SanNico

They're probably playing it safe to end the confusion. I can't speak for the entire EU, but in Spain and Italy you must notify the authorities of your change of address. Neither will accept an address in another country. If you move between countries and no longer have an address in the former country and you can't update the address then surely your license becomes invalid.

Notdunroamin

Do please stop putting out this nonsense, in terms of the validity of a UK licence, which is all we're really talking about, this is the response from DVLA to the question. The fact that it's in relation to an enquiry by someone living in France is wholly irrelevent and changes nothing.

Let it be an end to the argument!

snikpoh

I have a similar email confirming that, once you are non-UK resident, the address on the licence is irrelevant!

SanNico

I'll let you ponder over the 2nd sentence underlined in that cutting from the archives of when the UK was part of the EU. The only nonsense on this thread is coming from people searching for loopholes because they either lived under the radar for years, didn't bother to change their license during the transition period or moved here afterwards. I'll hazard a guess that the latter amounts to single figures. The fact is this, if you are a Spanish resident for more than 6 months then you can't drive on your UK license in Spain. You need to take a test to get a Spanish license. The UK can accept whatever they want to accept but the Spanish law is the Spanish law and people need to stop burying their heads in the sand.

PC Sanchez isn't bothered what we heard from a bloke down the local bar over a San Miguel and free tapas, he only cares about the law he is paid to enforce.

Bomber Harris

and on an earlier post by yourself

"If you move between countries and no longer have an address in the former country and you can't update the address then surely your license becomes invalid."

Perhaps PC Sanchez needs to go back to school and re-learn his driving licence law.
What Spanish Royal Decree 818/2009 does specify at Article 10 is that a change of address must be notified within 15 days. Nowhere in that Decree does it state a licence is invalid if the address on record isn't correct (nor does the EU Directive on driving licences 2006/126). Holders of licences issued by other EUMS can comply with Article 10 by registering their licence with the Spanish authorities in accordance with Article 16.
Annex 1 of 818/2009 shows that the SP licence itself doesn't even have the holder's address on it (putting the address on an EU model driving licence it is optional under Directive 2006/126 because it does not affect the validity of the licence).

Whilst your point about the UK no longer being in the EU is valid, at the time when the advice in that screenshot was published they were and that advice reflects the EU Directive which still applies to all current EUMS which includes Spain and Italy.

SanNico

I give up. If the license is still valid then I stand corrected on that point. If a government authority states that you must update your address within 15 days then that’s what you must do. Valid or not, you’re likely to get a fine for it if you get caught.
99% of the people on here will either have a Spanish or other EU license, in which case they must update their address/inform the authorities within 15 days of moving; or a UK license, in which case they must sit a Spanish test if they have been resident for over 6 months.
The advice we should be giving on here is to follow the rules, not muddy the waters for people to bend the rules.

VEDShappy

Get your tickets quick for this sell out event 🙄

SanNico

I trust the invaders will be taking public transport..... A national demo in the capital, not quite a national demo then is it? I love the Daily Mail style reporting with an outrageous headline and referring to one guy as another victim. A victim of his own procrastination maybe.

Ronnyone

Unfortunately I doubt it will have much effect in that I think the embassy probably has its hands tied by the UK government insistence that the spirit of Brexit is applied. As I understand it Spain wants to retain access to UK drivers data base as was the case pre Brexit. Obviously to Brexiteers uk sovereignty is their prized jewel - so that is not going to happen. Spain is only trying to accommodate it really isn't any big deal to them if UK persons ( as with other 3rd country citizens) have to do a Spanish test. These people should count themselves lucky they don't have to learn Spanish to get residency as is the case in UK and France- and will probably happen in Spain if VOX forms a coalition with PP at next election!!

Notdunroamin

The embassy is only a mouthpiece anyway so a "demonstration" will change nothing.