ElizabethAnn

Hi!
Does anyone have recent / up-to-date experience of exchanging their UK driving Licence to a Spanish licence? Where did you do it? What is involved? Is it necessary? Retaining UK Licence if we "no deal Brexit" whilst obtaining a Spanish Licence or do we use an International Licence to drive in Spain and Portugal - 2 different IDPs required - one for Spain and a different one for Portugal I believe? All a bit of a nightmare approaching I fear...

I've done a bit of trawling on the Internet and am not coming up with any reliable answers. We are both Resident as from January 2018. My UK licence is valid until 2022 but my partner's expires in July 2019.

Any pointers would be much appreciated. Thank you.

ElizabethAnn

I've found this UK Govt. guidance in the event of a "No-deal" Brexit...
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...no-brexit-deal

Not sure where that leaves my partner, who is over 70...

ElizabethAnn

...aha, reading the small print again, I believe my partner would be ok because:
...he will exchange his Licence for a Spanish one before 28th March 2019. Then, if we return to the UK at some point in the future, the guidance says that we can exchange our Licences back to a UK one!

so, all we need to know is, how do we exchange our UK Licence for a Spanish one and where?

(sorry I seem to be answering most of my own questions... but no all.)

Michaelh

You can exchange your driving licence in Huelva, Best to order an appointment on this website:
https://sedeapl.dgt.gob.es/WEB_NCIT_...itarCita.faces

Choose huelva Office
Type: Canje de permiso de conduccion Europeo
Country: Reino Unido

neil77

I looked into this over the last year, read loads of info on it, and from memory, which means this could be wrong......but Im sure I read somewhere that one has to be resident in Spain for two years [i.e.having applied for and gained 'residency] before you can apply for a Spanish driving licence. Has anyone else heard that, or maybe can correct me on that?
Thank you Michaelh for that valuable info, I will copy that link when I do actually come to apply myself.
Also, I have worked out, if you live here in Spain and dont change your driving licence to a Spanish one, then your original UK licence will show your old UK address, and you cant change that address unless you do apply for a Spanish licence. So, if you stay with your UK licence with your old UK address on it, and say you fly back to UK for a visit, and hire a car..........then you could find yourself either having to tell porky pies about your address, or you may not be able to hire a car in the UK with a licence that doesnt show your true home address. A dilemma!

Dxf

Hola

I have been advising people to change their licence to Spanish if they are resident here. After Brexit you could be forced to take a test (in the Spanish language) the same as anyone from a country outside the EU has to.

Davexf

ElizabethAnn

Thank you to everyone for the responses. Great!
A bit of clarification - hopefully! There appears to be 2 processes: a) Apply for a Spanish Licence; and b) Voluntarily EXCHANGE a UK Licence for a Spanish Licence. My understanding is that to exchange the Licence there is no test required, but if you are over 70 a 'fit to drive' medical certificate is required from a registered specialist medic. Anyone who knows differently or more detail please post here.
Based on the latest (yesterday) UK Govt guidance - driven (no pun intended) by a possible "no-deal" Brexit - is that a voluntary exchange to a Spanish Licence before 28th March 2019 would appear to be the simplest way forward to avoid having to take a Spanish Driving Test. That is the option we are planning for.
The above comment about the irresolvable dilemma regarding the change of address on a UK driving licence is correct based on the information on Gov.uk. You also cannot renew an expiring Licence unless you are resident in the UK. However, we still have a UK address and have to trust that common sense would prevail since you can't change your address on a UK Licence unless you are resident in the UK.
Interestingly, yesterday's UK Gov. guidance also says that an EU Licence will be acceptable to drive in the UK after 28th March whether or not there is a Brexit deal or no-deal, so win win to exchange it.
Some useful links:
https://www.expatica.com/new/es/livi...icense-473563/ - last updated 01-08-2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...no-brexit-deal - published 13th Sept 2018

EsuriJohn

ElizabethAnn

Thanks EsuriJohn. We have decided to go for the exchange. Can you recall what documentation you required in Huelva?

EsuriJohn

ElizabethAnn

Thanks EsuriJohn.

Fred James

This address problem crops up frequently.

This is the answer from the DVLA.

National licences may only carry an address from the country which issued that licence. We are therefore unable to re-issue your British licence with an overseas address.
It is accepted that drivers who move to another part of the EC/EEA could be holding a licence showing an incorrect address.
This is permissible under the terms of the EC Directive on Driving Licences.

bitmanev

some info from UK Gov; Driving in the EU if there's no Brexit deal

for me personal i have asked my Dutch Embassy how to change my licence back to an EU licence as I don't want to keep my current UK licence