Driving Licence Renewal

[crazydiamond]

Forgive me for asking this as I know it has been covered here many times but the laws change so often! My UK Photo Card Driving Licence expires in a couple of months. Is it compulsory to change it for a Spanish licence or can I renew the UK version?

I am resident here in Spain so if I renew my UK licence I would have to use a relative's adddress.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[El Cid]

If you live permanently outside the UK you cannot legally renew your UK licence through a UK address.

Change it for a Spanish licence before it runs out.

Sid

[knowal]

El Cid is right.
The form for renewal of a UK driving licence requires you to sign a declaration that you are resident in the UK.
Making a false declaration is a criminal offence.
It also begs the question of what address is currently on the driving licence, which may mean that another offence of failing to notify change of address has been committed.
Best all round to say goodbye to your UK licence and swap for a Spanish one. It could save no end of trouble in the future. Remember that you must do this BEFORE your photo card expires.
The British embassy website also recommends that residents change to Spanish licences.
Information here:
http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for ... spain/cars

[crazydiamond]

Thanks, that answers the question, I will transfer to a Spanish licence.

My reason for asking was that when we moved here (5 years ago) we took our UK licences to Trafico in Málaga and were told we did not need to change them even when we pointed out that the addresses were invalid!

I have read Spanish Lad's very useful guide in another post so hopefully nothing has changed since then. Silly I know but I find the thought of tackling Trafico quite daunting even though my Spanish is reasonable! However, I refuse to pay a gestoria if it is as simple as it sounds. My licence runs out at the end of December so I had better get cracking! Wish me luck!

[spanish_lad]

good luck. it really is easy. just keep your mind on it, think about who you have to see etc...

and take a pen - there are none there.

[crazydiamond]

Thanks spanish lad, I read your other post on this and it was really helpful. We still haven't had chance to get into Málaga but we will definitely take a copy of your instructions when we go!

My photocard expires this month but my actual licence doesn't expire for many years. Had your photocard already expired when you applied? I don't think we will be able to get to Trafico until next month but I carry my full paper licence with me when I'm driving, which isn't that often, so hopefully that will be OK.

Cheers, CD

[masterob]

In the UK it is illegal to drive using a photocard licence that has expired even if the paper section hasn't. Therefore I would have thought that driving in Spain using an expired UK photocard licence would be similarly illegal. It could lead to all sorts of problems if stopped by the police not to mention insurance validity. If it was me I would get the exchange process done before the photocard runs out. It also raises the question would the Spanish Authorities allow exchange of an expired UK licence?

[masterob]

white horse wrote

It also begs the question of what address is currently on the driving licence, which may mean that another offence of failing to notify change of address has been committed.

Not necessary if you have moved overseas -

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Dr ... G_10023103

[knowal]

Thanks masterob, I knew that, but you have failed to take into account the context of my post which replied to the OP saying:

I am resident here in Spain so if I renew my UK licence I would have to use a relative's adddress.

That would be making a false declaration if they do not live at the relation's address, and are resident in Spain.

I actually considered this route of licence renewal when the British photocard licences were introduced, but I could not do it because of the declaration required on the application form.
For anyone resident in Spain, getting a Spanish licence is easy and gives some peace of mind.

[El Cid]

In the UK it is illegal to drive using a photocard licence that has expired even if the paper section hasn't.

You are quite right - there was a lot of confusion about this point when the first UK photo licences came up for renewal.

Some people had exchanged their old paper licences which were valid until age 70 and assumed that the new licence had the same validity.

This was completely wrong - they are valid until the expiry date on the front under the number 4b.

Once that date has been reached they are no longer valid for driving in the UK or in Spain.

The date on the back, which usually corresponds to the original date, merely indicates that, up until that date, you have an entitlement to drive those classes but it does not indicate that the licence is still valid.

Trafico will only be interested on the date on the front.

Sid

[spanish_lad]

Thanks spanish lad, I read your other post on this and it was really helpful. We still haven't had chance to get into Málaga but we will definitely take a copy of your instructions when we go!

My photocard expires this month but my actual licence doesn't expire for many years. Had your photocard already expired when you applied? I don't think we will be able to get to Trafico until next month but I carry my full paper licence with me when I'm driving, which isn't that often, so hopefully that will be OK.

Cheers, CD

when i started the application process it was coming close to expiring, but was overlooked. when i went back to "collect my licence", as i thought, it was actually for them to tell me that, because my licence was 3 days out of date i then had to have a medical. oops.

so i would say that yes, they will change it, but if it is out of date they will insist on a medical certificate. if its in date, chances are that they wont.

for the sake of 23 euros i´d just do it anyways.

for the record, when the woman on the counter told me what i then needed and why, i asked her if i could still drive - and she pointed out on the reverse of my licence, as mentioned above, that you are entitled to drive up to age 70, and it would be fine, with the "provisional licence" and a form of ID.

[Jool]

Does anyone know the procedure for changing an old style UK driving licence to a spanish one ie the UK one is NOT a photocard one..? Are application forms available online?

[gus-lopez]

I've answered your post on the other thread . There's no difference.