From the U.K. government website:
“Driving in Spain
You cannot renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence if you live in Spain.
From 1 May 2022, if you have been resident for more than 6 months and have not exchanged your UK licence for a Spanish one, you will no longer be able to drive using your UK licence.
if you were living in Spain before 1 January 2021, your valid UK driving licence will no longer be valid for driving in Spain
if you moved to Spain after 1 January 2021, your valid UK licence will be recognised for 6 months from the date you obtained residence
The British and Spanish governments continue to negotiate on long-term arrangements for exchanging driving licences without needing to take a practical test.
If it is imperative that you drive, you should not wait for the outcome of the negotiations to take action. You must follow the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT) process for non-EU nationals to obtain a Spanish driving licence. This includes taking both a theory and practical driving test.
If you have a licence issued by Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man
If you hold a valid licence from Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man you must obtain a Spanish licence within 6 months of becoming resident. You cannot currently exchange your licence for a Spanish one. You must apply for a Spanish licence as a non-EU national, which includes taking both a theory and practical driving test”.
From the British Ambassador on Twitter.
CAB questions whether those wh registered their intent to exchange their licences and made an appointment before April 30, 2022, should have the right to continue driving on their U.K. licences until provided with the Spanish permit. This is based on the information below. We will call 061 after the May Day holiday and also discuss this with the British Embassy team on a proposed virtual meeting next week.
Validity of licences where the intent to change was in place and title holder proceeded to make an application to exchange.
We generally keep instructions from previous posts by the DGT knowing that these warnings change from date to date.
If you submitted the application for the exchange, replacement or extraordinary renewal of a British driving license before December 31, 2020, you have the possibility of exchanging your license under the same conditions prior to BREXIT.
In person, at the Headquarters or Traffic Office where you will submit the prior request for extraordinary exchange:
You can request your appointment 3 business days after submitting your application and until April 30, 2022 if we have not notified you of any anomaly.
You must make an appointment in advance at the Headquarters or Traffic Office where you made the request for exchanges with ‘Type of procedure’: “Office procedures” and later in ‘Area’ the area of your headquarter referring to drivers.
On the day of your appointment you must go in person to our offices and provide all the requested documentation and a prior check will be made that the request was made in a timely manner.
If due to the ruling of no validity, Spain considers your licence to have expired, then you will not be able to drive with your licence until exchanged. You may wish to call O61 for advice.
From the DGT, traffic department:
Información importante.
A partir del 1 de mayo de 2022, el régimen de los permisos de conducir expedidos por las autoridades británicas será el previsto para los permisos expedidos a terceros países extracomunitarios.
Los permisos de conducir emitidos por las autoridades británicas serán válidos para conducir en España durante el plazo de seis meses, desde la entrada de su titular o desde la fecha de obtención de su residencia legal en el país.
Important Information.
As of May 1, 2022, the regime for driving licenses issued by the British authorities will be the same as for licenses issued to non-EU third countries.
Driving licenses issued by the British authorities will be valid to drive in Spain for a period of six months, from the entry of their holder or from the date of obtaining their legal residence in the country.
“BREXIT
With the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, British driving licenses will no longer be valid to drive in Spain as of December 31, 2020. If you are a resident in our country, if you previously registered, you must formalise the exchange, renewal or substitution of your license for a Spanish one in order to continue driving in our country”.
From instructions in place from the two year protocol to exchange EU licences for the Spanish permit:
Offences derived from the fact of driving with a community driving license without having proceeded to renew it.
The Codified List of Violations includes the violation of article 15, section 4, option 5A of the General Regulations for Drivers, for the reported act “DRIVING THE REVIEWED VEHICLE, BEING THE HOLDER OF A COMMUNITY PERMIT, WITHOUT HAVING PROCEEDED TO RENEW ITS PERIOD OF VALIDITY, ONCE YOU ACQUIRE YOUR RESIDENCE IN SPAIN.” Said typification is planned to be used as of January 19, 2015, once Directive 2006/126/CE, of December 20, of the European Parliament and of the Council is already considered fully enforceable throughout the territory. of the European Union.
Carry proof of the appointment with you in your vehicle.
Exchanging licences. Please note from the DGT:
What reasons could there be for me not being able to exchange my UK permit?
Carrying out this extraordinary exchange requires verification of the equivalence and authenticity of the driving licenses you have from the United Kingdom. Carrying out the exchange requires confirmation of the validity of your permit by the UK authorities.
What is meant by normal residence?
The normal residence is the place where a person habitually stays, that is, for at least one hundred and eighty-five days per calendar year
Normal residence is understood as the stay in Spain in a regular situation that must be duly accredited, in accordance with the provisions of Organic Law 4/2000, of January 11, on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain and their social integration.