# driving license



## weatherwatcher (Nov 27, 2011)

a neighbour has just been stopped by the Guardia and told that if he has residencia that he should have a Spanish license and not be driving with his UK license. We were under the impression that if you had a EU 2 part license ie; the plastic photo card with the stars on and the paper bit that goes with it that this was perfectly legal here in Spain. We live in Cartagena Murcia , does anyone know if this is so. This neighbour was also fined 100 euros as they told him his itv was out of date, his sticker on his car is for february and his last itv was february but he was told that the original paperwork says it was due in january, so be warned. If you've been out of the country when your itv was due, the date of renewal is not 2 years from when you next have it inspected.


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## weatherwatcher (Nov 27, 2011)

*apology - driving license*

my apologies for the new thread about driving license, sorry, hadn't read all the other links and replies etc, but good to read all the replies and still very confused.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

The law is that you do not need to exchange your UK photo licence, but you cant renew a UK licence with the DVLA if you are not a UK resident.

So in effect you have to renew it to a Spanish one when it expires (every 10 years).
Of course you can change it to Spanish any time you like before it expires, but based on what you have told us, your friend wasnt fined for the licence, but for the ITV

Taken from the UK In Spain

Driving licences and vehicles

_Replacing or renewing your UK licence within Spain
You should bear in mind that once your UK photocard licence expires you will not be able to renew this with the DVLA if you are residing in Spain so you may wish to convert you licence over to a Spanish before it expires. Similarly, if your licence is lost or stolen you will not be able to replace it through the DVLA if you reside in Spain. You can apply to the DVLA for a ´Certificate of entitlement' in Spanish that can be used to apply for a Spanish driving licence._


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

I think the due date of an ITV is calculated from the date of registration, not the date of the last test ( like a UK MOT). Presumably this why it was overdue.


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## jonmlb748 (Oct 30, 2011)

the itv starts from the day your vehicle passed its test,therefore a sticker that says feb 2013 finishes the same day in that month that it passed its itv,not the end of the month. dont really understand how your friends itv can be expired before at the earliest the 1st of feb.theres a hole punched into the month of expiration.


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Your itv expires on the date of your previous itv and they always contact you by post way before the next due date im affraid your friend was a idiot and deserved the fine on your documents it clearly states the date


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

tonyinspain said:


> Your itv expires on the date of your previous itv and they always contact you by post way before the next due date im affraid your friend was a idiot and deserved the fine on your documents it clearly states the date



In our experience, for any of our cars, this has NEVER happened - so do NOT expect it to happen.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

snikpoh said:


> In our experience, for any of our cars, this has NEVER happened - so do NOT expect it to happen.


Not for me either, in fact I nearly missed the last one as I stupidly assumed it covered the whole month shown on the sticker


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> In our experience, for any of our cars, this has NEVER happened - so do NOT expect it to happen.


Must depend on where you live. We are in Andalucía and we have always had our reminder in the post and think it is much better than in UK


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## wiggytheone (Dec 3, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> Must depend on where you live. We are in Andalucía and we have always had our reminder in the post and think it is much better than in UK


Must be whereabouts you live, as we live in Andalucia to and have never received notification for any of our cars, simple answer make sure you know the rules and regulations regarding you car ITV,Tax Driving Licence, Insurance etc etc simples :juggle:


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

I bought my car new, and the first ITV was due in May 2011, and I received a letter in March or April.


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## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Has to be location i live in Catalunya but i go to andorra for the itv and they always send a reminder by post so yes it must be location based and as my car is over 10 yrs i go every 6 months but still the date is clear on your documents hope this clears it up


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