Keithtoon

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

DLC

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

Keithtoon

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

Notdunroamin

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a UK licence however and everything changes as the police are acutely aware that save for bona fide tourist they are no longer valid to drive on in Spain.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.

Chipmonk

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

Notdunroamin

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.

NataHH

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.

SanNico

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.

Notdunroamin

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.

Barriej

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).

Chipmonk

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

Notdunroamin

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.

Moses2013

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.

Notdunroamin

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.

SanNico

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.