The Spanish Government has announced that it is extending to October 31 the validity of UK driver's licenses that have not yet been exchanged for a Spanish one. In this way, British residents in Spain who are holders of a driving license from their country have four more months to complete this procedure and, until then, they will be able to continue driving through Spanish territory with their British driving license.
According to an official statement from the Government of Spain “a transitional period is set during which holders of a driving license issued by the British authorities can continue driving in our country, it will be extended for four months. Currently, the negotiation of an agreement between Spain and the United Kingdom is being promoted to regulate the mutual recognition of driving licenses, therefore, while the requirements and procedures for such recognition are agreed, it is considered necessary to extend the validity period of British permits in Spain ”.
The extension only applies to those who resided in Spain before the December 31, 2020 deadline of the Withdrawal Agreement.
The entry into force of Brexit led to the readaptation of numerous agreements between the two countries. The bilateral agreement for the exchange, replacement and renewal of UK driving licenses indicated that for British living in Spain and in possession of a valid UK driving license, said license would be valid to drive in Spain until June 30, 2021, a date that now runs to October 31.
To exchange the UK driving license for a Spanish one, the interested party had to register this request with the competent Traffic authority in Spain (the DGT, General Directorate of Traffic) before December 30, 2020.
Here there would exist two possible scenarios.
1. Registration with the DGT before December 30, 2020
If you resided in Spain before January 1, 2021 and you registered with the DGT before December 30, 2020 to make an appointment and be able to exchange your UK license before December 31, 2021, you will not have any problem as of June 30th. You probably already have your license redeemed. In the event that it is still pending, do not worry because the DGT changes your UK license for a provisional driving license until your Spanish driving license is processed.
You must bear in mind that this temporary permit is only valid for driving in Spain.
2. If you did not register with the DGT before December 30, 2020
If for whatever reason you did not register with the DGT before December 30, 2020 and you want to exchange your UK driving license, you must follow the same procedure as any non-EU citizen, which includes taking a driving test. If you have not done so yet, you should know that your license will no longer be recognized as valid in Spain after June 30, 2021.
Taking the Spanish driving test is a process that requires time and financial outlay and, therefore, it may not be very encouraging for people in this situation, but it is what the Brexit agreement establishes.
However, there is a bit of light in the tunnel in the medium term since the government of Great Britain and Spain are in talks to avoid in the future that citizens in this situation have to take the driving test.
More information about driving in Spain with a license from other countries.
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