The ‘driving with a UK licence in Spain’ saga continues

The saga continues regarding driving in Spain with a UK licence as the two Governments are still negotiating. UK and Spanish Ministers spoke yesterday (Friday) and agreed to rapidly accelerate talks next week in the hope of reaching an agreement soon, as they already have in almost every other EU Member State.

However, there is no agreement in place as yet for the exchange of licences without needing to take a practical test and today, Saturday 30^th April, is the end of the current grace period.

This means that if you have been resident in Spain for longer than six months, your UK-issued licence will no longer be valid to drive here from tomorrow, Sunday 1st May.

Driving without a valid licence is illegal in Spain, so if you are affected by this change and need to drive, you should not wait for the outcome of the negotiations and should take immediate steps to apply for a Spanish licence, as the British Government have been advising for some time now, which will involve taking both a theory and practical test.

This does not affect visiting motorists from the UK, i.e. holidaymakers, or UK licence holders who have recently moved to Spain. You have six months from the date you get your residence document to take a Spanish test. The official text on the British Government website confirms:

If you have a valid UK driving licence:
From 1st May 2022:
- if you were living in Spain before 1st January 2021, your valid UK driving licence will no longer be valid for driving in Spain.

- if you moved to Spain after 1st January 2021, your valid UK licence will be recognised for 6 months from the date you obtained residence

According to the ambassador, negotiations will continue early next week and they are doing all they can to secure a long-term solution swiftly, and acknowledge that this will cause significant difficulties for those who have not yet been able to exchange their licence.