# Just a reminder for those still with UK driving licences.



## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

UK driving licence STOP DRIVING countdown


Countdown to Jul 1, 2021. Showing days, hours, minutes and seconds ticking down to 0




www.timeanddate.com


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

*Breaking news.*

Spain extends validity of UK driving licences until Oct 31st.

Spain extends certain Brexit adaptation measures to 31 October

There will still be those who fail to get off their backsides and do something about it!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MataMata said:


> *Breaking news.*
> 
> Spain extends validity of UK driving licences until Oct 31st.
> 
> ...


This is for those who had registered intention to exchange before the end of last year, as I understand it, so that they can continue to drive while the DGT offices are still trying to catch up with the exchanges.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Not so, read it again:

"Negotiations are currently under way on an agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom to regulate the mutual recognition of driver’s licences and procedures to recognise them, and hence, until such time as these requirements and procedures can be agreed upon for this mutual recognition, it is considered necessary to extend the term of validity of British driving licences in Spain."


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

MataMata said:


> Not so, read it again:
> 
> "Negotiations are currently under way on an agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom to regulate the mutual recognition of driver’s licences and procedures to recognise them, and hence, until such time as these requirements and procedures can be agreed upon for this mutual recognition, it is considered necessary to extend the term of validity of British driving licences in Spain."


Yes! I did just after I posted, but had to do a class, so couldn't comment! 

So anyone who can prove that they lived here before the end of last year & get a WA TIE, can continue driving until the end of October - or until an agreement is reached.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Not just WA beneficiaries, also those who have come since Jan 1st. on a visa.

They had 6 months to drive before having to take a Spanish test so if the extension does end in an exchange agreement then they too will be benefit from it.

Unfortunately with no guarantee of an agreement on or by Oct.31st. it could all be false hope and a disastrous waste of time which otherwise might have been spent taking a Spanish test.

The ones who will continue to dip out are the illegals but to who cares about them, not me.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Having now seen the original government release is seems that I was being too optimistic in my reading of the briefer piece I quoted.

It does still hold out some hope for non WA Brit immigrants because if indeed an agreement is reached, and implemented, before their 6 months run's out they too ought to be able to effect an exchange but it's a risk as time waiting to see if it pans out is time which could be spent studying for a Spanish licence.

Time will tell.

This is from the British Embassy's FB page.

"Validity of UK driving licences extended until 31 October 2021 * We know that many of you have been anxious that recognition of UK driving licences was set to end on 30 June. We are pleased that the Spanish Government announced yesterday that UK licences will continue to be recognised until 31 October 2021 for those of you who were resident in Spain before 31 December 2020, even if you did not obtain your residency document until after the end of the transition period. This extension applies whether you registered your intention to exchange your licence with the DGT before 30 December 2020 or not. You can see the Spanish government's announcement here:

Spain extends certain Brexit adaptation measures to 31 October

Please note that if you arrived after 1 January, your licence will only remain valid for six months from your arrival in Spain. This does not affect the current arrangements for the exchange of driving licences. If you do not register to exchange your licence with the DGT before 30 December 2020 and wish to exchange your UK driving licence now, you will need to follow the DGT process for non-EU nationals, which includes taking a driving test. However, negotiations are ongoing between the UK and Spanish governments on arrangements for the future exchange of UK driving licences without the need for a practical test. As soon as we have more information on this, we will share it here. And to keep up to date with the latest information on driving in Spain, please sign up for alerts at gov.uk/livinginspain"


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

MataMata said:


> If you do not register to exchange your licence with the DGT before 30 December 2020



And this one comment shows why you should take anything from that page with a pinch of salt.

It should have been so easy for them to have said.

'If you did not register to exchange'

I think its going to be ages before an agreement is forthcoming if ever, I doubt its very high on the Uk's list of things to do. 
If I were in charge I would be trying to ease any issues Uk citizens living in the Uk were having now, before worrying about a small percentage of migrants from the country.

The uk.gov website has had the 'we are talking to Spain about driving licences' on their page for ages now.

At the present time the Uk only has an exchange scheme with about 22 countries (or territories) and most of them aint the usual places the average Brit would move to (except maybe Canada, Australia or NZ), so you would be stuck with taking a test locally anyway.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

The UK.gov site has been updated but confusingly, and misleadingly, now says:

*Lost, stolen or expired UK licences*
If you live in Spain, you will not be able to renew your driving licence in the UK. If your UK licence is lost, stolen or expired, you will need to apply to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for a ‘certificate of entitlement’ to be able to apply for a Spanish driving licence.

If it were that simple the entire debacle would have been avoided, and could still be!






Living in Spain


Information for British citizens moving to or living in Spain, including guidance on residency, healthcare and passports.




www.gov.uk


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

I don't understand, even if you can , why if you've moved to another country on a permanent basis you'd keep your UK license. I'd rather get stopped with a Spanish one than a UK one for no other reason than no explanation needed.


