Loco

Hugh Elliot knows full well these negotiations have been going on from well before Brexit and various draft texts have been published but nothing has been agreed....well at least he should have if he had read his briefing papers or even just searched the gov.uk sites.

Best
Loco

Notdunroamin

Of course you lied, you claimed your UK licence had been lost or destroyed when it had not. You committed fraud in order to deceitfully obtain a Spanish licence whilst wrongfully holding on to your UK one.

Furthermore DVLA state:

What to do if you find your old licence later

You must return your old licence to DVLA explaining what’s happened if you find it after applying for or receiving a replacement.

The fact that your UK licence shows up as valid with DVLA means nothing, Notwithstanding a reputation for inefficiency and a long record of getting things wrong (despite their claim to NEVER make mistakes!) I first exchanged mine back in 2013 but because it's expiry date was 2018 up until that time it remained valid with DVLA.

It now shows as expired but that doesn't prevent me acquiring a code which is required when hiring cars in UK.

Ronnyone

So you think that means you have a uk licence legally?

Barriej

Actually I thing for Loco it means both are illegal.

The Spanish one was obtained by giving false information.
The Uk one as per a previous comment should have been returned to the UK once 'found'

In fact they have actually confirmed it by saying.

Originally Posted by Loco [img]images/buttons/viewpost.gif[/img]
Well I didn't lie to obtain either my UK and ESP licenses and as of a few days ago both still show up as valid on thier respective online systems.

​​​​​​I simply got a police report in Spain stating I had misplaced my UK driving license, applied online for the " exchange ticking the box on the form saying my UK license was stolen, lost, defaced or destroyed and.at the later appointment at traffico handed them the police report. ( At first they demanded my UK
licence despite the police report but soon dropped their demand when I pointed out the box I had ticked.
​​​​​​
I am merely pointing out how I have both, didn't lie and that both still show as valid on their countries respective systems.

Best
Loco

You lied to obtain a Spanish one.
You lied to keep the Uk one.

And you boast about it....

Notdunroamin

And your dishonesty was for what exactly.

What benefit or advantage do you imagine accrues from having both?

DLC

I'm sure the GC will see the funny side when handed a Mr Bean licence and then a UK licence which which is no good for British residents > 6 months.

Rosemary

Latest from the embassy.

**DRIVING LICENCE NEGOTIATION UPDATE***
We continue to work hard on driving licence negotiations – it remains a top priority in the Embassy and though there is no specific news to share with you this week, no news isn’t bad news. Technical talks continue with Spain and we remain on track, though the pace is slower than we would all like. Please continue to monitor this page for updates.
We are very aware of the significant difficulties faced by those of you unable to drive and many of you have quite reasonably asked why the interim measures, that allowed you to drive on your UK licence before, cannot be reinstated while we work through these final stages. We have again made that request to Spain and are awaiting a response. In the meantime, we will continue work on the agreement itself with the Spanish Government next week.

Loco

Yes.

However failing to advise DVLA of a change of address technically could make me liable to a fine but it doesn't invalidate the UK licence. If they do try to I would simply point I did, de facto via DGT when they requested the info from the DVLA when I applied for the exchange.

​​​​​
Best
Loco

Loco

Those who accuse me of lying should read carefully what I posted.

​​​​​​I find it somewhat offence as I made clear I didn't lie. Maybe I should have been clearer about the police report I made.

It was obtained weeks before I applied for the exchange. I wasn't just reporting I had lost or misplaced my driving licence but a folder containing it plus my padron, my NIE, company docs, my cars permission to circulate, my health card and various other documents.

I hadn't found the folder by the time I got around to apply for the exchange at nearly the last moment possible.

I found the folder including the UK licence a month after I actually got my Spanish license.

Best
Loco

VEDShappy

If we accept what you say as true, do you accept that you have two licences by deception?

Bomber Harris

OK, I will read carefully what you posted.

Earlier in this thread you wrote "Its in a card wallet with the UK or ES one behind it.". That suggests your UK DL is a photocard driving licence with a 10 year validity.
Your posting history indicates you have been resident in Spain since 2005, therefore if you still have an 'in date' UK DL you would have had to renew it at least once. Therefore you lied (possibly twice) to renew your UK DL by declaring you were a UK resident (punishable with a fine of up to £2500).
Having found your "lost" licence, under UK law you are obliged to return it to the DVLA when another licence has been issued to replace it, apparently you haven't done so. Whilst not a lie, the failure to return said licence when found can be penalised by a fine and revocation of the licence which makes it invalid (hence why I wrote 'in date' above rather than valid).
So having read carefully what you have posted most people will conclude as they have, that by holding both a UK and SP DL at the same time can only be achieved by indulging in illegal acts which involve dishonesty.
To avoid both DL's being revoked I would advise anyone in your position to return the UK DL to DVLA with a covering letter saying it had been lost and being resident in SP at the time it was lost an SP DL was obtained under the EU mutual recognition of DL law, having now found the UK DL you are returning it in accordance with your obligations under UK law.

bobd22

How did you get your Spanish driving licence? Did you get it by doing a test or by exchanging your UK licence for a Spanish licence? If the latter how did you exchange without being in possession of UK licence? Presumably with your police report reporting lost? If you exchanged your licence even though you may believe you still hold a UK licence I think you will find on the DVLA system that licence will have been revoked making it simply a card but not a licence. Many years ago I held a HGV classification on my UK licence however I needed it no longer really. Problem was I had to comply with medical and other conditions to retain it. I contacted DVLA saying I no longer needed HGV they informed me fine we will leave it on record but revoke the classification. If in the future re contact us and once you comply with current medical and any other obligations we will reinstate it. Up to the time I exchanged my UK licence in Spain it still showed my HGV classification but I couldn't drive an HGV due to that classification being revoked. Your UK licence if you've exchanged to spanish irrespective of loss report or possible deception will not be legally in force and reality is you possess a Spanish Driving licence.

spainrico

I can never understand why people are so reluctant to exchange or cheat the system (OK break the law)

I exchanged my UK DL 20 years ago for a Spanish one and have never had a problem and if I ever return to the UK full time I will exchange it back - simples.

I appreciate post-Brexit it is now complicated but pre it was easy and the legal thing to do pre-Brexit.

bobd22

Totally agree

SanNico

I don't think people understand the implications of not doing it right. I arrived at Stansted at midnight a few years back and was refused a car with Avis because they couldn't find my name matching my UK correspondence address, obviously because I had no bills in my name at that address. It prompted me to change it immediately.

Another expat I know had the same issue and changed his license and all of a sudden he was subject to a tax investigation in Italy (where he lives). He hadn't been paying Italian tax, on the sound advice of another expat who had no idea what he was talking about.

I can't remember which member has it on their profile, but it's something about doing it right and doing it legally and you'll be fine. Having moved country a few times now I've learnt it's much safer to just pay an agent to sort everything out for you. It's still your problem if they miss something but they're more knowledgeable than the rest of us. Just a tip, good agents don't generally sit in expat bars plying their 'trade', you have to look for them.