Exchanging driving licence

[Miro]

If you are a resident you are required to renew it on the same timescale as a Spanish holder - ie every ten years up to 70 and every 5 years thereafter. You must also have a medical check and carry the results of that check with your licence,
Sid

Has this changed recently? I thought it was every 5 years after 45, then every year after 70?

[El Cid]

Has this changed recently? I thought it was every 5 years after 45, then every year after 70?

Yes it has changed - about 18 months ago.

Sid

[Miro]

Didn't know. Presumably a licence issued to, say, a 45 year old, expiring after 5 years, will still have to renewed at 50, but the next issue will be good until 60 then? Was this an EU forced change to harmonize regulations in member states, by the way?

[El Cid]

Didn't know. Presumably a licence issued to, say, a 45 year old, expiring after 5 years, will still have to renewed at 50, but the next issue will be good until 60 then? Was this an EU forced change to harmonize regulations in member states, by the way?

Yes, when you renew it, it will be valid for 10 years.

Yes, the changes do relate to the new EU driving licence directive which comes into force, at the latest, in January 2013. The recent changes to licensing groups, particularly motorcycles, are part of this change.

As for licences the changes are a bit vague and different rules can still be applied in member states. One thing that is harmonised is that a bike/car licence must have a validity of 10 to 15 years. That is why Spain have now dropped the 5 year rule for over 45s. However the directive allows any state to set different (unspecified) periods for the over 50's. Spain has chosen to retain it at 10 years up to 70 and 5 years thereafter.

Sid

[Miro]

Thanks Sid for clarifying that one. I looked at the relevant bit on dgt.es, but I must admit the exact wording baffled me a bit.

Any word on when or if the EU are going to harmonize / standardize MoTs / ITVs so that cars registered in one member state can be kept road legal in others, without the need to re-register etc. etc.?

[El Cid]

Any word on when or if the EU are going to harmonize / standardize MoTs / ITVs so that cars registered in one member state can be kept road legal in others, without the need to re-register etc. etc.?

I think that is a long way from ever happening. There are all sorts of tax issues involved not to mention the need for an EU number plate system. All the registration details across the EU would have to be available to all states and police forces - an absolute nightmare!

The main reason you are obliged to reregister a car in Spain is so that they can take the registration tax off you - otherwise everyone would be bringing in cars from countries with lower taxes!

Sid

[peteroldracer]

Reregistration tax and road tax issues aside, surely it is vital that the registered keeper of a vehicle can be identified, along with where they live? My main concern with the dodgers living here is that in the event of them commiting a motoring offence - which could include knocking down and killing a member of YOUR family - if they are going about on Brit or german or whatever plates, there is a high risk that the address associated with that number could have no connection with the driver/owner. If they feel they are untraceable, they are not going to be so concerned about speeding, drink/driving and so on.
There have been many reports in the UK press about councils just tearing up parking tickets for foreign-registered cars because of the difficulty of tracing the owner. This suggests that the police services would find it equally difficult to track down more serious offenders.
Tax-wise, I do object to others not paying their share as most of us do.

[Bowler]

Peteroldracer you're spot on.
18 years ago when I still had an apartment in Calahonda a young brit tearaway living in my block with no visible means of support and rumored to carry weapons bought a BMW from a neighbour who owned in our community but was resident in Manchester, basically he sold the car on the spot went home by plane and posted his half of the reg doc to dvlc, Swansea.
A few weeks later the seller was visited at his Manchester address and questioned at length about his whereabouts on a certain date, having established a rock solid alibi he was told by the police that his car had been involved in a hit and run in Fuengirola killing a young Spanish lad.
The guy who bought it from him immediately threw away the reg doc, of course he was uninsured, he drove awy from the crime scene of course and abandoned the car in the hills behind the rubbish tip in Benalmadena.
This is why every car entering Spain should be logged and it's presence registered in some traceable way, the young hit and run driver by the way was eventually traced and spent 6 years in a Spanish prison for manslaughter, small consolation for the deprived parents.

[peteroldracer]

Sadly, one of the downsides of the EU is that its internal borders are open and (theoretically) unmonitored. Vehicles on non-Spanish plates are therefore almost impossible to track.

[Bowler]

Does anyone know if Driving licence regulations, as currently being discussed here, are the same throughout the E U, ? For example do can you also drive on your British licence, regardless of your residency status, ie long term resident or short term tourist in say France or Italy or does every E U member state have different rules ?

[El Cid]

Does anyone know if Driving licence regulations, as currently being discussed here, are the same throughout the E U, ? For example do can you also drive on your British licence, regardless of your residency status, ie long term resident or short term tourist in say France or Italy or does every E U member state have different rules ?

No, they are not the same - yet.

Classes of vehicles have recently been harmonised across the EU.

As a tourist you have few problems apart from little things like provisional licences not being valid outside the county of issue. The age limits for certain classes still differ and do apply to (young) tourists. You can drive a 125cc bike in Spain on a car licence which you cannot do in the UK and vice versa you cannot.

When resident a new set of rules kick in. You can use your UK licence (subject to what I have written above) but you must also comply with local rules about having medicals and the duration of validity of the licence (which may be different to that which applies in the country of issue).

BY 2013 the EU Third Directive On Drivers Licences will become law across the EU but there are still lots of local options available within its rules.

It is, and will remain, a minefield of contradictorily and confusing legislation!

Sid