Swapping a UK licence for a Spanish one? Help please!

[Cspeedy]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 14 October 2010 at 14:52

[Tsippy]

I thought that modern driving licences were legal throughout Europe (note the EU badge on it) and so you did not need to change it??

Or is this to avoid points on your licence in the UK ?

[skodamanpat]

Move to Spain
Take the test
Pass and have two licenses
Fail .. just drive on the 'UK' one

Not sure on the legalities, but hey what the hell, I doubt the Spanish will/can check with the DVLA if you have a UK license already and even if they do the DVLA will probably cock up the reply in anycase.

[Cspeedy]

Thanks for the help so far. I know you don't need to nowadays but I would like to. As for avoiding points, I don't get what you mean, if I'm moving why on earth would it matter if I get points or not.

I don't see the point in retaking a driving test unless I have to.

I should probably point out I'm not fussed about keeping my UK one, I was just wondering if you could or not.

Thanks again.

[SS2.]

euroboy said:

Usually people with this question are moving somewhere else in Europe, but still from time to time come back to the UK. The idea being if you are driving in the UK and get flashed or pulled by BiB you simply submit your foreign licence and vice-versa when on the mainland.

I believe this used to work quite well in the past but not so well these days.

It won't work at all - a non-GB licence holder who is convicted of an endorsable offence (or who accepts an EFPN) will have points imposed upon a driving record held by the DVLA. And if that record sees 12 or more points awarded within any three year period, then the licence holder will still be liable for a totting ban of at least 6 months.

[skodamanpat]

SS2. said:

euroboy said:

Usually people with this question are moving somewhere else in Europe, but still from time to time come back to the UK. The idea being if you are driving in the UK and get flashed or pulled by BiB you simply submit your foreign licence and vice-versa when on the mainland.

I believe this used to work quite well in the past but not so well these days.

It won't work at all - a non-GB licence holder who is convicted of an endorsable offence (or who accepts an EFPN) will have points imposed upon a driving record held by the DVLA. And if that record sees 12 or more points awarded within any three year period, then the licence holder will still be liable for a totting ban of at least 6 months.

Yes but then John Smith of 22 Acacia Avenue Spain will be unable to drive in the UK, but John Smith of Acacia avenue UK will still have a clean UK license.

Because the Spanish license was issued to a J. Smith of the Spanish address upon him passing a Spanish test then I doubt that BiB or DVLA would be able to readily equate that to a license issued to a Mr. J smith in Britain at a British address. I am not suggesting this is legal but I would guess that so long as it was a different BiB pulling you and so long as you where driving a differant car you would be pretty much in a position of having 24 points to go at. Mind you if you got caught.......................

Edited by skodamanpat on Saturday 12th June 19:56

[MigX]

i had to change my driving licence to a uk (with the paper bit as well) because most places wouldnt accept my portuguese driving licence (due to dont have the a4 paper with it). i was told as well that after 1 year of living in the uk i should had changed it.
in spain they wont give you points on your uk licence but you will have to pay any fines on the spot.
if you dont need it to work i dont see a point of doing it.
about the interchange of information betwen dvla and the equivelent in spain or portugal i have no idea. i would like to know though as i might still have my portuguese driving licence.

[SS2.]

MigX said:

i was told as well that after 1 year of living in the uk i should had changed it.

You can drive [a car / motorcycle] in the UK on a licence from an EC/EEA member state for a period of 3 years after becoming resident, or until aged 70 (whichever is the longer period).

[EK993]

You might find the answer on here:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=...

[Kneetrembler]

Cspeedy said:

Ok, I'm looking for advice on how to swap my UK licence for a Spanish one. I have been reading up on how to do this and as always with the internet I keep finding conflicting answers.

So, Firstly what do I need to get a Spanish Driving licence? I've read you need to own a property, but is renting one enough?
How long do I have to live in Spain before I can apply for my Spanish licence? I've read everything from having to wait 5 years to being able to do it "as soon as you land"?
Does it mean when you get your Spanish one, that your British one is "deleted" from the DVLA?
If I moved back to the UK in say 5 years can I get my UK one back?

Oh one last thing, Do you need a residency VISA or similar, if so do you get that when you buy property?


Any help will be much appreciated

You do not legally need to chnage your U.K. licence, there is a directive issued by Brussels that states this.

Whenever you are stopped and some of the Police will ask you why you haven't changed your licence, just tell them that the directive issued by Brussels tell me that I need not change it irrespective of living full time in Spain witha residents permit.

They can do nothing about it.

[cabbron]

^exactly as he says-i have also found a uk license to be readily accepted around the world for hiring cars-a bit of colonial respect maybe?

[mickrick]

I'd give up my residencey before I'd let go of my U.K. licence.
A Spanish licence just means you have no idea how to drive!
I've never seen such shocking and inconsiderate driving, as I have in Spain (Apart from India, and Sicilly.)
They say the driving test is difficult. How can it be, when they don't know which way to turn the wheel when reversing?
Although I admit, there are exceptions. But not many.
Keep your U.K. european licence. At least it's worth the paper it's written on.

