Using UK driving licences in Spain

Information and questions about driving in Andalucia, buying or importing cars and motorbikes plus legal issues surrounding taxes and licenses.
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spanish_lad
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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby spanish_lad » Thu Mar 22, 2018 9:34 pm

This thread is the evidence of why i see no 'valididity' in the 'citizens advice' (sic) website.

:lolno:

Everyone is like "ohh ohh i saw it here look at this"


And the information supplied is either totally irrelevent or years out of date ...


Same as the n340 guardia civil site.. That ive also proved wrong on multiple occasions...
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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby Beachcomber » Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:36 pm

Spanish lad, I totally agree with you. Just because they have hijacked the name people think it is the Spanish arm of the real UK Citizens Advice Bureaux which it most definitely is not. It is just another third rate expat advisory site.

As for N322, they do not like being proven wrong. All they want is sycophantic posts from a motley bunch of obsequious hangers on constantly telling them how wonderful they are. If you have contradicted them on anything I am surprised they are still allowing you to post!

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby El Cid » Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:40 pm

Spanish Lad, do you mean the N322 site on the Costa Blanca or is there another “Guardia” site I have missed?

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby Beachcomber » Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:44 pm

I don't think there is an N340 site. He probably means the one on the Costa Blanca which is the one I was referring to although I did also refer to it as N340 initially.

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby peteroldracer » Thu Mar 22, 2018 11:09 pm

Two Guardia Civil Trafico guys from the N322 site have just given a talk with Qs & As to 110 people locally. They are creating a booklet on traffic law in English which shoukd be ready soon apparently.
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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby 1bassleft » Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:30 am

Back to the original point, Gerry's link has an update that the UK is setting in motion the Vienna Convention so an IDP is at least a possibility (given that loads of minutiae also hasn't got off the starting blocks). A new link inside that article leads to the 'gov website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ost-brexit

If I were Spanish resident, I would switch my licence but my time (and cars) are split between the UK and ES so it could be awkward squad either way for me. If it comes to it, an IDP is just another thing I'll need to do what I do; not the end of the world. As long as I don't get one from that bloke mentioned in the Olive Press...

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby Manchesteral » Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:43 am

I've read many posts on various forums regarding this topic and I'm not deriding or dismissing any of them however I was under the impression ( perhaps i'm wrong) that all E U member countries should employ the same rules regarding driving licences.
My cousin who moved to Sweden around twenty years ago was compelled to change his British driving licence as part of the residencia process, if this is true then why are the rules in Spain different, I'm genuinely confused regarding this matter !

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby peteroldracer » Sun Apr 01, 2018 12:55 pm

There is little uniformity in lots of rules across the EU. Take the conditions for residency in the UK compared to Spain for example, or for state health care.
In any case the UK will not be a member soon, so what “they” do will not be the same as what “we” do.
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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby elusive » Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:41 pm

They (countries) all seem to be different. Is a directive different than an E.U law? Just makes the whole EU unity thing a waste of time when everyone has different rules.

The uk recently changed. Where as before you had to change to a uk licence within a certain timeframe.the last time i looked on the dvla site you could now use it until the photo needed renewing. Prob changed again since then!!

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby peteroldracer » Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:48 pm

"use it until the photo needed renewing" makes sense, would be the same as the rules for using UK ones in Europe.
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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby El Cid » Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:14 pm

peteroldracer wrote:There is little uniformity in lots of rules across the EU. Take the conditions for residency in the UK compared to Spain for example, or for state health care.
In any case the UK will not be a member soon, so what “they” do will not be the same as what “we” do.
In fact the residency rules for EU citizens in the UK are eactly the same as they are in Spain. The difference is that the Eu directive allows states to opt out of some of the requirements. That is why the UK do not have any sort of Eu foreigner registration process at all. If they had implemented it, all those Eu citizens residing in the UK would be in a far better position than they now find themselves in.

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Re: Using UK driving licences in Spain

Postby El Cid » Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:20 pm

Manchesteral wrote:I've read many posts on various forums regarding this topic and I'm not deriding or dismissing any of them however I was under the impression ( perhaps i'm wrong) that all E U member countries should employ the same rules regarding driving licences.
My cousin who moved to Sweden around twenty years ago was compelled to change his British driving licence as part of the residencia process, if this is true then why are the rules in Spain different, I'm genuinely confused regarding this matter !
The current driving licence directive only came into effect in 1996 which might explain the situation that your cousin experienced.

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