Driving lessons?
 

Can anyone tell me if I will be able to find driving lessons in English in the Malaga area? I have started to learn here(UK), only about 6 lessons, and want to continue when I move to Spain. Will help me to be able to drive on the right when I visit my daughter in the States. Also how much are driving lessons per hour in Spain?

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Hi,
I dont know but i was wondering do you know what the age is for starting driving lessons on moped and car.
Thanks xx

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Hi Miss Naughty,

No I don't know, maybe younger than UK? I am planning to ride my bicycle mostly, and take the odd taxi when I need to carry something heavy, if I can afford to. I am a bit wary of motorbikes and scooters, however I'm told that quad bikes are popular and safer than two wheeled vehicles. Also you only need a motorbike licence (I think) and it would be nice to have the independence that motorised transport brings.

You must be getting close to your moving date Miss N, you excited? I will be going over to sign deeds on 30th January. I know that I am excited about the reality coming closer, but feel oddly detached from it. Still in the throws of selling my flat here, so neither here nor there, sort of no mans land.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Hi,
we leave on the 27th driving over and now getting very excited.
Still worrying if everything will be done on time.
With sorting stuff out this end and the little one has been ill since friday. We have ended up in hospital with her twice over the weekend. She seems to be picking up a bit now so hoping i can get bits done tomorrow xxx

Re: Driving lessons?
 

You have to take a theory test first. That will be in Spanish of course. You will need to be fluent to pass as the vocab is very technical.

A friend of mine is currently taking lessons (in Spanish). She had to pay a lump sum up front (something like 300 euros). She attends theory classes for X amount of weeks and then when she has passed the theory she will be allowed out in the car. They seem to take 3 students out at once and rotate the driving!! They don´t charge per hour here.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Hi,
do you know what the age is for car and moped thanks

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Take the lessons and test in Gib - they drive on the right but your classes will be in English

Re: Driving lessons?
 

18 for a car, 14 for a moped.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Is it really 14????????
Bloody hell

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Hi to all,

Thanks for your input. Gib sounds like a good idea. Although I can manage fairly basic Spanish, probably couldn't manage anything technical, particularly up to speed.

Miss N, Hope your little one is better. I'm just starting to pack. My buyers want to complete in 6 weeks if possible, so I have to move into temporary accommodation for a couple of months until I finish work. I am beginning to get a sense that time is getting shorter :eek:

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Hi,
well we 11 day's left and one minute it seems age's away. But i know come the weekend next week will fly.

Little one we had thought was starting to pick up but she managed to eat another bit of toast and then was ill again. So know school again tomorrow.
Anyway hope the sale goes through ok. xxxx

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Yeah, it always looks quite funny when you see all the school kids in full uniform driving around two or three up on their scooters. Just doesnt seem right somehow. It explains why scooter drivers have no road sense whatsoever and seem to think that the pavements are equally as valid for driving on as the roads themselves. (One of my bug bears about Spain!),:mad:

Re: Driving lessons?
 

be careful if your thinking of doing this. the licence is not vaild in all countries. also the actual amount of driving knowledge and skill you will get is poor compared to other Eu countries.

the current Gib moped test is riding from the test center to the Rock Casino with out stalling and not crashing. not exactly going to make you a safe road user.

then there is the fact you have to have a Gib ID card to apply for a Gib licence as i found out when i moved here, which means over 6 months proof of living in Gib.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Re the validity of the licence, that's no problem as Spain insists that all foreigners convert their licence to a Spanish one after (I think) 6 months.

Re the proof of living. Know of someone who was living in the Algarve, hooked up with someone down in Gib just to use their address. Went back to Algarve and after the qualification time had passed (don't know how long that was but six months sounds about right) went back to Gib to do the lessons and test.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

they may think they need to but, you needn't change your license, if you have the photo card license then you can get it stamped at the traffico, but you don't even need to do that, the photocard license is valid, under EU law in all member states.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Read all about it by clicking a link in Euro driving licences on HERE

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Not too familiar with legal matters but I think if you are a visitor your UK driving license if fine. But I had a conversation with some Spanish friends of mine who were saying that the new driving laws that came in a few years back went against the EU. In effect the law said that a Spaniard can go anywhere in Europe on his Spanish license and not be forced to change it (as is EU wide practise) but doing it the other way around Spain insists on the change (although I know many who haven't). Unusually, my friends were "fighting our corner" saying it was arrogant of Spain to do this.

I got stopped a couple of years back and was told by the Guardia Civil who knew I had been around here for considerably longer than 6 months told me I had to change my license and let me off with a warning.

Some guys I know simply applied for a new UK license from DVLA saying that they'd lost the previous one and submitted the "lost" one to trafico and keeping their own, renewed license as back-up.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

JDR
That link did not work we got redirected back to the front page. When we done a search for ‘Driving Licence’ it came up with some thing like 5000 plus subjects!!!

