Driving a vehicle without a valid licence is. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you dont already have one. If you became resident in The Netherlands before 31 January 2020, you must exchange your UK licence by 1 May 2021. You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. UK licence holders who have a paper licence only will also need an official photo for identification when driving in Spain. This means an EU licence must be changed to a UK licence at the age of 70, or three years after the driver becomes resident, whichever is later.18 Oct 2021. This also applies to driving licences from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. 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. In an earlier Facebook video posted on 21 December, UK Ambassador Hugh Elliottaddressed British citizens resident in Spain concerned whether you will be able to continue to drive in Spain beyond the end of the year using your UK driving license. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you should exchange your licence within 90 days of registering for residence. Whether its local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home. Please check with the licensing authority in your country of residence if your licence is lost, stolen or expired. Ours was. And that sucks. If you intend to stay in France for longer than 1 year, you must exchange your UK licence for a French licence during this initial 1-year period. UK nationals living in Spain are currently allowed to use their UK driving licence until June 30th at the latest. UK-Issued Driving Licences No Longer Valid for Britons Living in Spain From May 1 - SchengenVisaInfo.com.2 days ago. Including myself who has the standard UK Photocard license, that also comes in handy while shopping ( as proof of id ) when paying by Debit or Credit card. You may need to take a test if you want to exchange your licence. UK licence - Valid while visiting Cyprus. Would it be legal to drive this car in Spain ? The licence must be valid. As a result, if you are one of the affected, you should apply for a Spanish driving license to continue driving in Spain. It 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 May 1," the statement of the Ambassador reads. People can't get appointments to change over or sit Spanish driving tests!!! Can I get a Spanish driving licence? If you are heading to Spain in your own car, you will also need a number of additional documents that you must keep with you at all times. The British Embassy in Madrid has announced that the Spanish authorities have extended for a fourth time the period of validity for UK driving licences in Spain, whilst negotiations over the mutual exchange of licences continue. The licences issued in 2021 by the UK were valid until 28 February 2022, and are no longer valid for driving in Spain after that date. However, they can be exchanged without the need to take a driving or theory test. If your licence was issued in Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, you can only exchange a Category B licence without having to take a test. You can convert your licence without having to take a test. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. You must exchange your UK licence within 6 months of becoming a resident in Cyprus. With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. Your email address will not be published. For editorial submissions, please email: editorial@spainenglish.com. Spain now extends UK driving licence validity until 30 April. If you hold a valid UK or Gibraltar driving licence you can drive in Greece without restrictions. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Halloween Plans in the Alicante Area, Prep2U Launches New Traditional Meal Range: Grandma Kates Kitchen, Hogarguti Presents Cooking Surface At One Of Its Events, Make La Paillotte Restaurant a Priority Pit-Stop on Your Trip to Benissa, Panorama Marbella: Contemporary Villa Next to the Beach in Marbella East, Holmes Sotogrande: South-Facing Private Villa Available in Sotogrande Alto, Meet Marc Rivas The Famed Chef Turned TV Presenter of Catalunya, La Resina in Estepona: Homerun Brokers Stunning Development Listing. There are a total of 32 countries that have been listed in the UAE driving license valid countries list whose citizens can have their valid driving licenses (older than 2-5 years) transferred to the UAE. For plastic photocard licences, the expiry date is on the front. I can not understand why you need to keep your UK licence, if you live permanently in another country, and on top UK is not part of EU any longer. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. You do not need to take a driving test. This is the third extensionthat Spain has given British license holders since Brexit meant their UK-issued documents became unrecognised by the common EU framework, the first extension announced in June 2021 and the second one in October. I am currently driving my friend's Portuguese vehicle. 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 If you hold a licence from Jersey, Guernsey or Gibraltar, you may need to take a test. I have a UK driving licence and a UK issued IDP valid for Spain. The Spanish driving licence will no longer be valid in the United Kingdom, nor will the British licence be valid within the European Union. 1949, 1968. SPAIN has extended the deadline requiring British drivers living in Spain to have a Spanish licence from June 30 to October 31. And then you will need to take a driving test in the UK. He explained that the Spanish government had been asked to grant an extension to the current 31 December deadline. Your valid British licence will be recognised for 6 months from the date you obtained residence, or until 30 April 2022, whichever is later. Updated guidance for UK driving licence holders living in The Netherlands. The British Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliott, who will be in Mallorca next week, posted a last-minute announcement on Friday evening confirming the bad news for British driving licence holders living in Spain. So if residents whose UK licences ceased to be valid in Spain on May 1st 2022 were to still drive and be stopped by Spanish police, they face a 200 fine, according to Spanish road law CON 001 1 5B. If you hold a licence from the Isle of Man, you may need to take a test. But Spain is just punishing innocent Brits. Paper licences are usually valid until you are 70. However, in some cases, you may need to provide a certificate of health that could involve a medical examination. For those residents who failed to meet the Spanish deadline to exchange their licences for a Spanish one, they still cannot drive on their UK licence - this does not apply to holidaymakers hiring a car. But do not worry, driving in Spain isn't going to be too different to after Brexit. Obligatory exchange of your driving licence in another EU country. Other facebook users have also questioned why, if the embassy claims that negotiations are so close to being resolved, the Spanish government doesnt let British drivers in Spain drive in the meantime. Can I drive in Spain with UK licence? To do this you must hold a United Kingdom driver's licence, live . Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Following the Brexit deal in which the UK left the EU, many Brits in Spain were faced with having to exchange their licence to a Spanish one so that they could drive legally. Furthermore, for those who became residents after the first day of the year, your UK driving license is only valid for 6 months. The United Kingdom effectively ceased to belong to the European Union on the 31st of December 2020, so traffic arrangements within the EU ceased to be valid. Then it will be published in the BOE (state bulletin) and should come into force the same day. The British Embassy have expressed their understanding of how tough this situation is for those currently unable to drive and claim that concluding these negotiations remains (their) top priority. In the absence of an agreement between Spain and the UK, if you have been resident in Spain before January 1, 2022, but still use a UK driving license, with effect from May 1 2022, you will no longer be able to drive. Got a story you want to share? If you hold a Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence, you should contact the competent Greek Directorate of Transport and Communications (in Greek) in the area of your residence to find out what you must do to drive legally in Greece. If you became resident in The Netherlands between 13 June 2020 and 15 February 2021, you must exchange your UK licence by 1 October 2021. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Limits on energy prices: Energy Price Guarantee, Spain (including Balearic and Canary Isles), which Gibraltar licences can be exchanged, contact the competent Greek Directorate of Transport and Communications, you may need to provide a certificate of health that could involve a medical examination, check the rules for driving and living in different European countries, Air, sea, road and rail transport between the UK and EU. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. This is one of the consequences of Brexit and the measure also affects Spanish drivers in the UK. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and checkThe Euro Weekly Newswebsite for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us onFacebookandInstagram. These changes are set out in Article 21 of the General Regulations on Drivers. You must convert your licence within 1 year of becoming a resident in Luxembourg. Well send you a link to a feedback form. If you were resident in Italy before 1 January 2022, you can use your valid UK licence until 31 December 2022. If you do not have a valid reason to request an exchange, your application will not be processed. Like pay taxes and get a drivers licence. Until now, British residents in Spain have been able to use their licences issued in their country, and all other European countries have reached a post-Brexit agreement. Driving in Spain without a licence is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. And we will not have reached an agreement in time for the end of the current grace period, he said. All rights reserved. Updated guidance for UK driving licence holders living in Malta. For new arrivals, driving licences issued by the British authorities will be valid in Spain for a period of six months from the date of entry of the holder or from the date of obtaining the residence permit (TIE). Since May 1st of 2022, British nationals living in Spain will no longer be able to use their UK driving licence on Spanish roads after the governments of both countries failed to reach a post-Brexit agreement. Check the driving advice for the country you live in. These are as follows: Valid UK photocard driving licence Valid Proof of ID or National ID Card for EU citizens Jim, if you arrived in 2020 the process should have been straightforward. These cookies do not store any personal information. Reasons to believe that a UK driving licence meets all the requirements under the EU directive to be valid in the EU therefore there could easily be an agreement between Spain and the UK for exchanging these permits. A 3226 mm picture. You can continue to use your valid UK licence in Portugal until 31 December 2022. If your UK licence is lost, stolen or expired, you will not be able to exchange it for a local licence in the country where you are living. You can only exchange your licence if it is due to expire within 6 months. Your UK licence will no longer be valid to drive on Dutch roads after 1 May 2021. - if you moved to Spain after 1st January 2021, your valid UK licence will be recognised for 6 . Updated guidance for UK driving licence holders living in Sweden. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. You will not need to take a driving test to exchange your licence. To rent a car in Spain, you will need to have a valid European Union driver's license with at least 12 months of validity and a passport. If you're a foreign visitor, some states require you to have an International Driving Permit (IDP) and a valid license from your own country. The British Ambassador went on to say that those negotiations are progressing but they havent yet reached a conclusion. Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox! Spain extends UK driving license validity for a third time, until end of February. So, if you have EU (UK)/EEA driver's licence, it's valid in Spain, and you can continue using it if: The licence is a legitimate national licence from your home country You meet the minimum age required to drive in Spain (18 years) Your licence has no penalizations from your home country This authorisation has been continuously delayed and, much like in the UK, there is a large backlog of those waiting to take their driving test. 23 Jun, 2021 @ 19:39. Benin: 1949 Bosnia and . Permits issued in countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) are fully valid to drive in Spain as long as they are in force. Since the beginning of 2022, residents in Spain with a UK driving licence, haven't been able to exchange to a Spanish driving licence unless they took a Spanish driving test. The Spanish government has pointed out that Boris Johnsons government did not want to collaborate with the Spanish authorities on road safety for 14 months. If you became resident in The Netherlands between 31 January 2020 and 13 June 2020, your UK licence is no longer valid to drive on Dutch roads. There are some exceptions and what is called an International Driving Permit (IDP) may be needed . Llobell Cortell Has To Say On The Topic, Koch & Varlet, The World of Luxury Real Estate On The Costa Blanca Redefined, New TV Series to Be Based in Costa Del Sol Once Upon a Time in Marbella, What to Look For in Outdoor Furniture? Required fields are marked *. Contact Us; Service and Support; cause and effect in psychology. Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Spain Life.. 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