Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
Aug 24th 2010, 7:36 pm
#16
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 666
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
fred, apologies. Should be Real Decreto 818/2009. But the law is correctly stated. Thanks for the correction.
Bomber Harris, the page you have linked too seems correct though Im not sure it is contradictory.
It appears to me to say that you can only have you licence renewed (when it has expired) in the country where you are resident.
When this happens they can only issue you with a Spanish licence.
So if the day after you become resident in Spain your licence expires, you have to get a Spanish one, presumably.
The current legislation states that six months after becoming resident you should have a Spanish licence.
But of course all of this has to be read in the context that what happens in reality may well be a different matter altogether!
Bomber Harris, the page you have linked too seems correct though Im not sure it is contradictory.
It appears to me to say that you can only have you licence renewed (when it has expired) in the country where you are resident.
When this happens they can only issue you with a Spanish licence.
So if the day after you become resident in Spain your licence expires, you have to get a Spanish one, presumably.
The current legislation states that six months after becoming resident you should have a Spanish licence.
But of course all of this has to be read in the context that what happens in reality may well be a different matter altogether!
As Fred says, why do you feel the need to persist in your outrageous claim that it is compulsory to exchange a licence?
Aug 24th 2010, 8:15 pm
#17
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2010
Location: Madrid
Posts: 7
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
Fred,
Hmm..I was originally going on info I found on a few official sites like this one to back-up the interpretation of the legislation:
link
However, I have looked again at the new law in question and I believe you are correct - As I see it, the rule referred to, applies only to non-EU licence holders. Well spotted.
However, something that is new, that I was completely unaware of, is that while as EU citizens we can use our national drivers licences in Spain, if we commit a driving offence here that incurs penalty points the police may remove the licence and send it back to the issuing country saying that it is no longer valid in Spain!
Dirección General de Tráfico
Hmm..I was originally going on info I found on a few official sites like this one to back-up the interpretation of the legislation:
link
However, I have looked again at the new law in question and I believe you are correct - As I see it, the rule referred to, applies only to non-EU licence holders. Well spotted.
However, something that is new, that I was completely unaware of, is that while as EU citizens we can use our national drivers licences in Spain, if we commit a driving offence here that incurs penalty points the police may remove the licence and send it back to the issuing country saying that it is no longer valid in Spain!
Dirección General de Tráfico
Aug 24th 2010, 9:26 pm
#18
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Granada Costa
Posts: 10,901
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
The information in the link to Granada is interesting. It does not say that you now have to exchange your licence but that after 6 months your data must be entered onto the "drivers" database held by Trafico. This was previously an option but I cannot find anything in the new 2009 law to confirm this change (I'm still looking).
What is actually quite interesting is that the new 2009 law also states that when you comply with the rules about having a medical, even though you are retaining your original licence,you must register this medical information on the register of drivers which ties in with what the Granada link suggests.
It also says that if, as a result of the medical, there are restrictions imposed on your driving or that it requires modifications to your car, then you are obliged to change your licence so that these restrictions can be entered onto your (new) Spanish licence.
An example of this would be that if for example, you only have sight in one eye, you will be restricted to a maximum speed of 100kph and also required to have two external mirrors and a "panoramic" rear view mirror. Both these points will be put on the codes on your new licence.
When the new rules about medicals and renewal periods were introduced in the 2006 amendment to the law, it was clear that you needed to take a medical but it was not clear how long after becoming resident that that had to take place and what you had to do with the medical certificate when you got it - it was generally agreed by most people that the best solution, in the absence of guidance from Trafico, was that you should carry it with your UK licence.
It now seems that they are getting their act together on this point and that you now have to have the details of your medical entered onto the register of drivers after 6 months of becoming resident. That seems totally reasonable and (dare I say it about Trafico) logical.
What does not yet seem clear is how you actually go about this.
