Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Hi all,
My partner received her Irish Passport yesterday!!! So happy. I am UK passport holder.
So now this changes everything. Like? Freedom to stay over 90 days, less capital in savings, she can drive with UK license, who can add more to this list?
Have a great day all...
Keith n Macy

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Driving licence problems are still the same as before because it's a UK licence.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Oh Diddums... even though you hold an Irish passport.:confused:

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Irish passport or not driving on a UK licence in Spain is likely to become a bit of a gamble because if you get stopped then the police will expect you to be able to prove you are a tourist and the only conclusive way I know of to do that is by means of an entry stamp in a passport possibly accompanied by a return ticket.

Yes I know as an EU citizen you should not be obliged to show either of those and with an Irish licence you wouldn't, present a UK licence however and everything changes as the police are acutely aware that save for bona fide tourist they are no longer valid to drive on in Spain.

I'm afraid a lot of people who have gleefully gone down the Irish passport road as a whizz to trample over the 90/180 day rule have done so without fully understanding the potential ramifications.

Of course her holding an Irish passport has no effect whatsoever on your 90 day limitation.

BTW there is a thread on another forum by someone who was persuaded by a lawyer to use his Irish ID to apply for residency and a green card but despite having his UK licence verified by DGT before Dec 31st. they are now flatly refusing to exchange his licence on the grounds that his residence began in 2021 and not 2020.

He has until the end of this month to drive and then has to stop until he's passed a Spanish test. Unfortunately he lives well out in the campo and not being able to drive is a very serious problem.

I can PM you a link if you like.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Oh yes the UK driving licence is becoming a real game changer. Without a licence you wont be having quite the retirement you imagine. Irish passport wont allow you to use a uk licence. Only way forward is learning Spanish which is not quite as simple as many might think

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

A lot of people seem to have convinced themselves that an agreement will soon be reached for exchanging but they are kidding themselves.

Arrangemnts were put in place persuant to the WA but beyond that it's of no concern to UK if people choose to move to another country where no agreement exists, that's their lookout and for them to deal with and if that means taking a local test then so be it.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

The fact is you are only allowed to hold one driving licence in Europe. So what do people do who have properties all over the world like footballers or film stars? Surely they don't have to exchange their licence every time they stay longer than 90 days.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

It's probably cheaper and less hassle to rent a place in Ireland for a few months and exchange the UK license for an Irish one. I could thinkn of worse places to be, the UK for example.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

If you move to a country which has an exchange agreement then if their rules demand it you should exchange for theirs. Exchange is the key word here as you are surrendering one licence in exchange for another consequently an exchanged licence cancels the surrendered one.

In cases where no agreement exists (i.e. Spain) then you are entitled to retain your national licence and also hold a licence from your new place of residence subject to having taken a test there.

This means those now being obliged to take a Spanish test are perfectly entitled to hold onto their UK licences (but not renew them) and use them elsewhere where local rules permit.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Does having an Irish passport give you Irish residency? Or would they still have to register, wait for the Irish version of the TIE and then swap licences, then move to Spain and swap again (although I dont think you can double swap).

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

That would mean being able to use your spare licence after being banned!!

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

To obtain a licence from the Irish Republic you need to be legally resident there for at least 6 months and you're sort of right about a double exchange. In the scenario suggested if an Irish passport were acquired in exchange for a licence for which there were no exchange mechanism in Spain (e.g. UK) then that licence cannot subsequently be exchanged for a Spanish one.

​​​​​​Since Brexit a ban in UK means nothing in the EU nor can police any longer check a licence with DVLA.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Not quite right. You are now supposed to exchange as soon as you are resident. As mentioned by SanNico, easier to rent in Ireland somewhere cheap, register and move later. https://www.ndls.ie/licensed-driver/...i-licence.html
From 1 January 2021 if you are resident in Ireland and hold a UK/NI driving licence it is no longer valid to drive on here in Ireland. It is not legal for driving purposes and must therefore be exchanged.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Seems my info was a little out of date so thanks for the link, the net effect however would appear to be the same, i.e. an Irish licence so acquired would not be exchangeable in Spain.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

I hope not. Mine is Italian, exchanged from a UK license a few years back. I'm waiting for a replacement license as I lost mine, before attempting to exchange for a Spanish license. I'll let you know how it goes to hopefully disprove the theory in practice.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

The British driving exam is one of the most hardest exams to pass. That’s why so many countries accept it. If you can pass a British test you should find the Spanish test a doddle. I wouldn’t worry about waving to sit a Spanish test.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Police and car hire companies in Spain never checked wit’s the DVLA even before brexit so as long as you had the card you could drive in Spain no matter what.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Are you going to have to sit one?