Our experience…

We both have Dutch Licences. (A long story for Ian, being English). And all we had done was our NIF and address added to the back. However there is an expiry date. So what happens then we don’t know. Either we have to change to a Spanish one, which seems to go against the EU principle, or we get another stamp.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Sorry about that, it was a link I had in my favs from a while ago.

I got to it by clicking a link in Euro driving licences on here
It still works ok, I think, well it does on my PC. LOL It is a pdf file, if you dont have a PDF reader then download FOXIT READER

Re: Driving lessons?
 

are you sure about that? thought as the address on record is your old uk address that makes the licence/EU card invalid unless etched with your N.I.F. number. :confused:

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Read my link.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Northsammi has made an interesting point though which isn´t covered in your link. Your UK driving licence (which is valid according to the link) would contain a false address.

I suppose if you contact DVLC to update your address to a spanish one they would just invalidate licence?

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Read part 2 and also part 3 section 2.
The directive brought in was to cover not having to change to a Spanish or whatever part of the EU you was in licence.
The licence would cover you to drive in any E U country until it runs out, then you would have to renew it in your country of residence, it makes no mention of address change, although I understand what you say.
The whole point is to have one licence to cover all countries to make it easier for the police to check, hence the photo and all personel info in the same position on the licence.
It makes it easier whatever language you speak cos all the relevant info is in the same order.
I take the directive as meaning now that as my licence is legal anywhere in Europe until it runs out, and believe that is the reason it is no longer a requirement to stamp the back of the licence, if I live in Spain at that time then I will have to renew it in Spain which I assume would be the Spanish version EU licence, it will be the same but written in Spanish and subject to different age laws etc.
But as all laws they are very vague.

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The point about not having to change your licence? this must be reciprocal??
How would the DVLA endorse a licence issued in say Spain? The british courts/local police in the case of fixed penalties don't have a mechanism for exporting a licence to another country do they? and couldn't endorse it themselves as the driving laws vary across different countries so the offence codes would be different??
Fines aren't a prob but the points can soon add up!!
Anyone fancy getting my driving licence registered to their address for me????

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That is what has taken so long to sort out, Spain and other countries insisted you must change, but have now had to abide by the directive.
You can still be fined, and if the Spanish police are in any doubt will just take your car until its sorted, read the story of Marbella`s ex mayors BMW HERE.

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Lifes too short, I'll stick with my bike and an occasional taxi :lol: Thanks to all for your input.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

I think I am looking at the wrong bit - part 2 is about tourist places and part 3 about importation. Can you direct me to the intended part?

Am I right in saying that if you are a British citizen living in the Uk with a Uk license and you change your address, is it not a legal requirement that you update DVLC immediately? If the UK licenses are valid abroad until they expire then the address would be out of date in decades in some cases!

I think it is a good idea to have a standard EU licence, but I think it should be issued in your country of residence as soon as you become a resident there. Not 37 years down the line!:unsure:

Re: Driving lessons?
 

We sort of agree with what you say, however, you should have the correct address on it so the local police can check the relevant details. it seems like another half baked EU law. Yes you can drive, reside etc in another EU country, but the details have to be kept up to date. it is doubtful if the DVLA, or any other county's equivalent will allow you to change the address to that of another county. Just look at the UK's form. There is no space on it for adding another country or a post code which is not the same format as the UK's.
We have done what the local authorities said to do. Ian's licence has been seen by several Guardia Civil bods, in routine checks with no bat of an eyelid. we don't always believe what is written on web sites. Sometimes they are out of date or just written in good faith but without knowing the full facts. it is a shame the link given by JDR did not work as that is the official web page of the EU.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

Sorry I should of said click on link in this part.It is a pdf of the directive.

The European Driving Licence – finally

On 23rd of March the member states of the European Union finally agreed on the 3rd Driving Licence Directive, that was proposed by the European Commission in 2003. We recommend our members to read the complete directive by clicking on http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/...licence_en.pdf.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

The link works now through "The European Driving Licence – finally" on above post.

Re: Driving lessons?
 

That´s better! It´s a good document, but highlights the discrepancies between each member state (such as length of validity of the licence, whether a medical test is required or not). There is no mention of the address issue though - perhaps on the new licences a person´s address will not be recorded and therefore it doesn´t matter if it is correct or not on the UK version. ??

I changed my Uk (EU) licence to a spanish one when I arrived here. I didn´t realise at the time that they were going to issue me with some crappy paper thing and they took a full 29 years of the validity of my licence!!!:eek: :eek:

My new licence expires in 2013 instead of 2042 as my UK licence did. :frown:

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Yeah it just says the licence is valid till it runs out, then it needs to be renewed in country of residence, then you will be liable to their ages and medicals etc.

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Well done JDR, you have come up with the goods again.
As for the document. It all sounds rather confusing. Still in time we should all be on the same playing field!!!

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Eventually ... LOL

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Just a thought..there is nothing in the EU paper about synchronizing the points system.
When they do we wonder what system will prevail? The Spanish system, the U.K. or the Dutch? (Where there are no points they just take your licence away immediately if you have driven really badly. Thus leaving you with a problem of getting home again)