Another recent change in the law is that now you can renew your licence at the centre where you take the medical and they can process all the paperwork and submit it to Trafico on your behalf - at no extra charge. That in itself is a HUGE improvement in the system.
One can only hope that it will now (soon) be possible for a holder of a UK licence to have the medical and for all the details to be entered automatically on the drivers database - that would be a step in the right direction.
However, that said, I still insist that that the most sensible and, totally guaranteed to be legal, course of action is to exchange your licence.
What is actually quite interesting is that the new 2009 law also states that when you comply with the rules about having a medical, even though you are retaining your original licence,you must register this medical information on the register of drivers which ties in with what the Granada link suggests.
It also says that if, as a result of the medical, there are restrictions imposed on your driving or that it requires modifications to your car, then you are obliged to change your licence so that these restrictions can be entered onto your (new) Spanish licence.
An example of this would be that if for example, you only have sight in one eye, you will be restricted to a maximum speed of 100kph and also required to have two external mirrors and a "panoramic" rear view mirror. Both these points will be put on the codes on your new licence.
When the new rules about medicals and renewal periods were introduced in the 2006 amendment to the law, it was clear that you needed to take a medical but it was not clear how long after becoming resident that that had to take place and what you had to do with the medical certificate when you got it - it was generally agreed by most people that the best solution, in the absence of guidance from Trafico, was that you should carry it with your UK licence.
It now seems that they are getting their act together on this point and that you now have to have the details of your medical entered onto the register of drivers after 6 months of becoming resident. That seems totally reasonable and (dare I say it about Trafico) logical.
What does not yet seem clear is how you actually go about this.
Another recent change in the law is that now you can renew your licence at the centre where you take the medical and they can process all the paperwork and submit it to Trafico on your behalf - at no extra charge. That in itself is a HUGE improvement in the system.
One can only hope that it will now (soon) be possible for a holder of a UK licence to have the medical and for all the details to be entered automatically on the drivers database - that would be a step in the right direction.
However, that said, I still insist that that the most sensible and, totally guaranteed to be legal, course of action is to exchange your licence.
Aug 25th 2010, 5:58 am
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2009
Location: Valencia area
Posts: 1,157
Re: Swapping a UK license for a Spanish one? Help please!
I have just gone through the process myself as my photo part was due for change next year (10 years old) and my heavy goods needed renewal as the medical was due.
Called first at the local gestor to submit all my details etc & they issued me with a document saying that this was being changed to a Spanish one.
They were under the impression that a medical was needed for the car license, but after explaining that for the first change this was not necessary (info received from this site) they checked and found out that this was correct. (heavy goods was due though)
Visited my local drivers medical unit & the photo is now taken by them via a web cam as they are logged into the system and cost just over 40eu (they charge for the picture)
Now issued with a provisional license that carries all the entitlements & the permanent one will arrive in 15 days (they tell me) Total cost for this was 60eu.
The medical for the heavy goods if taken in the UK is well over 100pounds, although you can take the medical here to submit to the UK for a renewal should you be over on holiday at the time
So all in all fairly easy @ reasonable cost.
Called first at the local gestor to submit all my details etc & they issued me with a document saying that this was being changed to a Spanish one.
They were under the impression that a medical was needed for the car license, but after explaining that for the first change this was not necessary (info received from this site) they checked and found out that this was correct. (heavy goods was due though)
Visited my local drivers medical unit & the photo is now taken by them via a web cam as they are logged into the system and cost just over 40eu (they charge for the picture)
Now issued with a provisional license that carries all the entitlements & the permanent one will arrive in 15 days (they tell me) Total cost for this was 60eu.
The medical for the heavy goods if taken in the UK is well over 100pounds, although you can take the medical here to submit to the UK for a renewal should you be over on holiday at the time
So all in all fairly easy @ reasonable cost.
Aug 25th 2010, 6:43 am
#20
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Granada Costa
Posts: 10,901
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
That's interesting.