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## Max Rigger (Aug 2, 2020)

The French are now recognising UK licences so hopefully Spain will follow suit.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Megsmum said:


> I'd rather get stopped with a Spanish one than a UK one for no other reason than no explanation needed.


Pre brex5hite if you played within the rules there was nothing to explain!



Max Rigger said:


> The French are now recognising UK licences so hopefully Spain will follow suit.


It's purely between UK & France though so nothing to necessarily pin hopes for Spain on.

In any case although they have reached an agreement it's yet to be implemented and that could take many months more - then there is the total dogs breakfast of ANTS to contend with!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I think the French agreement is that residents can use UK licence until its expiry date then they have to change to French one. So I guess it depends how long you have on your licence when you start your residency. Still its is good news and probably indicates that something similar will happen in Spain soon.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Before Brex5hite that had always been the case in France and followed the provisions of the EU directive which also said that national authorities could demand a licence exchange if an offence were committed carrying a loss of points.

Typically however for minor offences the French levied a fine but did not demand an exchange, this meant that so minded Brits could abuse the rules of the road with virtual impunity knowing that the worst that would happen was a relatively small fine, of course if coupled with driving a UK regged car impunity was near total unless you actually got caught in the act by the Gendarmes.

From living in France for over a decade I can tell you that for a significant number of Brits the above was a major influencing factor in them hanging onto their UK their licences for as long as possible and it's only now that Brex5ite is forcing them to do it.

You can imagine that my sympathy for that group potentially missing the boat so, to speak, and facing a French driving test has been minimal and that they have been undeservingly fortunate in France throwing them a lifeline.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Megsmum said:


> I don't understand, even if you can , why if you've moved to another country on a permanent basis you'd keep your UK license. I'd rather get stopped with a Spanish one than a UK one for no other reason than no explanation needed.


We all have our own experiences to go on, but in my case, as soon as I tried to take out an insurance policy in Spain I was told by the insurance companies that they couldn't accept the British license number (it really was as simple as the computer system didn't recognose the format / lacked space for so may digits), I had to have a Spanish licence in order to get insurance.
Legally I'm sure that it wasn't correct, but of course they don't have to sell a policy to anyone, so it was get a Spanish licence or not be able to get insurance! 
I'm amazed so many people "get by" without encountering such problems TBH.


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

When was that?

If current policy (groan) that's potentially going to b.ugger up non resident holiday home owners with Spanish regged cars kept here.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

That was in 2004. In theory I could have just looked for a different insurer but I could actually only find one who was prepared to insure me without any driving history in Spain, so had to go with them.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Overandout said:


> That was in 2004. In theory I could have just looked for a different insurer but I could actually only find one who was prepared to insure me without any driving history in Spain, so had to go with them.


Must mean the rules (or law) has changed because its the car thats insured here not the driver (although one must be specified) these days.

I purchased our car in August 2020 and insured it through Linda Direct. At no point in the telephone conversation was I asked about where my licence was issued (in fact, I said did they need a copy of my licence and was told no). 
In march when I recieved my Spanish licence, I phoned the help line and asked if they wanted a copy emailing to them, again was told no as its the car we insure.

(it does say in the small print that a copy of a valid licence may be asked for should you make a claim).

Ive just had my renewal and I contacted 3 other companies and none of them needed my licence either.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Well, yes and no. In Spain you have the policy holder and the "usual driver" then the vehicle insured is covered for other drivers depending on the criteria set out in the policy.
You cannot, for example, buy a Porsche 911, put your 65 year old dad as the policy holder and usual driver, then let your 19 year old son drive it around with the argument that "it is the vehicle that's insured".
I have 2 vehicles, one is a motorcycle and the policy excludes any other rider except the policy holder (i.e. me) and a classic car policy which also excludes any other driver other than those named in the policy (there are restrictions on those I can name also). So legally, I cannot let anyone drive either of my vehicles under the insurance coverage.


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## alpinist (Feb 8, 2009)

I'm the policy holder on my Spanish car insurance but anyone "not under 26" can drive the car with same cover as me under provision of what they call "voluntary coverage". I imagine there's a fair use clause in there somewhere to avoid fronting abuse, however it's all in English and not as detailed as I'd expect from a policy (Linea Directa too). I've been with four different insurers in Spain and France now and not one has asked for proof of no claims, they just took my word for it. I think only a couple of them have ever even asked to see my licence, though Linea Directa wanted photos of the first car and I've never had that before; weirdly they didn't want photos of the second car.

