Spain Extends Validity Of UK Driving Licences To December 31
Spain News
Published: 27 October 2021 14:00 CET
British drivers in Spain breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday after it was announced that the validity of their UK driving licences would be extended.
The UK's Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott made the announcement via the Embassy's Facebook page saying, "The Spanish government has announced that valid UK licences will continue to be recognised for driving in Spain until December 31st 2021”.
It will be the second time that the deadline has been extended since the UK left the EU at the end of 2020. The previous extension was announced in June and of which was due to expire on October 31.
It means that those who applied to exchange their UK licences for a Spanish version by December 30, 2020, will now have an additional three months in which to do so. During this time their licences will continue to be recognised by the Spanish authorities when driving in Spain.
The Embassy said, "Independent of the ongoing negotiations, UK Nationals who successfully registered their intent to exchange their licence before 30 December 2020, will be able to exchange it for a Spanish one without having to take a practical test up until 31 December 2021."
“We know that some people who tried to register their intent have subsequently found out that they were unsuccessful in doing so.
“If this is your situation and you are unclear as to why, you should contact the DGT directly to discuss further. https://www.dgt.es/es/contacto.shtml”.
British nationals who moved to Spain after January 1, 2021, your licences will be recognised for six months, either from the date of their TIE or until the new deadline on December 31, whichever is later.
Most non-EU driving licence holders have six months from their arrival in the country to exchange them for a Spanish one.
The Embassy has previously stated that they are in negotiations with the Spanish government to form a bilateral agreement so that UK driving licences will continue to be recognised in Spain for those that move to the country.
In a previous statement, Mr Elliott said, “Negotiations are underway between the British and Spanish Governments to agree long-term arrangements for exchanging driving licences without needing a practical test.”
However, as things stand, anyone who arrived in Spain after January 1, 2021, will need to apply for a Spanish licence and sit both a practical and theory test.
“If you want to take action now, you could, if you wished, apply for a Spanish licence. This includes taking both a practical and theory test.
“We are aware that there are currently waiting lists to get a test appointment in some areas.”
You can find further information on obtaining a Spanish driving licence on the following web page.
https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/permisos-de-conducir/
Source
https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/posts/4072883199482717
https://www.thelocal.es/20211027/spain-extends-british-driving-licence-validity-until-december-31st/