Did the medical centre do all the paperwork for you and submit it - did they do that online or did your gestor do it?
You say it cost €60. What was the breakdown?
Did you pay the licence fee to them and was that included in the charge?
Did the medical centre do all the paperwork for you and submit it - did they do that online or did your gestor do it?
You say it cost €60. What was the breakdown?
Did you pay the licence fee to them and was that included in the charge?
Aug 25th 2010, 11:42 am
#21
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Joined: Jun 2009
Location: Valencia area
Posts: 1,157
Re: Swapping a UK license for a Spanish one? Help please!
The Gestor submits the UK license to traffico (both parts) and waits while traffico submit this to the Uk in case its contested (license revoked etc)
The medical document I returned to the Gestor who again forward this onto traffico who also have the online item from the medico (from what I know)
So medical 40eu in my case (straight swap like for like, first time, no medical needed)
Gestor 60eu all in, I guess 30 for the licence & 30 for them. (next time I visit I will ask)
Aug 25th 2010, 4:29 pm
#22
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Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Cartama, Malaga
Posts: 1,168
Re: Swapping a UK license for a Spanish one? Help please!
shall i post my step-by-step instructions for exchanging a uk licence for a spanish one yourself at malaga ? 
Aug 25th 2010, 4:45 pm
#23
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Granada Costa
Posts: 10,901
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
Assuming it was a fairly recent experience, that info is always useful - so yes, do it!
I will then copy it into the Free Beer thread.
I will then copy it into the Free Beer thread.
Aug 25th 2010, 4:57 pm
#24
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Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Cartama, Malaga
Posts: 1,168
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
2? months ago?
well here we go. its not as scary or time consuming as everyone thinks.
i left alhaurin el grande at around 11,30am this morning after doing several things around town, and got to the bottom of the a357 at about 11,45/11,50. parked up, after finding the traffico building, hoping i wasn´t too late.
i walked in, nobody about to ask, no signs.. what to do? i went and got in the queue for information. apparently the right move - when i got to the front i asked what i needed to do to change my english licence for a spanish one. the lovely lady at the desk gave me three forms. one was an information sheet, the second a "declaration", and the third a form to fill in with name/address etc for the details of the new licence. she also gave me a ticket for an "appointment" at one of the main desks (theres loads).
so, armed with these forms, i went and sat down - theres loads of seats. i read the forms. you need this this and this blah blah. checked as i went down the list 1,yep, 2,yep, 3, pagar tasa 26€.. hmm i thought .. where to do that. i looked around for signs and saw the "caja" on the left. ok, looks good, go to that desk. got in the queue, and got to the front.. i hadnt filled out the info / carbon copy sheet, need to fill that in first. so i asked for a pen.. they dont have any. take a pen! looking about, i saw an empty desk with a pen on the counter. went and used that one. filled in the form, and got back in the queue.
got to the front of the "caja" queue, and handed her my now filled in carbon copy info form, she fed it into the machine, like they do in the bank, it came out with "tax paid 26€ blah blah" on it, i paid, job done, she gave me another ticket. (the first one from information was C054, the second C064, it was on C058 when i was at the "caja" desk, so i had a few minutes to wait.
looking again at the information sheet i was now on points 4 and 5, which involved photos and photocopies.. hmm looked about.. couldn´t see either in the traffico building.. so.. went outside and asked one of the "do you need a medical" touts outside (mostly lovely looking girls actually! lol .. it turned out that the kiosk, as in, the sweets/chrisps/drinks kiosk outside does photocopies. excellent, went there and got them done (25c each), asked him where to get photos, expecting to have to jump in the car and go somewhere, he pointed down the street. in the distance, say 150m from traffico was a medical place, that also did photos. bargin. so i walked there, 6 photos, 4€.
went back in to traffico and waited for my turn. C064 came up, and presented all my documents to the woman at the counter. "no problem, stamp, staple, sign this form, tappity tap, whats your phone number, we´ll call you when its ready, byeeeeee" ...
i was shocked, all done and dusted in under an hour.
in short, if you dont want to read all that.
i needed my:
passport, and photocopy of it,
driving licence, and photocopy of it,
NIE, and photocopy of it.
