[Barriej]

It appears that the exchange fiasco has been finalised.

As of 28th Feb 2022 if you have a UK issued licence and haven't been able to exchange or you arrive here after that date you will need to take a test.

Canje, sustitución y renovación de permisos del Reino Unido

sede.dgt.gob.es

And here is a screen grab from the DGT...

 

[xabiaxica]

It appears that the exchange fiasco has been finalised.

As of 28th Feb 2022 if you have a UK issued licence and haven't been able to exchange or you arrive here after that date you will need to take a test.

Canje, sustitución y renovación de permisos del Reino Unido

sede.dgt.gob.es

And here is a screen grab from the DGT...

View attachment 100958

I suspect this is just the DGT confirming what we were told just after Xmas, having just updated the website.

There might yet be an agreement I imagine, but that said, it would certainly be great if this were the final word on the matter. At least everyone would know where they stand.

 

[MataMata]

I agree, it's not conclusive of anything else.

As of 28th Feb 2022 if you have a UK issued licence and haven't been able to exchange or you arrive here after that date you will need to take a test.

Those are your words not DGT's.

Nothing new here, move along!

 

[Barriej]

I agree, it's not conclusive of anything else.



Those are your words not DGT's.

Nothing new here, move along!

Did you check the DGT website...It was clear on there and thats where I copied it from...

Think its about time I stopped posting on here..
So I will be moving along as suggested..

 

[kaipa]

I agree, it's not conclusive of anything else.



Those are your words not DGT's.

Nothing new here, move along!

Información importante
A partir del 1 de marzo de 2022, el régimen de los permisos de conducir expedidos por las autoridades británicas será el previsto para los permisos expedidos a terceros países extracomunitarios.
Los permisos de conducir emitidos por las autoridades británicas serán válidos para conducir en España durante el plazo de seis meses, desde la entrada de su titular o desde la fecha de obtención

These are DGT's words. Seems pretty definitive to me in Spanish.

 

[timwip]

I agree, it's not conclusive of anything else.



Those are your words not DGT's.



Nothing new here, move along!

You could apologize for your terse answer resulting from not taking the time to read Barriej´s post.

 

[MataMata]

Información importante
A partir del 1 de marzo de 2022, el régimen de los permisos de conducir expedidos por las autoridades británicas será el previsto para los permisos expedidos a terceros países extracomunitarios.
Los permisos de conducir emitidos por las autoridades británicas serán válidos para conducir en España durante el plazo de seis meses, desde la entrada de su titular o desde la fecha de obtención

These are DGT's words. Seems pretty definitive to me in Spanish.

Firstly that's not what Barrie said and secondly it completely ignores the explanation which followed which reiterates the facts of the matter which are that those who registered for an exchange before the Dec 2020 deadline will still get an exchange (eventually) and those who came - or come - later will have 6 months to take a test.

No change in anything then and not a finalisation as talks on an exchange agreement are, we are assured, ongoing.

 

[xabiaxica]

Firstly that's not what Barrie said and secondly it completely ignores the explanation which followed which reiterates the facts of the matter which are that those who registered for an exchange before the Dec 2020 deadline will still get an exchange (eventually) and those who came - or come - later will have 6 months to take a test.

No change in anything then and not a finalisation as talks on an exchange agreement are, we are assured, ongoing.

As I understand it, the extension to the end of Feb is for those who registered before the end of Dec 2020.
Anyone who moved here after that date has 6 months in which to take a the test after the issue of their TIE. The TIE must be applied for within one month of arrival.

For the sake of clarity, the visa itself is only for entry; it doesn't confer right to reside, although since the TIE requirements have to be met to obtain the visa, it's unlikely thata TIE wouldn't be issued.

The point I'm trying to make is that one can't come to Spain with a visa & just stay without gettting the TIE, thus avoiding the need to take a driving test if one wishes to continue driving, as I read someone suggested on another forum.

 

[xabiaxica]

This seems to confirm my take on it

https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/posts/295399049287314

 

[SanDan007]

Hola, hello...apologies for gatecrashing your licence conflab...im a brand new resident and forum user and cannot work out how i am supposed to do my First, intro thread before i can message someone about something specific, so i'v just looked for an interesting thread and hoping for the best...tally-ho, into the breach...