[Kneetrembler]

mickrick said:

I'd give up my residencey before I'd let go of my U.K. licence.
A Spanish licence just means you have no idea how to drive!
I've never seen such shocking and inconsiderate driving, as I have in Spain (Apart from India, and Sicilly.)
They say the driving test is difficult. How can it be, when they don't know which way to turn the wheel when reversing?
Although I admit, there are exceptions. But not many.
Keep your U.K. european licence. At least it's worth the paper it's written on.

+1, I also think that these Balearic Islands are far worse than the peninsula as well,it makes driving here on these Islands a joke if it weren't so serious,it's diabolical which makes the standards of the so called instructors very very poor indeed.
This is something that the Ministry of the Interior (Guardia) should get sorted.

[cabbron]

bloody hell it must be really really really bad on the islands then because some myopic sapnish tt tries to kill me at least 3 times a day in the 7kms i travel to my building project daily!i just think they are totally clueless and arrogant all at the same time in their cars.i have acctually got out of my car and driven the car in front thru a massive gap that the split arse assured all 15 cars behind her that it would not go ffs.

[need45peed]

skodamanpat said:

Move to Spain
Take the test
Pass and have two licenses
Fail .. just drive on the 'UK' one

Not sure on the legalities, but hey what the hell, I doubt the Spanish will/can check with the DVLA if you have a UK license already and even if they do the DVLA will probably cock up the reply in anycase.

As far as I know you can't legally hold two driving licences from two EU member states.

[need45peed]

mickrick: having a Spanish licence doesn't mean you have to drive like a Spaniard

[Kneetrembler]

cabbron said:

bloody hell it must be really really really bad on the islands then because some myopic sapnish tt tries to kill me at least 3 times a day in the 7kms i travel to my building project daily!i just think they are totally clueless and arrogant all at the same time in their cars.i have acctually got out of my car and driven the car in front thru a massive gap that the split arse assured all 15 cars behind her that it would not go ffs.

It is worse I assure you ask Mickrick, one of my vehicles is a Berlingo van for collecting stuff, when I arrived here in Ibiza that van had not one mark on it, now it has little dings everywhere because the spastics have no respect for other peoples vehicles, open doors on you,bump you scrape your bumpers etc, it used to drive me crazy now I only use the Berlingo if I have to park anywhere.
When I take the Corvette out I just do a drive around the Island then back home no parking where these idiots can dent it, other than that I drive my Disco with a big tow bar.

The worst ferry to get your car dented in isvthe Balearic Ferry Company as they pack you in like sardines and the spaniards just open their doors and squeeze themselves in using your paintwork as a rubbing table.

The only ferry that I will take the Corvette over on is the Acciona to Barcelona as at least that is half decent and at half the price of the other ferry company.

[cabbron]

yep i always just drive my nice cars for a lap,never let them out of my sight.stopped buying new cars here now as after 1 week max some tt will have dinged them.i did enjoy the sport of towbar to bumper interface in my landy 110 in retaliation for idiotic spanish parking.it seemed to have a mind of its own and would happily shove or destroy the front end of any offending vehicle.a few weeks ago i saw a bird in an x5 scrape it all down the side against a renault 14!!! lol.if that was my women she would be on a bicycle from then on.

[mickrick]

need45peed said:

mickrick: having a Spanish licence doesn't mean you have to drive like a Spaniard

And owning a Spanish licence doesn't mean you know how to drive.

ETA, neither does owning a U.K. one!
I just can't see the point of going through all the hassle of the Spanish paper chase, when it's not necesary. Plus they're bound to cock it up.

Edited by mickrick on Tuesday 15th June 07:47

[Kneetrembler]

mickrick said:

need45peed said:

mickrick: having a Spanish licence doesn't mean you have to drive like a Spaniard

And owning a Spanish licence doesn't mean you know how to drive.

ETA, neither does owning a U.K. one!
I just can't see the point of going through all the hassle of the Spanish paper chase, when it's not necesary. Plus they're bound to cock it up.

Edited by mickrick on Tuesday 15th June 07:47

They do cock it up because their rules compared to the U.K. licensing rules/laws are different.

When I first came her 20 odd yrs ago I thought it would be agood idea to get a Spanish licence, so first of all I got a duplicate U.K. one just in case and lucky for me it was.

So I applied and it was then sent back to me with what I could drive, well first off they took of my HGV, my 7.5 Ton allowance & large trailer allowance ++++ some others and I ended up with my car licence plus a my bike licence.
So Iwent into traffico and asked them what has happened here, they told me that anything else I would have to take a test in Spanish for.
So I handed them back my Spanish licence and retained my U.K. licence with the piece of paper issued by Brussels to prove that I had no need for a Spanish licence.

This was when I lived in Andalucia, one day I was stopped by the boys in green and asked to see my licence, so I produced my U.K. licence they said that is not legal here I said oh yes it is as it is legal in Spain, their comment was but this is not Spain this is Andalucia, at this point I produced the paper from Brussels which they read as it was in Spanish, after they had read it all they said to me was Fuera with a shake sideways of the hand.
Nobody in Europe within the EEC can make to change your licence, the benefit at the moment by holding a U.K. licence is the fact that if you get done for a traffic offence unless it is really serious you only get fined no points, but there is a Spanish website somewhere that will tell you what points that you have on your licence.