1 photo,
26€ in cash,
and an hour or so to spare ... and .. TAKE A PEN
easy when you actually do it and stop worrying about it personally, knowing how to do it, and looking back, i really should of thought about taking photocopies and pictures with me before i went, would of saved the looking about and trying to find places
im now waiting on their call to go and collect my new shiney spanish licence
good luck if you are doing yours !
well here we go. its not as scary or time consuming as everyone thinks.
i left alhaurin el grande at around 11,30am this morning after doing several things around town, and got to the bottom of the a357 at about 11,45/11,50. parked up, after finding the traffico building, hoping i wasn´t too late.
i walked in, nobody about to ask, no signs.. what to do? i went and got in the queue for information. apparently the right move - when i got to the front i asked what i needed to do to change my english licence for a spanish one. the lovely lady at the desk gave me three forms. one was an information sheet, the second a "declaration", and the third a form to fill in with name/address etc for the details of the new licence. she also gave me a ticket for an "appointment" at one of the main desks (theres loads).
so, armed with these forms, i went and sat down - theres loads of seats. i read the forms. you need this this and this blah blah. checked as i went down the list 1,yep, 2,yep, 3, pagar tasa 26€.. hmm i thought .. where to do that. i looked around for signs and saw the "caja" on the left. ok, looks good, go to that desk. got in the queue, and got to the front.. i hadnt filled out the info / carbon copy sheet, need to fill that in first. so i asked for a pen.. they dont have any. take a pen! looking about, i saw an empty desk with a pen on the counter. went and used that one. filled in the form, and got back in the queue.
got to the front of the "caja" queue, and handed her my now filled in carbon copy info form, she fed it into the machine, like they do in the bank, it came out with "tax paid 26€ blah blah" on it, i paid, job done, she gave me another ticket. (the first one from information was C054, the second C064, it was on C058 when i was at the "caja" desk, so i had a few minutes to wait.
looking again at the information sheet i was now on points 4 and 5, which involved photos and photocopies.. hmm looked about.. couldn´t see either in the traffico building.. so.. went outside and asked one of the "do you need a medical" touts outside (mostly lovely looking girls actually! lol .. it turned out that the kiosk, as in, the sweets/chrisps/drinks kiosk outside does photocopies. excellent, went there and got them done (25c each), asked him where to get photos, expecting to have to jump in the car and go somewhere, he pointed down the street. in the distance, say 150m from traffico was a medical place, that also did photos. bargin. so i walked there, 6 photos, 4€.
went back in to traffico and waited for my turn. C064 came up, and presented all my documents to the woman at the counter. "no problem, stamp, staple, sign this form, tappity tap, whats your phone number, we´ll call you when its ready, byeeeeee" ...
i was shocked, all done and dusted in under an hour.
in short, if you dont want to read all that.
i needed my:
passport, and photocopy of it,
driving licence, and photocopy of it,
NIE, and photocopy of it.
1 photo,
26€ in cash,
and an hour or so to spare ... and .. TAKE A PEN
easy when you actually do it and stop worrying about it personally, knowing how to do it, and looking back, i really should of thought about taking photocopies and pictures with me before i went, would of saved the looking about and trying to find places
im now waiting on their call to go and collect my new shiney spanish licence
good luck if you are doing yours !
