Spain Extends UK Driving Licence Validity Until 31 October 2021
Spain News
Published: 23 June 2021 13:33 CET
Spain has announced that it will be extending the current validity of UK driving licences giving British nationals more time to carry out the exchange process.
The previous deadline to exchange licences for those who had been resident in Spain prior to December 31, 2020, was June 30, however, this has now been extended for a further four months to October 31, 2021.
Via their Facebook page, the British Embassy in Spain said, “We know that many of you have been anxious that the recognition of UK driving licences was set to end on 30 June. We are pleased that the Spanish Government yesterday announced that UK licences will continue to be recognised until 31 October 2021 for those of you who were resident in Spain before 31 December 2020 – even if you did not get your residency document until after the end of the Transition Period.”
The extension does not affect the current process to exchange driving licences for non-EU citizens. This means that if you are from the UK and arrived in Spain on or after January 1, 2021, your licence will only be recognised and remain valid for a maximum of six months.
You would therefore need to follow the current DGT process for non-EU nationals, which would involve sitting a Spanish driving test.
However, it is important to note that the UK and Spanish governments are currently undertaking negotiations on future arrangements whereby UK and Spanish driving licences would continue to be mutually recognised between the two countries with no requirement for British nationals living in Spain to sit a driving test.
Via their official page, the Spanish government said, “Negotiations are currently under way on an agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom to regulate the mutual recognition of driver’s licences and procedures to recognise them, and hence, until such time as these requirements and procedures can be agreed upon for this mutual recognition, it is considered necessary to extend the term of validity of British driving licences in Spain.”
The news will provide much relief for the many thousands of UK nationals currently living in Spain who may not have had the opportunity to make the exchange due to long delays in the processing of residency applications.
The extension will enable the Spanish authorities further time to work their way through the backlog due to the pandemic.
Many people on the British Embassy page have been asking whether those who arrived in Spain after January 1, 2021, should start the process to take driving lessons and a test in Spain or wait to find out whether an arrangement between the two governments will materialise in the coming months.
A number of users advised that it would be better to start the process to sit a driving test in Spain in case a new agreement is not found by October 31. If you do not begin the exchange process, you may be unable to drive in Spain after October 31 as your licence will be invalid.
You can view the official announcement from the Spanish government here.
You may also view the update from the British Embassy in Spain via their Facebook page where you can comment and find out more.
