# Medical for Renewing My Driving Licence



## Classified (May 9, 2010)

Hi All, just joined and this is my first post. I have lived in the province of Malaga for nearly 6 years, when i first arrived the officials took my Euro driving licence off me and gave me their paper equivalent, this has since expired and what a laugh i had renewing it. I set off with a couple of passport photos and asked a friendly looking spanish chap where the nearest traffic office was (i speak spanish but not 100%), not only did he give me the directions he came with me. We entered the office where the man at the helm asked me to get some up to date photos, he advised me to go to Eroskis photo booth which was a 3 mile walk, anyway off i went and my amigo came with me, he took me to a photographic shop about a mile away which was better, in the shop i asked the owner could he take passport photos to renew my driving licence at the same time i was showing him my licence, my amigo noticed i have permission to drive lorries with trailers, he could not get over it, i am female and only five foot two inches, (i got my driving experience in the forces, whilst having my photos taken he was showing my licence to everyone who came into the shop, what a laugh. After receiving my pack of photos, off i went back to the Traffic Office with my Amigo. At that point he went on his way and left me to it. Basically in case you have not attempted having a medical yet, it is fairly straight forward. Hand in a photo with your licence, take a seat and wait for the doctor to come and collect you, the doctor asks you about your health and your family history, then you face a tv screen, take hold of 2 hand paddles fixed just below the screen, on the screen there is two white roads and when you move the paddles you have to keep a small black line inside the white lines as they move. After a minute or so, the doctor takes your blood pressure, then the last test is your eye test, the doctors puts a card over one eye at a time and you read the normal letter board from a distance, make sure you take your glasses. Finally the doctor will take you back out to reception and you will recieve a pass certificate with your photo attached and an envelope. I took these to my local Gestor, (you give them another passport photo) and asked them to post off to Malaga, in a few weeks they will call me to say my new European Driving Licence has arrived. The medical cost me 48 euros, not too sure yet what the Gestor will charge. Everyone was so helpful.


----------



## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

What a lovely positive story! Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

Welcome to the forum by the way.


----------



## Classified (May 9, 2010)

Thanks


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Hi!
Glad you got some help and good to see you on the forum. I must say 48 euros seems a lot for the medical. I've got to get mine done this year I think, but I hope it doesn't cost me that much.


----------



## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Hi!
> Glad you got some help and good to see you on the forum. I must say 48 euros seems a lot for the medical. I've got to get mine done this year I think, but I hope it doesn't cost me that much.


Heavy Goods medical is more expensive than one for just a car (hence 48euro)
BTW the same in the UK is at least 100pounds.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

playamonte said:


> Heavy Goods medical is more expensive than one for just a car (hence 48euro)
> BTW the same in the UK is at least 100pounds.


Ok Good.

I still think that almost everything is more expensive in the UK, so I'm not surprised!


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Excellent story & shows how helpful some people can be. Just a point when you renew a Spanish licence , once you have all the bits of paper you can take them all to the correos & they will add the renewal fee ( by giro ) & send the whole lot off for you after checking that it's all correct!


----------



## Classified (May 9, 2010)

Thanks, i will do that next time its due in 10 years


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Ok Good.
> 
> I still think that almost everything is more expensive in the UK, so I'm not surprised!


BTW, I did get my renewal in November and it was about 48 euros. That included the photos though which they did there and then. They didn't take my blood pressure. I got the new license about 10 days later in the post.
You can't do it through correos any more though.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> BTW, I did get my renewal in November and it was about 48 euros. That included the photos though which they did there and then. They didn't take my blood pressure. I got the new license about 10 days later in the post.
> You can't do it through correos any more though.


When your Spanish driving licence expires, you can now do the medical/aptitude test at a local medical centre with the new licence sent to you by post within a month. You no longer have to go to Trafico.

Read more at Suite101: Renewing a Spanish Driving Licence Avoiding Tráfico Headquarters Renewing a Spanish Driving Licence Avoiding Tráfico Headquarters


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

A 70-year-old friend has just had her driving licence renewed at the local Centro Medico (Chiclana de la Frontera) and offers this advice:

*Don't *wait till your old one has expired, especially if you are planning a trip to the UK, as a new one can take up to six weeks and you can't hire a car using the temporary document they give you.

Take with you: 

The original NIE/Residencia document
Passport
Old driving licence
Spectacles for driving, if you use them

The doctor gave her an eye test, took her blood pressure, and asked for a brief medical history (what medication she was on, any major operations etc)

The aptitude test consisted of two short co-ordination exercises on a computer screen. One involved pressing a button when you estimate a ball will reach the end of a track, and the other involved keeping two balls within two tracks using joysticks. They weren't difficult but you have to concentrate.

The cost was €20 for over-70s or pensioners, €30 otherwise, and that included the photos which were taken in the Centro Medico.


----------

