Residency Certificates for EU residents

I just tried to give my opinion Crookesey based on my own experience here. Anyone else must feel free to offer their own opinion or analysis. I dont think Spain is now exceeding their remit as what they are doing was actually given in the court judgement. For example, Spain must recognise all EU model driving licenses from other EU countries, but they can impose the medical requirements equivalent to the Spanish licence holders. I recently did the so-called medical which gave Trafico a bit of a problem as they had no established system to record my "pass" but they did issue a stamped "validation" or certificate of homologation sent to me in the post which keeps my UK licence 100% valid here for the next 5 years. There is so much controversy about what you do and don't have to do, sometimes it is useful for those not yet moved to Spain to understand a little more of the picture.

[morlandg]

"Spain was taken to EU court for things like demanding that non-Spanish EU citizens have to exchange their drivign licence for a Spanish one. They lost but they can and do insist on applying equivalent rules for resident EU extranjeros as if they were Spanish nationals."
El Capitan - I exchanged my UK driving licence for a spanish one some five years ago. I am currently renewing it. I have had the medical and am waiting for the licence to arrive in the post. Is there any way of reclaiming my UK driving licence?

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by crookesey

El Capitan has actually told us why we require certain documentation as against other posts that simply tell us what we should have without giving a reason.

I think I've explained it before on the forum elsewhere on a few occasions. New arrivals in Spain often assume that its not a requirement, and I'm sure there are a huge amount of Expats that have still not registered as residents. Around here I've often asked people and they look at me blankly , but then again they look at me blankly when I mention a few rules and regulations in Spain and often get quite aggravated, so I dont broach the subjects much now!

Originally Posted by morlandg

El Capitan - I exchanged my UK driving licence for a spanish one some five years ago. I am currently renewing it. I have had the medical and am waiting for the licence to arrive in the post. Is there any way of reclaiming my UK driving licence?

morlandg, once you have exchanged a UK licence for a Spanish one, the only way you can revert back to a UK licence is to apply back in the UK with a UK address to switch back. DVLA insist you have a UK address for your licence but they do not insist on any residency status as such. They will not issue a UK licence to an address outside the UK. If you are resident in Spain then you will still need to comply with the equivalent medical checks even with a UK licence.

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by El Capitan

morlandg, once you have exchanged a UK licence for a Spanish one, the only way you can revert back to a UK licence is to apply back in the UK with a UK address to switch back. DVLA insist you have a UK address for your licence but they do not insist on any residency status as such. They will not issue a UK licence to an address outside the UK. If you are resident in Spain then you will still need to comply with the equivalent medical checks even with a UK licence.

Which actually highlights a serious consideration.

If you have a UK licence here in Spain with a Spanish address as a resident .... if you lose your licence, the DVLA will not issue you with another one, and the Spanish wont give you one as you dont have a UK licence. So would you have to take your test in Spain to get a Spanish Licence? Thats what I'm told

Indeed Stravinsky, if you do not have an address to use in the UK you would be right. I have to suggest though, that there are few if any british ex-pats in Spain without a UK address they could use. It does not have to be your primary place of residence, just an address through which the DVLA or anyone else regarding your licence can contact you. A more serious concern for me is if I did swap my UK licence to a Spanish one, I would lose entitlement to drive certain vehicle categories which I have by default having held my UK licence for over 40 years. On a recent holiday in the Carribean I also found that the particular car hire company accepted my UK licence but would not have accepted a Spanish one.

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by El Capitan

Indeed Stravinsky, if you do not have an address to use in the UK you would be right. I have to suggest though, that there are few if any british ex-pats in Spain without a UK address they could use. It does not have to be your primary place of residence, just an address through which the DVLA or anyone else regarding your licence can contact you. A more serious concern for me is if I did swap my UK licence to a Spanish one, I would lose entitlement to drive certain vehicle categories which I have by default having held my UK licence for over 40 years. On a recent holiday in the Carribean I also found that the particular car hire company accepted my UK licence but would not have accepted a Spanish one.

I couldn't agree more. As time goes by I realise how wrong I was to change one or two things to my Spanish postal address. If you have a UK address, keep it ... even if it is a relations.

Likewise if you have a UK bank account and are moving abroad, keep it open as it is becoming impossible to open a new bank account without loads of "proof of residency" documents, utility bills and suck like but you can keep an existing account open and most banks will send statements to an address abroad. Unless you really have no use for a UK bank account that is. At the moment it is better rates of interest in UK deposit than any Spanish bank I can find.

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by El Capitan

A more serious concern for me is if I did swap my UK licence to a Spanish one, I would lose entitlement to drive certain vehicle categories which I have by default having held my UK licence for over 40 years.

This ime happens all over unless you're careful. If it's marked on your UK licence - you have the right to them here. If you've an old GREEN licence - you might want to get a pink one from DVLC anyway!.

You MUST take a copy and have it certified as a TRUE LIKENESS before handing it over for a Spanish one. Thus if they leave one off you can demand it be reinstated. "Trafico" are I'm told better than the DVLC a this. If your Spanish is poor - get a GESTORIA to do it

So far I've swapped UK-German-Spanish-German-Spanish and in the process actually GAINED a TAXI permit - sadly though I let it slide as i simply could not be bothered to renew.

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by El Capitan

...but you can keep an existing account open and most banks will send statements to an address abroad.

Be aware though that Spanish Inland Revenue WILL BE ADVISED of this (under the European Savings Directive) if the account has not been held more than a certain time and can be used to show that you are "resident" here.

I am aware of somebody whose Spanish accounts were frozen temporarily upon suspicion of such.

I'm TOLD that this may even be extended to long held accounts soon.

More and more I find less reasons to keep a UK address.