Update February 23.
Validity date of UK licence extended till April 30.
“ Following the Ambassador’s message last week we are pleased to let you know that yesterday the Spanish Government confirmed a two month extension to the recognition of the UK for residents of Spain. This means that anyone with a valid U.K. licence
those of you who were living in Spain before 1 January 2021 can continue to drive in Spain with your valid UK driving licence until 30 April 2022.
If you moved to Spain after 1 January 2021, your licence will be recognised for six months from the date your obtained residence, or until 30 April 2022, whichever is later.
For those of you who registered your intention to exchange your licence with the DGT before 30 December 2020, but have not yet done so, you have until 30 April to request an appointment”.
As the Ambassador said, negotiations are continuing and we are committed to reaching a long-term agreement with Spain to enable UK licence holders to exchange their licences without taking a test. However, we recognise that this two-month extension is not as long as we would have liked and does not resolve the ongoing uncertainty as negotiations continue. Therefore, if it is essential for you to drive, you may not want to wait for the outcome of the ongoing negotiations and you may decide to apply for a Spanish driving licence now. This involves taking both a practical and theory test. You can find out more about the process on the DGT site, where the information is also available in English:
No update on the DGT site as yet.
Translation from the Spanish government press release on the extension to the relevant article in the royal decree.
“Currently, a bilateral agreement on traffic is being negotiated that includes, among other matters, the possibility for Spanish and British citizens residing for more than six months in the United Kingdom or Spain, respectively, to be able to exchange their driving license for one British or Spanish, as appropriate, also determining the conditions under which the exchanges could be made.
Therefore, through this agreement, the validity period of British permits in Spain is extended for a period of two additional months, from March 1 to April 30, 2022, while the negotiation of the bilateral agreement continues, allowing British citizens residing in Spain to continue using their British driving license during this period.
This issue will not affect people with a British driving license who travel to Spain for periods of less than six months, who will be able to continue driving in our country, in accordance with the provisions of article 21 of the General Regulations for Drivers”.
Update February 17.
*An update for UK Nationals resident in Spain on driving licence exchange*
HMA Hugh Elliott provides an update on the ongoing negotiations regarding driving licence exchange and confirms that he has asked for an extension to the recognition of UK licences beyond the current end-date of 28 February.
Though the ambassador remains optimistic he makes it clear that there are no guarantees and suggests that those holding a U.K. driving licence may prefer to not wait and make preparations to take the Spanish driving test.
CAB note* In most cases the theory test can be taken in English and possibly in other languages.
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Update:. Spanish government has extended the validity of the UK driving license until February 28, 2022.
CAB Spain has never doubted that a bilateral agreement could be reached between the UK and Spain to exchange the UK driving licence for a Spanish permit as shown our previous posts on this subject.
The last extension for those who had not registered their intent to change before December the 30, 2021, was from June 30 till October 31.
The latest extension till December 31 announced today by the British Embassy with their message below:
“We continue to negotiate with the Spanish government about the long-term arrangements for UK driving licence exchange. Meanwhile, today the Spanish government has announced that valid UK licences will continue to be recognised for driving in Spain until 31 December 2021.
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. You can find more information here: https://sede.dgt.gob.es/…/permiso-conducir/index.shtml. We are aware that there are currently waiting lists to get a test appointment in some areas.
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.
If you moved to Spain after 1 January 2021, your UK licence is valid for six months from the date of your TIE or until 31 December, whichever is later.
If you are visiting Spain as a tourist, please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-eu for information on anything you may need to do to drive here”.
We thank the Embassy for their continued talks.
Added note from CAB Spain. We understand this has been a worrying time for many who still hold a UK driving license. We have always remained optimistic that an agreement will be put in place. Adding a post from March of this year:
Why UK and Spain Could Reach an Agreement on Driving Licence Exchanges