Originally Posted by El Capitan

Well my first post on here so here goes. I have struggled to follow the laws in Spain re EU (in particular UK) driving licenses and UK plated vehicles. I did the deed just last week to get the so-called "medical" as I wanted to carry on with my UK licence for a number of reasons. First I went to one of the many text centre clinicos around the area of Trafico, they insisted I only needed a medical certificate if I was changing or renewing my licence and sent me to speak to a specific contact name in Trafico. She first agreed that yes, as a holder of a UK licence I needed to pass the medical check up at the same frequency as a Spanish licence holder, which is every 5 years if you are between 45 and 70 and have not had corrective eye surgery. OK so that fits me and how do I do this, I ask. ................ "pause" ......... Ah, .............. "more pause" ................ well it is Spanish law that you have to pass the same medical but we dont have any system to register you having passed the medical, .................. yet. But if you have a Spanish plated car (yes) then you are in Trafico database under your NIE. Go do the medical, bring back the certificate and we will note it in our database. So off I goes back to the clinico and ask to do the medical. First a very simple eyesight test, literally one of the old charts on the wall but as apparently many Spanish dont read, they have shapes of different sizes, each being a square with one side removed and you have to see which side is missing, top, bottom, left or right. So far so good and now into another room where there is a computer screen and two T bar handles to hang on to. You grab one handle in each hand and when the start button is pressed you have to steer two blocks on the screen along two bands or roads flowing down the screen. If a block goes off the road, the machine beeps and you jump so you go off the road again and so on. Good practice for potential off-roaders I reckon . Then she says muy bien and with a passport style photo they make up the certificate, you pay your 30 euros and off you go back to Trafico. She smiles and takes the certificate, a copy of your passport and driving licence, makes some note in her database and charges you almost 18 euros tax for doing so. Come back in 5 years she says. So all done, no marking of licence to say you have done it, just a receipt for the tax. Maybe in 5 years time they will have a system for us EU extranjaneros.

Originally Posted by Beeba

Hi

Does anyone out there know about what you need to be able to legally drive a car in Spain.

I am Resident with the licence from UK

Thanks

Originally Posted by Beeba

Please can someone answer in a couple of lines or so

Originally Posted by Fred James

Hi Beeba.

Frankly I would just exchange the licence for a Spanish photo licence. You don't need a medical for that.

Originally Posted by El Capitan

But you will then need a medical to renew the Spanish licence after 10, 5 or 2 yrs as appropriate. And you run the risk of losing some categories of vehicle if you are, like me, of senior years.

Originally Posted by betris

cap some of those categories only apply to the uk or a trip.once you move they are void so even if you kept the uk licence and lived here they may be void sad tales if you get a clued up trafico.and belive me some are well clued up.

Originally Posted by Beeba

Hi El Capitaino and Betris

Thanks for your responses - now I am really confused

My partner has the pink credit card UK licence with photo

Does he go to Traffico to validate or not??

Thanks

:curse: