driving licences

scarlet · Postby **scarlet** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:08 pm

does everyone know that uk licenses have to be translated in to spanish by may this year, if you dont they reckon the punishment is quite severe.
Also if you go and apply for a residencia you cant have one, my son got a piece of paper with his nie number and thats all. but banks etc still go and on about have you got a residencia, when will they learn there own laws. also anyone in cartama interested that the new pgou comes out at the end of febuary, that will be interesting

alican · Postby **alican** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:32 pm

What do you mean 'translated'.
We had both our driving licences sent to Madrid to have our NIE's stamped on the back so we are now in the spanish system. Is there something else now going on ??

scarlet · Postby **scarlet** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 6:41 pm

I am not sure as we have not done it, but I was told you go to your local police station ours is malaga, what they actually do Iam not sure. sorry but I do know that prison was mentioned by the advisor on the radio.

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:52 am

the residencia thing cant be true-i have just took a friend to the police station (last Mon)to get the forms.he explained what we needed to fill in etc..

Postby **El Cid** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:22 am

This topic has been covered many times before and the general consensus seems to be that, if you are a resident, the easiest option to avoid any problems is to exchange your UK licence for a Spanish one. You do this at the Trafico office in Malaga.

The comment you heard about prison sentences has a grain of truth in it. Under the new rules recently introduced, the penalty for driving without a valid licence can now result in a prison sentence.

Driving on a UK licence is still allowed, even for a resident, but there are complicated rules about having medicals, which if not followed to the letter, could result in your UK licence being considered invalid with all the penalties (including prison) that could result from that.

Apparently the police have allowed a period of grace to allow people to get a valid licence and I think the deadline is in May.

Sid

scarlet · Postby **scarlet** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:02 am

princess peach.
I can assure you it is true, because my son actually went to get a residencia,filled in a form, paid his 6 euros in the bank, and was given the peice of paper, the law has changed regarding residencias, didnt you know

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:07 pm

Scarlet-well,i didnt know....it doesnt concern me anyway,as i already have my residencia card...it is for a family im helping out that have just arrived in Spain.
What difference does it make anyway,im sure it has all the same details on the paper that wouldve been on the residence card.

Postby **Beachcomber** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:27 pm

The 'piece of paper' which has replaced the residence card at the insistence of the EU does not have a photograph, fingerprint, address or your signature and specifically states that it has no validity as an identity document.

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:29 pm

im shrugging my shoulders then,as to what the hell its used for???
perhaps you could enlighten me beach

Postby **Beachcomber** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:58 pm

It is to prove that you are listed on the 'register of foreigners'.

If you now have one of these pieces of paper instead of an old style residence card you are supposed to carry your original passport as means of identification.

Don · Postby **Don** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:10 pm

Scarlet, since early last year EU citizens resident in Spain cannot get, nor renew the old "residencia card" which was a photo card. Anyone who has one now will not get a new card when the old one expires. After a string of court cases the current situation is that you are automatically deemed to be resident in Spain if you are in the country for more than 183 days (6 months) in a year. Instead of the residencia card you are now obliged to have a registered NIE after 3 months in the country and they now give you a "fancy" certificate for your NIE, which I suspect is what you were given after paying the 6 euros tax. Banks etc take the new certificate as the official version of your NIE and they will not consider you a resident (for banking purposes) without a copy of the NIE certificate. When you do get your NIE you may still need to activate it (ad alta) in the relevant government departments. For example, years ago I had a NIF but last time I changed the car trafico would no longer accept the NIF but insisted on a NIE (which I duly got) and then I had to activate it with the Hacienda so the car could be registered in my name. Basically the NIE does not make you resident but you cannot be resident without a NIE and if you are non-resident then different rules apply such as eligibility for Spanish bank savings accounts, withholding on any interest and needing to have a fiscal representative even if you have only one property. I am sure Sid or Beachcomber could add a lot more from their own experiences but the rules have and are still changing so I for one read such threads and learn. As for your driving license you can either exchange a UK license for a Spanish one or you can have your UK license recognissed when you get on the Spanish register or drivers in Spain. Either way you need to comply with the medical rules which would apply to you if you held a Spanish license. There are other threads on this if you look back.
Saludos

princess peach · Postby **princess peach** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:43 pm

o.k beach..got cha.

ellad25 · Postby **ellad25** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:45 pm

Sorry to bring up the driving licence issue again but we have decided to get Spanish licences because of the confusion surrounding the need for a medical certificate, which our local issuing place said we didn't need as we had UK licences (engraved with our NIE numbers), but other received wisdom is that the UK licence is not valid without the medical cert as the requirements should be the same as for a Spanish national.

So we know we need to go to Trafico in Malaga to do the licence but does anyone have any advice on the best time of day to go, and also what documents to take - I guess the answer is anything official that you can think of, but advice from anybody with any recent experience of doing this would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Don · Postby **Don** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:53 pm

Point of detail ellad, you will need to comply with exactly the same medical exam rules if you (voluntarily) change to a Spanish license as you do to keep your UK license valid. Easiest route (recommended before 1 May) is to get the eyesight test done at one of the many centres (apparently 20 minutes and a few euros) and keep the certificate with your UK license.

Postby **El Cid** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:01 pm

If you exchange your licence you do not have to have a medical until you renew it (unless you are close to your 70th birthday).

The medical costs vary depending on the clinic from 18 to 36 Euros so it is worth saving that.

Sid

ellad25 · Postby **ellad25** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:20 pm

Thanks for the replies. I had heard previously that if you change to a Spanish licence you don't need to get a medical cert till the licence comes up for renewal, which seems a bit odd - you'd think you'd need one straightaway.

And the lady in the office in Alhaurin de la Torre was adamant that we didn't need to waste 25 euros each as the medical cert wasn't necessary for a UK licence.

Another odd thing is that my husband's UK licence expires in 2009 and mine in 2012 - and neither of us will be anywhere near 70 at that time. I always thought UK licences were valid till 70 but have to admit I haven't really taken much notice previously. So I guess we'd have to change to Spanish licences in 2009 and 2012 respectively anyway. It's all a bit of a mystery

Postby **El Cid** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:28 pm

ellad25 wrote:Thanks for the replies. I had heard previously that if you change to a Spanish licence you don't need to get a medical cert till the licence comes up for renewal, which seems a bit odd - you'd think you'd need one straightaway.

If you are a Spaniard and apply for a new licence you have to have a medical up front.

I think that the situation with regard to an exchange is that the Spanish assume that you would have a current medical to be able to hold a current licence (which is the case in most countries but not in the UK) so they allow you to exchange it without a new medical.

Sid

Don · Postby **Don** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:09 pm

Spot on Cid, and the big question is officially when the clock starts ticking as to when you need a "medical". If you exchange then you start the clock at that time. If you dont, then maybe when you officially become resident the clock starts or maybe when you get empadronamiento or ... I really dont know the answer so I still suggest the easiest way to live with a UK or other EU license is to get the "medical" at your earliest convenience and renew it every 5 yrs from then until 70. Thats my plan anyway after reading and learning from here and other (official) websites.

Postby **El Cid** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:48 pm

Don wrote: and the big question is officially when the clock starts ticking as to when you need a "medical". If you exchange then you start the clock at that time. If you dont, then maybe when you officially become resident the clock starts or maybe when you get empadronamiento or ... I really dont know .

Or maybe it's when the nice man in green on a big motorbike decides that it starts!

Sid

Don · Postby **Don** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:41 am

Yeah Cid, had considered that one too. I see groups of Guardia carrying out various campaigns (seat belts at the moment) and I think we can expect a new campaign after 1 May to "remind" us all of the new penal code. Hence my plan to get the "medical" just in case and try and avoid an argument over dates.

So far my few contacts with the Guardia have been surprisingly pleasant but I did once see a very irate pair of Guardia on bikes. They had been cruising quite slowly past some parked cars and some idiot reversed quickly out of the parking and wiped one of the bikes out. One Guardia was dusting himself down and the other was tearing into the driver as he was looking in dismay at how easily a 250 odd kg Guardia bike can rip the whole rear bumper off a car.