there.

There are many challenges that come with setting up your life in a new country, the driving test is but just one of them. It may not be the easiest, but nor will it be the hardest. I just do not see the need or usefulness of all the 'doom and gloom' comments that tend to surround it.


----------



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

An informative post but to be honest many Brits will probably be in the 60+ range and the idea that within 6 months of being in Spain they will have gone through a quite challenging theory test followed by learning to recognize a fixed number of Spanish phrases might not be the easy, stressless lifestyle they bargained on.


----------



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Penza said:


> Mmmmm I am not sure.
> I think, to suggest that just because you are over a certain age the driving test will be some sort of massive almost impossible mountain to climb is doing people in their 60s, 70s and 80s a disservice. People who are prepared to up sticks and move to a totally different country, to start a whole new life, with perhaps little command of the language are, on the whole, made of sterner stuff. My grandmother moved to Australia in her early 70s and had to resit the driving tests - yes it took effort, yes it took more than one go, yes it took quite a bit of tutoring from my cousin, but she got there.
> 
> There are many challenges that come with setting up your life in a new country, the driving test is but just one of them. It may not be the easiest, but nor will it be the hardest. I just do not see the need or usefulness of all the 'doom and gloom' comments that tend to surround it.


Unfortunately there is a fair amount of research suggesting that a persons mental learning capacity declines in later life. When I did my post grad I remember reading about research comparing language learning and different age groups.Age groups over 60 had the worse scores at this type of thing whilst in other areas of learning there often was less difference. These were studies designed to show that language acquisition appears to have some element of physiology built into it.


----------



## Staffop (10 mo ago)

_


Penza said:



Please stop freaking people out about the driving tests, it is not that scary!!

I am not a Brit, but am Australian with 30yrs of bad driving habits under my belt, and have recently done the tests.

Firstly the theory - you can do this in ENGLISH! The theory book is available in English, sure the translation is not quite up to scratch, but it is perfectly understandable. There are hundreds of practice tests online in English (both free and paid), so you can make sure you are well prepared before the test. The test is 30 questions (exactly the same if you do it in Spanish) and you need to get a min of 27/30 to pass. The test is not straight forward, so do not think you can just wing it! But if you put in the effort to study and do plenty of practice tests, you should have no problem in passing first time.

Secondly the practical - this can only be done in Spanish. But I did this knowing precisely 6 words of Spanish. I took lessons in English, but my instructor gave me a list of all the Spanish words I needed to know for the test and then very quickly started giving me instructions during the lesson in Spanish, so I got used to the words and phrases. Although he gave all corrections in English. On the day of the test, the instructor comes with you in the front (as they are the only ones insured to operate the emergency pedals) and the examiner sits in the back. My instructor explained that I did not speak much Spanish, but understood simple directions. I also made sure I knew the phrase 'I am sorry I do not understand, can you please repeat' in case I needed it. The examiner was super helpful and calm (I do live in a part of Spain that has a lot of foreigners), and spoke slowly and clearly. Again I made sure I was well prepared and knew all the possible routes, so all I had to listen for was the 'turn left, turn right, stop etc' and did not bother with any of the verbs or fluff of the examiners conversation (of which there was almost none).
My instructor did say that if, during the test, you get totally confused about what the examiner is telling you, then in general the examiner will ask the instructor to translate, but that this situation hardly every happens as the instructions are just not that complex. Remember examiners are used to testing terrified 18yrs olds with almost zero driving experience (in Spain a learner driver is only insured to drive with an instructor, not with any other driver, unlike in the UK or Aus - so Spanish learners have very little driving experience when they take the tests) - so the examiner is not out to make the test hard, or tricky!

So my advice in general - put in the work, be prepared, keep the nerves in check, breath and you will be absolutely fine.😀😀

Click to expand...

_

*Hi, any links to where I can find the English Theory book please and to the practice tests also in English ?*


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Staffop said:


> *Hi, any links to where I can find the English Theory book please and to the practice tests also in English ?*


Your driving school will supply them.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Staffop said:


> *Hi, any links to where I can find the English Theory book please and to the practice tests also in English ?*


plenty of sites on line - just Google it. For a book (hardcopy), as @xabiaxica says, your driving school can get one for you


----------



## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

Surely the links could be provided.? People may well be preparing to move to Spain and want to get some knowledge in advance of enrolling at a driving school. It's called "planning for success".


----------



## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Staffop said:


> *Hi, any links to where I can find the English Theory book please and to the practice tests also in English ?*


Try this








DGT Test in English Free | Spanish Driving Test in English | Official


DGT Test in English - Driving Theory Exam Simulator with more than 500 Official DGT Test Questions! Free Driving Theory Test Practice!




www.driving-school-barcelona.com






I think its also available direct on the DGT website (I did a couple of practice tests when I thought I might miss the exchange date). The translations are dodgy and a couple of questions have no UK version (like what do you do if a policeman blows his whistle twice?)


----------



## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

And the answer is........?


----------



## timwip (Feb 27, 2017)

Penza said:


> Please stop freaking people out about the driving tests, it is not that scary!!
> 
> I am not a Brit, but am Australian with 30yrs of bad driving habits under my belt, and have recently done the tests.
> 
> ...


This above answer is 100% correct; however, I would like to add a couple of items:

1. When I was taking the road test, I was told by my instructor just to follow the instructions of the DGT examiner and not be chatty with the examiner. As a result, you get a simple instruction in Spanish from the DGT examiner and the only thing the examinee should ever say is "Could you please repeat the question".

2. After passing the theoretical test but before taking the road test, you must pass the psicotecnico test. This tests your physical and mental aptitude for driving. You must also take this test for each license renewal Renewals get more frequent, the older you get. My next renewal will be at age 70. A few years ago, my mother-in-law did not pass the test, as a result, she can no longer drive. As a result, when you are considering a place to live in Spain, you should take into account that, even if you obtain a driver´s license, there will come a day when it will be taken away. You may want to locate to an area where you can walk to for basic services like supermarkets, dentists, doctors, churches, etc.


----------



## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

MataMata said:


> And the answer is........?


Stop immediately and do not progress..


----------



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

How did you manage to answer questions about oil changes, tyre pressures?. My wife was ask these in her test?


----------



## timwip (Feb 27, 2017)

kaipa said:


> How did you manage to answer questions about oil changes, tyre pressures?. My wife was ask these in her test?


I do speak Spanish and was prepared to answer questions like this; however, my practical test was 100% focused on driving and not this other superfluous stuff. My examine was very business-like and to the point about nothing else but ability to safely drive.


----------



## Man le-mans (Dec 6, 2021)

As it stands at the moment it’s been changed agai.. this is from the UK government websit.

*If you have a valid UK driving licence*
If you were living in Spain before 1 January 2021, your valid UK driving licence will be recognised for driving in Spain until 30 April 2022.
If you moved to Spain after 1 January 2021, your valid UK licence will be recognised for 6 months from the date you obtained residence, or until 30 April 2022, whichever is later.


----------