France operates (or operated, when I lived there until a few years ago) the same car-not-person approach and the most extreme demonstration of this was two acquaintances stopped because the car owner / driver had forgotten her licence. She was made to swap seats with a passenger who happened to be carrying one. The police were then satisfied legal and insurance requirements had been met and the passenger drove the car away. But the car was actually British registered and insured, and the passenger wasn't on the policy as a named driver. When in Rome...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

MataMata said:


> Pre brex5hite if you played within the rules there was nothing to explain!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think that would very much depend on who you got stopped by. As in any profession, some police officers/ traffic police/ guardia civiles know more about procedures than others. In some parts of Soria or Leon for example I doubt that they'd know what to do with a British licence and you might find yourself having to give an explanation


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Overandout said:


> Well, yes and no. In Spain you have the policy holder and the "usual driver" then the vehicle insured is covered for other drivers depending on the criteria set out in the policy.
> You cannot, for example, buy a Porsche 911, put your 65 year old dad as the policy holder and usual driver, then let your 19 year old son drive it around with the argument that "it is the vehicle that's insured".
> I have 2 vehicles, one is a motorcycle and the policy excludes any other rider except the policy holder (i.e. me) and a classic car policy which also excludes any other driver other than those named in the policy (there are restrictions on those I can name also). So legally, I cannot let anyone drive either of my vehicles under the insurance coverage.


Yes, our daughter just passed her test. She is using our car and we had to get the insurance changed as she is a higher risk band than us.


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## Do28 (Dec 21, 2010)

The Dutch RDW still change a UK licence without any test, just a paperwork swap. I just exchanged my Dutch driving licence for a Spanish one and while talking to them asked the question and was directed here to the likes below. I suspect there will be a longer term solution as more countries return to accepting them but the Spanish seem not to be prepared to flex at the moment and are making people take tests. One of my friends just did his, apparently top tip is do the written test in English not Spanish as its easier and thats coming from him who is Argentinian and a native Spanish speaker!!!! 😂





__





Exchanging a foreign driving licence


Do you have a foreign driving license and live in the Netherlands? Then you may first temporarily drive in the Netherlands with the foreign license. Then you must exchange the driving license through your municipality.




www.rdw.nl


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

flybe said:


> The Dutch RDW still change a UK licence without any test, just a paperwork swap. I just exchanged my Dutch driving licence for a Spanish one and while talking to them asked the question and was directed here to the likes below. I suspect there will be a longer term solution as more countries return to accepting them but the Spanish seem not to be prepared to flex at the moment and are making people take tests. One of my friends just did his, apparently top tip is do the written test in English not Spanish as its easier and thats coming from him who is Argentinian and a native Spanish speaker!!!! 😂
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The link you provide just details the previous arrangements that Holland had, in that list it states that they will exchange a Canadian licence. Something that Spain has never done.
So by that argument Canadian licence holders may get the same here at some point. 

Again this is something else that bothers me about the EU. It makes rules and then allows each country to interpret them how they wish (so what is the point of the EU as an organisation?)

At some point an agreement may be forthcoming but it will be decided by Spain, nobody else as the UK already acknowledges EU licences and they don't need to be exchanged.
I don't know if anyone has noticed but very few countries will exchange US licences (not even the UK) I wonder why?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Barriej said:


> The link you provide just details the previous arrangements that Holland had, in that list it states that they will exchange a Canadian licence. Something that Spain has never done.
> So by that argument Canadian licence holders may get the same here at some point.
> 
> Again this is something else that bothers me about the EU. It makes rules and then allows each country to interpret them how they wish (so what is the point of the EU as an organisation?)
> ...


All EU countries are free to decide how they deal with 3rd countries as far as immigration is concerned - how they deal with 3rd country driving licences of their residents is part of that.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Barriej said:


> I don't know if anyone has noticed but very few countries will exchange US licences (not even the UK) I wonder why?


I think there are two issues with licences issued in US. It is State-specific, so some EU countries will exchange some State licences, but not others. Also there is a feeling that US driving test isn't tough enough (without specifying the state), so there is a risk in allowing US citizens to exchange their licence without tests.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

xabiaxica said:


> All EU countries are free to decide how they deal with 3rd countries as far as immigration is concerned - how they deal with 3rd country driving licences of their residents is part of that.


Not wishing to go round and round with this, but what then is the point in having a centralised law and rule making machine, that then just allows everyone to do what they want anyway?

My 2c and Im out of the room...


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## Do28 (Dec 21, 2010)

Barriej said:


> The link you provide just details the previous arrangements that Holland had, in that list it states that they will exchange a Canadian licence. Something that Spain has never done.
> So by that argument Canadian licence holders may get the same here at some point.
> 
> Again this is something else that bothers me about the EU. It makes rules and then allows each country to interpret them how they wish (so what is the point of the EU as an organisation?)
> ...


That link is current and the situation as it stands right now according to the RDW. The UK is listed as a non EU country that Holland will convert a licence from at the bottom of the table. 

I think the answer on the US is they are not overly impressed with the standard of driving! When I did my US test in Florida I literally drove round the block on my own! Got back got given a pass form that I walked back into the office with and walked out with my Florida Driving licence!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Barriej said:


> Not wishing to go round and round with this, but what then is the point in having a centralised law and rule making machine, that then just allows everyone to do what they want anyway?
> 
> My 2c and Im out of the room...


There IS no centralised law regarding immigration from 3rd countries.

Each EU country has the 'sovereign right' to make its own rules in that regard.

A fact that many leave voters failed to understand. 

The EU is about how the countries in that 'club' treat each other & their citizens.


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