UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
Sep 15th 2011 | 8:31 pm
#16
Moderator
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 15,150
From: Costa Valencia
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
To me this is a good example of Spanish inconsistency. We swopped our UK licences for spanish ones 3 and a half years ago on the advice of our spanish lawyer. He did the paperwork for us and neither of us had a medical. We did not have UK photocard licences only the paper ones and we thought the spanish licences would be useful as ID. (Which they have been). My husband also thought it might be a problem trying to hire a car in another country giving a spanish home address but only having a UK licence with an incorrect home address on.
However in retrospect I would not have bothered to make the change as we now have licences which expire when they are five years old and it looks as if we will need to have medicals to renew them.
If we had kept the UK licences it would have saved us the trouble and expense.
However in retrospect I would not have bothered to make the change as we now have licences which expire when they are five years old and it looks as if we will need to have medicals to renew them.
If we had kept the UK licences it would have saved us the trouble and expense.
Rosemary
Sep 16th 2011 | 12:40 am
#17
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 530
From: Catalonia, Spain
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
I bet there are a lot of Brits who just keep their UK licences and do nothing.
Sep 16th 2011 | 1:20 am
#18
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 11,231
From: Granada Costa
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
Ok well in a way thats good - we didn't waste our time but I still don't understand why we didn't need to have medicals. Also if we had not swopped our licences how would the spanish know when renewals and medicals were due.
I bet there are a lot of Brits who just keep their UK licences and do nothing.
I bet there are a lot of Brits who just keep their UK licences and do nothing.
By the way, Spanish licences are now valid for 10 years up to 65 and 5 years thereafter.
If you keep your UK licence and do not have the medicals they will not know about it until you are stopped. It is then that it gets very sticky. The law says that your UK licence is now not valid to drive in Spain and that will almost certainly mean that your insurance is invalid.
Yes, there are a lot of Brits who just keep their licence but don't know about the new rules about the medicals etc. They only find out when it all goes pear shaped!
Sep 16th 2011 | 1:23 am
#19
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 10,759
From: Land of no recession
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
A ball traveling across the screen to disappear behind a blanked bit and guess when it should reappear, done both right to left and left to right.
Sep 16th 2011 | 1:30 am
#20
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 11,231
From: Granada Costa
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
Some of them even use the wire ring on a stick over a piece of bendy wire like they used to have in fairgrounds!
Sep 16th 2011 | 7:06 pm
#23
Moderator
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 15,150
From: Costa Valencia
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.
BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.
Please let us know if you need any further help.
Rosemary and Graham
BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.
Please let us know if you need any further help.
Rosemary and Graham
Sep 16th 2011 | 7:42 pm
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 530
From: Catalonia, Spain
Re: UK Automatic driving licence in Spain
When you swap the assumption is that when your licence was issued in the other country that you would have had any required medicals. So you don't normally need a medical until you renew it.
By the way, Spanish licences are now valid for 10 years up to 65 and 5 years thereafter.
If you keep your UK licence and do not have the medicals they will not know about it until you are stopped. It is then that it gets very sticky. The law says that your UK licence is now not valid to drive in Spain and that will almost certainly mean that your insurance is invalid.
Yes, there are a lot of Brits who just keep their licence but don't know about the new rules about the medicals etc. They only find out when it all goes pear shaped!
By the way, Spanish licences are now valid for 10 years up to 65 and 5 years thereafter.
If you keep your UK licence and do not have the medicals they will not know about it until you are stopped. It is then that it gets very sticky. The law says that your UK licence is now not valid to drive in Spain and that will almost certainly mean that your insurance is invalid.
Yes, there are a lot of Brits who just keep their licence but don't know about the new rules about the medicals etc. They only find out when it all goes pear shaped!
). Glad we made the switch after all and it is a handy way of carrying proof of your NIE number.I used to be really good at the wire test on fun fairs so I look forward to getting a goldfish with my new licence at renewal time
Rose