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

I will do eventually if the police make me do one. I won’t be applying for residency any time soon though so I’ll be fine driving around with my UK licence for now at least.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Oh, that's a shame.

I was hoping for a report of the actual experience.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

If you try to hire a car in Spain with a UK license and Spanish residency you're getting refused. The hire car companies are the reason I exchanged my UK license. I arrived at Stansted just before midnight a few years ago, presented my UK license, credit card and proof of address etc and was refused a rental as the address was not UK but the license was. In the end I had to take an Uber to my destination and get a car from one of the less reputable companies with a huge excess in Luton the next day. In other words if people are using the reputable companies they have no chance here or there.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

I would reserve judgement if you havent done it First you have to speak Spanish!!!.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

But if you wanted to kick the can down the road you could drive with it in Spain until expiry. Could take the pressure off sitting a Spanish driving test. Or maybe there's a miracle and some agreement happens between Spain and the UK some time in the future.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

the hire companies have no idea if your a resident or not. With me they just wanted my licence and credit card. I use all different companies and never had a problem.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

My ex did it.First she had to register with a school as there seems to be an issue trying to arrange the test if you are not registered with a school. Then she was given material to study to prepare for test. This material is available in badly translated English. You do theory first and can only fail 2 or 3 questions. The practical is done in Spanish and usually involves other candidates in the car at same time!!!. My wife already was a Spanish speaker but said the examiner was strict and had a strong accent from Murcia so it wasnt easy. Incindently she was the only one who passed. It cost a few hundred and you have to use plates for 6 months.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Or a Least know your left and right in Spanish. I’m sure there are instructors out there that can speak both languages. And the test normally you can have a translator. It’s not the end of the world sitting a Spanish test. Im looking forward to it tbh.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

The official site makes no mention of translators being allowed nor does it refer to languages that are permitted. All I know is my wife was told she had to do the practical in Spanish and obviously that required her to answer questions etc( She was asked about oil or something during the test)

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

It's not about residency per se, it's about proof of address. I've rented plenty of cars without any hassle, but since 2019 when I came unstuck I have been asked every single time I rent with the reputable companies in the UK, Europe and America.

For example AVIS state: The person hiring the vehicle must also bring proof of their address. This could include a recent utility bill or bank statement that shows the address.
Europcar state: you must present your normal driver's license, issued by your country of residence.

This affects people living abroad who haven't changed their license. Of course if you present a UK license with UK proof of address then you're fine. But there are still many here who keep their UK address at a family members address, therefore they are unlikely to have bank statements or utility bills at the address. I'm quoting a real life experience.

So the point for the OP is simple, legally your license should be issued by your country of residence after whatever grace period is granted. Reading between the lines it sounds like the OP is a UK resident anyway so it makes no difference.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Cheers Notdunroamin,
Been planning to retire in Spain for the last 5 years. I will be 66 next year, we voted REMAIN!
As the wife has Irish Parents we gleefully applied for a Irish passport. As it would give us some advantages so i was still asleep not thinking of the UK license being void. The Financial requirements have changed a great deal do you agree?
Regards
Keith N Macy

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Muy buena y gracias amigo

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

DAM!

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Congratulations, I for one am really pleased for both of you.

I have the privilege of an Irish passport and the day it arrived was a wonderful day, believe me. I also have an Irish passport card which is like an ID card and I love it!

My partner is still British (we have a formal civil partnership) so I wrote to the EU to find out how my partner would benefit from my having an Irish passport. They said that as long as my partner is travelling with me, THEY ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO 90 DAYS but if they are not resident in an EU state, they would have their passport stamped but importantly they would NOT be penalised for staying in the EU over 90 days as the British would be.

You can take residency the easy EU way with your partner (remember that?) if you decide to move to Spain full time in the future.

Most people who are eligible for an Irish passport obtain one and for a very good reason, freedom of movement but for me personally it goes much deeper than that.

​​​​​PS. You don't have to be married or in a formal civil partnership to benefit from your partner being an EU citizen, you can be in a durable relationship but you would need to carry proof like bank statements, deeds etc.

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

hopefully this is of some use to us all?
https://traffic-rules.com/en/spain/practice-test

Re: Received Irish Passport... FREEDOM?
 

Lou,
That's is a wonderful post.
Yes next year we will move there but first we hope to do 3 months early 2022 then either rent or buy July/August. I will be 66yrs old by then with a generous pension. We will need a "Non Co-pay" Health contract for the first year, but then what happens next... Convenio Especial.
Thank you for your great info much appreciated, more knowledge the better!
Regards
Keith n Macy