# Changing UK to Spanish driving licence - categories?



## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

I have a UK plastic licence valid for a good few years yet, but given the new medical and registration requirements after 2 years of residency in Spain I wonder if I might as well just change it for a Spanish licence. However, years ago I had to change it in Switzerland (then to Ireland, another story, since that was administratively medieval) and wound up losing a lot of the used-to-be-standard UK categories (16 seat minibus, large van, 50 cc moped) that I only got back years later back in the UK.

Does anyone know how the UK-Spanish exchange works? Do they leave you with the same categories as the UK licence, or cull them to whatever a Spanish person woudl be newly issued with (which presumably will be the newer EU norm of max. 9 persons or whatever)?

Thanks!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

gcumming said:


> I have a UK plastic licence valid for a good few years yet, but given the new medical and registration requirements after 2 years of residency in Spain I wonder if I might as well just change it for a Spanish licence. However, years ago I had to change it in Switzerland (then to Ireland, another story, since that was administratively medieval) and wound up losing a lot of the used-to-be-standard UK categories (16 seat minibus, large van, 50 cc moped) that I only got back years later back in the UK.
> 
> Does anyone know how the UK-Spanish exchange works? Do they leave you with the same categories as the UK licence, or cull them to whatever a Spanish person woudl be newly issued with (which presumably will be the newer EU norm of max. 9 persons or whatever)?
> 
> Thanks!



There is NO requirement to change your license after two years - unless it's the old paper one!

Anyone driving in Spain on a UK license MUST follow the Spanish rules and have a medical irrespective of whether they change their license.

The categories remain 'basically' the same. If the moped is left off, this is NOT a problem as you are covered by default with a car license (EU rules). I also lost the 16 seater and large van but really wasn't too bothered.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> There is NO requirement to change your license after two years - unless it's the old paper one!
> 
> Anyone driving in Spain on a UK license MUST follow the Spanish rules and have a medical irrespective of whether they change their license.
> 
> The categories remain 'basically' the same. If the moped is left off, this is NOT a problem as you are covered by default with a car license (EU rules). I also lost the 16 seater and large van but really wasn't too bothered.


I had the full 16 seater (i.e. for hire or reward) and I was asked if I wanted to keep that (so there must be an option - maybe you have to take a Spanish test) but I didn't so I declined. Interestingly Neither SWMBO, nor I had to take a medical and neither have two others we know of when exchanging UK to Spanish licences.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> I had the full 16 seater (i.e. for hire or reward) and I was asked if I wanted to keep that (so there must be an option - maybe you have to take a Spanish test) but I didn't so I declined. Interestingly Neither SWMBO, nor I had to take a medical and neither have two others we know of when exchanging UK to Spanish licences.


Not at the time of exchange, I agree. The assumption by the Spanish is that you must have had a medical to hold a UK licence. However, to follow the law in Spain, you must have a regular medical (frequency is determined by age) whether you have a UK licence or a Spanish one.


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> There is NO requirement to change your license after two years - unless it's the old paper one!
> 
> Anyone driving in Spain on a UK license MUST follow the Spanish rules and have a medical irrespective of whether they change their license.
> 
> The categories remain 'basically' the same. If the moped is left off, this is NOT a problem as you are covered by default with a car license (EU rules). I also lost the 16 seater and large van but really wasn't too bothered.


Thanks - but I do know there is no obligation to change a valid UK license. However, given that they seem in some regions at least to be taking a stricter interpretation of medical rules etc with UK licence holders who register their licence (as is obligatory after two years), I wondered if it might be easier just to change now, since I will have to eventually in any case once the photocard expires.

Sounds like I will lose the 16-seat and large van categories; not that I generally use them (haven´t driven a 16-seater in years, but in university it was great for taking clubs to the mountains!) but more that "you never know"!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

gcumming said:


> Thanks - but I do know there is no obligation to change a valid UK license. However, given that they seem in some regions at least to be taking a stricter interpretation of medical rules etc with UK licence holders who register their licence (as is obligatory after two years), I wondered if it might be easier just to change now, since I will have to eventually in any case once the photocard expires.
> 
> Sounds like I will lose the 16-seat and large van categories; not that I generally use them (haven´t driven a 16-seater in years, but in university it was great for taking clubs to the mountains!) but more that "you never know"!