Aug 25th 2010, 5:02 pm
#25
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Cartama, Malaga
Posts: 1,168
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
well i figured a little update was in order.
yesterday i recieved a letter from dgt (its written in english) in a posh little hand written envelope too, and its cream not white.. and i didn´t sign for it...
it says, word for word :
dear sir / madam,
i am writing to inform you that your driving licence from the united kingdom is ready to be exchanged for a spanish one. you will have to come to the jefatura provincial de trafico in malaga on the 18/01/2010 between 10,30 and 12,00 in order to get your driving licence.
please get a number from the canjes window in information when you arrive, and bring with you the following things: (only those with a cross)
your personal id - dni, OR nie (or resident card if in date), OR residence certificate and passport (originals)
your driving licence - plastic card and counterpart (originals)
one photo, (colour, 35mmx35mm on a white back ground)
a medical certificate from a drivers medical center
so there you go. looks like im collecting my new shiney one in a few weeks apparently i do now have to have a medical tho, which is a little strange, i would imagine because my photo licence is more than 10 years old ? im not really fussed, im not blind or anything, so it should all be good.
yesterday i recieved a letter from dgt (its written in english) in a posh little hand written envelope too, and its cream not white.. and i didn´t sign for it...
it says, word for word :
dear sir / madam,
i am writing to inform you that your driving licence from the united kingdom is ready to be exchanged for a spanish one. you will have to come to the jefatura provincial de trafico in malaga on the 18/01/2010 between 10,30 and 12,00 in order to get your driving licence.
please get a number from the canjes window in information when you arrive, and bring with you the following things: (only those with a cross)
your personal id - dni, OR nie (or resident card if in date), OR residence certificate and passport (originals)
your driving licence - plastic card and counterpart (originals)
one photo, (colour, 35mmx35mm on a white back ground)
a medical certificate from a drivers medical center
so there you go. looks like im collecting my new shiney one in a few weeks apparently i do now have to have a medical tho, which is a little strange, i would imagine because my photo licence is more than 10 years old ? im not really fussed, im not blind or anything, so it should all be good.
Aug 25th 2010, 5:03 pm
#26
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Cartama, Malaga
Posts: 1,168
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
well - another update. i went down, did the medical. took it in with me, got a number, waited
they checked papers, took the medical certificate off me, checked this and that... then .. handed me a card "temporary" licence.
apparently im waiting for my "new" spanish licence which will take 2 weeks and arrive in the post.
ok, update no. 2 today ...
the postman left my new licence tucked in the door reja .
they checked papers, took the medical certificate off me, checked this and that... then .. handed me a card "temporary" licence.
apparently im waiting for my "new" spanish licence which will take 2 weeks and arrive in the post.
ok, update no. 2 today ...
the postman left my new licence tucked in the door reja .
Aug 26th 2010, 11:22 am
#27
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2009
Location: Valencia area
Posts: 1,157
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
New licence arrived in the post today, all entitlements present and correct.
That is very important IMO and was the issue I stressed to the Gestor as it is not unknown for certain entitlements to be left off when renewing a UK licence in the UK
He assured me that they would take extra steps to ensure that this did not happen in this case & pass on my concerns to traffico.
That is very important IMO and was the issue I stressed to the Gestor as it is not unknown for certain entitlements to be left off when renewing a UK licence in the UK
He assured me that they would take extra steps to ensure that this did not happen in this case & pass on my concerns to traffico.
Aug 26th 2010, 1:22 pm
#28
FreeThinker
Joined: Nov 2009
Location: the moors and levels
Posts: 9,702
Re: Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!
well - another update. i went down, did the medical. took it in with me, got a number, waited
they checked papers, took the medical certificate off me, checked this and that... then .. handed me a card "temporary" licence.
apparently im waiting for my "new" spanish licence which will take 2 weeks and arrive in the post.
ok, update no. 2 today ...
the postman left my new licence tucked in the door reja .
they checked papers, took the medical certificate off me, checked this and that... then .. handed me a card "temporary" licence.
apparently im waiting for my "new" spanish licence which will take 2 weeks and arrive in the post.
ok, update no. 2 today ...
the postman left my new licence tucked in the door reja .