HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

It’s feared that over 40 per cent of senior British nationals currently living in Spain have still not exchanged their licences for a Spanish equivalent.

Following an online poll by Age In Spain, the charity revealed that 42.6% of the respondents living in Spain were yet to update their driving permits.

According to the data, 61% of the participants said the main reason for not doing so was the ‘lack of clarity’ and confusion over the law and what was needed in order to perform the exchange.

Many cited that the biggest obstacles of all were, the cost of taking a Spanish driving lesson, the licence exchange process, along with the possibility of having to sit a theory test.

Speaking as a trustee of Age in Spain, Marijke Cazemier who lives in Andalucia and who designed the poll said:

“The poll was conducted anonymously on the social media platforms used by English-speaking nationals living in Spain, including the Age in Spain website and Facebook page, and gave us insight into what has been deterring people from either exchanging their licence whilst it was possible, or applying for the test.”

From May 1 this year, Brits who had been living in Spain for more than six months and only holding a UK licence have been unable to drive and have had to rely on friends, family and public transport to carry out everyday tasks.

Since Brexit, there have been ongoing negotiations between the UK authorities and their Spanish counterparts to find an agreement as to how the future exchange process should be carried out.

Although the Spanish authorities had granted Brit residents several extensions to the deadline so they could exchange their licences, no further extensions have been forthcoming suggesting that the negotiations between the two sides had become somewhat strained.

Many Brits have previously vented their frustrations via the Embassy Facebook page asking why what should be a simple agreement was taking so long.

It is believed that the Spanish authorities have previously requested direct access to DVLA data, however, it is unclear whether this will be agreed upon by the UK’s driving licence authority.

In a previous update at the start of August, Brits were assured that once an agreement was found and it was published in the country’s Official State Gazette (BOE) British nationals would be able to continue to drive for a further six months with their UK licences. This would then give them sufficient time to make an appointment and carry out the exchange.

Furthermore, drivers wouldn’t be obliged to sit a Spanish driving test. This will no doubt come as a huge relief to the senior British drivers who completed the Age in Spain online poll.

There were fears that the negotiations would come to a standstill in Spain during August given that this is traditionally a time when Spanish businesses close for the summer.

However, the UK Embassy in Spain has stressed that negotiations would continue throughout the month in an effort to finalise an agreement as soon as possible and get Brits back on the road.

In response to their poll, Age In Spain created a guide to driving in Spain.

Age in Spain volunteer Fiona Hulme from Denia, Valencia, said:

“This guide is vital for everyone - visitors and people coming to live in Spain. There are some important differences in the Spanish driving rules, such as how to enter and exit a roundabout - that we all need to know in order to drive legally and safely in Spain.”

Source

https://www.ageinspain.org/
https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/local/2022/08/08/104369/british-drivers-spain.html