You're contradicting your self - there is no need/obligation to change a UK licence after 2 years or to register it! I simply can't stress this enough - you do NOT have to do anything with a plastic licence until it expires.


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## gcumming (Apr 19, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> You're contradicting your self - there is no need/obligation to change a UK licence after 2 years or to register it! I simply can't stress this enough - you do NOT have to do anything with a plastic licence until it expires.


I was led to believe that there is now (since Jan 2013) a requirement for holders of expirable foreign licences to register with the Spanish authorities, take a medical (the basis for the law, since Spanisards have to have one every 10 year or something like that) and also become subject to the Spanish points system (though how the latter works in practice, I have no idea!).

Expat drivers in Spain required to take medical test | Spain’s news in English | the Olive Press

New driving licence rules in Spain from 19 January 2013

EUR-Lex - 32006L0126 - EN

However, as can be seen in the second of these links, it all seems a bit woolly, as with many laws! Sounds to me like the confusion arises based on how the UK licence is considered - valid till 70, with periodic renewals based of photocard but not licence, or renewable every ten years (as the photocard) - since there is automatic entitlement to renew, it may be the former, but since the card has an expiry date, it may be the latter.....plus it sounds like DGTs in different areas have different opinions (and perhaps on different days!).

Does anyone have a definitive, recent, up to date reference for who the law actually applies to? If there´s no obligation to register, then I wouldn´t do so, but I can´t seem to find anything definitive that says one way or the other.

From the EU directive:

"When the holder of a valid national driving licence without the administrative validity period set out in Article 7(2) takes up normal residence in a Member State other than that which issued the driving licence, the host Member State may apply to the licence the administrative validity periods set out in that Article by renewing the driving licence, as from 2 years after the date on which the holder has taken up normal residence on its territory."

Hmm, that´s a bit vague


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## jacquese (Apr 13, 2014)

Sorry to beat a dead horse here - but I am trying to purchase a car from an Audi dealer here in Sant Cugat and they are telling me that I need to switch out my UK license to a Spanish license or have it 'validated' by the RACC club of Spain. 

This goes against everything I have read. Are they just being difficult ? My UK license expires in 2022. 

Cheers,
Jacques


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jacquese said:


> Sorry to beat a dead horse here - but I am trying to purchase a car from an Audi dealer here in Sant Cugat and they are telling me that I need to switch out my UK license to a Spanish license or have it 'validated' by the RACC club of Spain.
> 
> This goes against everything I have read. Are they just being difficult ? My UK license expires in 2022.
> 
> ...


:welcome:

yes, they're being difficult, as long as you have a photo license, as I imagine you do?


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## jacquese (Apr 13, 2014)

Correct - its a brand new issue license. Had it renew just before I moved over 2 weeks ago.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jacquese said:


> Correct - its a brand new issue license. Had it renew just before I moved over 2 weeks ago.


even non-residents can buy cars, & they wouldn't have to have a Spanish driving license


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

gcumming said:


> From the EU directive:
> 
> "When the holder of a valid national driving licence without the administrative validity period set out in Article 7(2) takes up normal residence in a Member State other than that which issued the driving licence, the host Member State may apply to the licence the administrative validity periods set out in that Article by renewing the driving licence, as from 2 years after the date on which the holder has taken up normal residence on its territory."
> 
> Hmm, that´s a bit vague


Nothing vague about it. It says, "If you have a licence issued by another EU country which has no expiry date on it (doesn't apply to you, if you have a UK photocard licence) your new EU country of residence can apply the validity periods to the licence after its first renewal which will occur two years from the date on which the holder took up residence"


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## jacquese (Apr 13, 2014)

Thank you for the quick responses ! Really appreciate it..


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