 

[xabiaxica]

LATEST UPDATE

Update on driving licence negotiations
Some of you have been in touch to ask about the ongoing driving licence negotiations, so we wanted to provide a brief update.
Firstly, we want to recognise the anxiety this is causing those of you who hadn’t already exchanged your UK licence for a Spanish one (or registered your intent to do so) before 30 December 2020 or who have arrived in Spain since then. As you would expect, we can’t go into detail on the negotiations, except to say that they are continuing and both sides remain committed to reaching an agreement that will enable UK Nationals who are resident in Spain to exchange their UK licence for a Spanish one without needing to take a practical test.
We recognise your concern about the upcoming 30 April cut-off point, which is when the current grace period runs out, and we have asked Spain for an extension that will give us enough time to reach a final agreement and avoid a further cliff edge in the future. What we cannot do is guarantee when or whether an agreement will be reached. Therefore, if it is essential for you to drive, you may not want to wait for the outcome of the ongoing negotiations and you may decide to apply for a Spanish driving licence now. This involves taking both a practical and theory test. You can find out more about the process on the DGT site, where the information is also available in English: https://sede.dgt.gob.es/.../permiso-conducir/index.shtml.
We will continue to keep you updated with the latest information on this page and at gov.uk/livinginspain, where you can sign up for alerts, so that you are notified of any changes.
This message only applies to UK Nationals living in Spain. Visitors can continue to use their UK licence to drive in Spain without the need for an International Driving Permit.

https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/posts/357242616436290

 

[woodbine]

Out of interest, is it possible to take both the practical and theory parts of the Spanish driving test without being able to speak Spanish?

 

[xabiaxica]

Out of interest, is it possible to take both the practical and theory parts of the Spanish driving test without being able to speak Spanish?

Not with no Spanish at all, since the practical is in Spanish, so one would at least have to have learned the basic instructions that the examiner will use.

 

[kaipa]

I have heard that some schools are trying to teach students the Spanish you might hear- but to be honest if you have not been in Spain long I dont think that would work too well despite the logic. Recognising instructions ( even a limited number) in a foreign language is not easy if you have had no exposure to it. Pick a language like Swedish and just try recognising days of the week or numbers 1-10. You will find it very hard to just recognize them never mind produce them and that's just 7 words. Now try recognising lots of possible sentences with numerous variations- very hard

 

[xabiaxica]

No agreement has been reached yet, so for anyone who has lived in Spain for more than 6 months & is using a UK issued licence, it will be illegal to drive here, as of tomorrow.

Brits in Spain - *An update from HMA Hugh Elliott on...

18K views, 67 likes, 1 loves, 578 comments, 378 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Brits in Spain: *An update from HMA Hugh Elliott on driving licence...

fb.watch

 

[Man le-mans]

You can still drive on UK license as a Tourist up to 6 months. But if you’re a resident with a UK license you can’t. I’m guessing because Spain don’t want to lose the hire car business from the airports which is obviously very big business from UK tourists.
The next thing is lorry drivers traveling internationally is acceptable.
Im guessing Spain is trying to get as much money in as possible.with driving test and lessons

 

[stevesainty]

You can still drive on UK license as a Tourist up to 6 months. But if you’re a resident with a UK license you can’t. I’m guessing because Spain don’t want to lose the hire car business from the airports which is obviously very big business from UK tourists.
The next thing is lorry drivers traveling internationally is acceptable.
Im guessing Spain is trying to get as much money in as possible.with driving test and lessons

I believe the main obstacle is the lack of access by DGT to DVLA in UK to verify that the UK licence is valid and able to be exchanged. Gov UK is not bothered that Spanish residents that are UK citizens cannot now drive, serve them right for moving to Spain attitude.

 

[Man le-mans]

I’m not sure that’s the case because the UK let the spainish residence drive in the UK and exchange their license to allow the license to be valid
Spain reply on tourist as well as a lot of people living here from different countries

 

[stevesainty]

I’m not sure that’s the case because the UK let the spainish residence drive in the UK and exchange their license to allow the license to be valid

But that is DVLA accessing DGT, not necessarily a two way street.

 

[xabiaxica]

You can still drive on UK license as a Tourist up to 6 months. But if you’re a resident with a UK license you can’t. I’m guessing because Spain don’t want to lose the hire car business from the airports which is obviously very big business from UK tourists.
The next thing is lorry drivers traveling internationally is acceptable.
Im guessing Spain is trying to get as much money in as possible.with driving test and lessons

Once you have been in Spain for 90+ consecutive days you are no longer a tourist.

A 3rd country citizen would have needed to secure a visa before coming & an EU citizen is required to register as resident.

The licence rules for residents have never been the same as for tourists. A tourist can hardly be expected to change their driving licence to a Spanish one.