# Changing from British to Spanish driving license.



## passiflora (Jun 28, 2012)

We went to Trafico in Cartagena 8 months ago to change our licenses as they expire soon and we are resident in Spain. We were given a slip of paper to show should we ever get stopped. On Sunday we decided that tomorrow we were going to go back to Trafico and ask about our license applications when lo and behold, the postman delivered another temporary license this morning. These are on a little piece of yellowy card and are valid until August this year. I suppose we should be grapefruit that something is happening after all this time but our excitement has yet to reach fever pitch.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

passiflora said:


> We went to Trafico in Cartagena 8 months ago to change our licenses as they expire soon and we are resident in Spain. We were given a slip of paper to show should we ever get stopped. On Sunday we decided that tomorrow we were going to go back to Trafico and ask about our license applications when lo and behold, the postman delivered another temporary license this morning. These are on a little piece of yellowy card and are valid until August this year. I suppose we should be *grapefruit* that something is happening after all this time but our excitement has yet to reach fever pitch.


Yes, I'd definitely be grapefruit .... every morning


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## mazlester (Oct 30, 2010)

Well that's a coincidence! My hubby returned to Cartegena Trafico last week and after seeing a couple of people walked out with a temp licence after being told that his permanent licence should arrive in a month. Not bad seeing as the original application was made in November! Anyway the day after he received ANOTHER temp licence with a different date on! Strange eh?


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## passiflora (Jun 28, 2012)

mazlester said:


> Well that's a coincidence! My hubby returned to Cartegena Trafico last week and after seeing a couple of people walked out with a temp licence after being told that his permanent licence should arrive in a month. Not bad seeing as the original application was made in November! Anyway the day after he received ANOTHER temp licence with a different date on! Strange eh?


Very strange!!!!


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

I had mine in a month or so! But that's Trafico in Granada and I used my Gestor to do it.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

XTreme said:


> I had mine in a month or so! But that's Trafico in Granada and I used my Gestor to do it.


Ours took three weeks in Jaén but that was in 2011. I think a lot of the delay is caused by DVLA in UK who have to do the confirmations as to validity to Spain. With the cuts in UK, as well as here, DVLA seem to put a low priority on D/L exchange requests from other countries.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

The temporary piece of paper normally only lasts 90 days.
A month should cover it , at the most.
You can contact the dvla in the UK & ask whether they have received a request from the spanish trafico.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

gus-lopez said:


> The temporary piece of paper normally only lasts 90 days.
> A month should cover it , at the most.
> You can contact the dvla in the UK & ask whether they have received a request from the spanish trafico.


That's a good point. My licence took 7 months and the delay was caused by the DVLA. Most people get a temporary licence lasting 3 months which is renewed if necessary. I had a piece of paper from trafico which had no date of expiry. After 7 months they then gave me a temporary licence, but the new Spanish licence came through 3 days later.


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## Guest (May 28, 2013)

I got my first Spanish drivers licence 5 years ago. The Trafico people in Jaen were really good and efficient. The licence expired last Sunday and I needed a renewal. Rather than have to drive to Jaen I was advised to go to Centro de Reconocimiento in Baeza. I went there last Thursday - impeccable service, an eyesight test, a few questions about medication and any recent operations, a photograph and I left with a 2-month covering document (for the ever-present Guardia) and was told that my new licence would be in the post within a month. Total cost 32 Euros! Happy Bunny.


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> Ours took three weeks in Jaén but that was in 2011. I think a lot of the delay is caused by DVLA in UK who have to do the confirmations as to validity to Spain. With the cuts in UK, as well as here, DVLA seem to put a low priority on D/L exchange requests from other countries.


Sounds like they wanted to get you and me off their books asap Baldy! That's fine by me!


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

*fruity!*



passiflora said:


> We went to Trafico in Cartagena 8 months ago to change our licenses as they expire soon and we are resident in Spain. We were given a slip of paper to show should we ever get stopped. On Sunday we decided that tomorrow we were going to go back to Trafico and ask about our license applications when lo and behold, the postman delivered another temporary license this morning. These are on a little piece of yellowy card and are valid until August this year. I suppose we should be grapefruit that something is happening after all this time but our excitement has yet to reach fever pitch.


Bet you felt like a lemon!


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