British Embassy Updates Brits In Spain On Driving Licence Exchange
Spain News
Published: 18 February 2022 14:26 CET
With the deadline for UK nationals in Spain to exchange their driving licences fast approaching, the British Embassy has made an announcement on the current situation.
On Thursday, February 17, the Embassy posted a video from the Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott (pictured) giving an update on the current negotiations which are ongoing between the two governments.
In the video, Mr Elliott confirmed that the UK government has made a request to have the current grace period deadline of February 28 extended further.
Many Brits who live in Spain took the opportunity to register their intent to exchange their licences which needed to be done prior to December 31, 2020.
However, there are still many people who were living in Spain prior to this date who did not take the opportunity to do so.
Furthermore, those who arrived in Spain after this date, would not have had the option to apply to exchange their licences.
In the video, Mr Elliott took the opportunity to clarify the situation saying, “Now, most of you had already exchanged your licence or registered your intent to do so before the 31st of December 2020, but for those who didn’t, and for those of you who arrived in Spain since then, I’m sure you will be anxious for news about the ongoing negotiations."
Many Brits are concerned that if a solution isn’t found then they would be unable to drive in Spain unless they sit both a theory and practical driving test. For many, this could potentially mean having to pay out hundreds if not thousands of euros.
“As you know, the UK government wants to reach an agreement with Spain, so that UK nationals resident here can exchange their UK licences without having to take a practical test. That has always been our objective and that remains the case,” said Elliott.
Mr Elliott said that although he couldn’t go into any specific details about the negotiations, he did confirm that the two governments were holding “regular meetings” and that there was a “strong will on both sides to reach an agreement”.
The Ambassador also stressed that the aim of the meetings was to come to an agreement on an extension of the grace period. This would then allow both sides sufficient enough time to come to a definitive agreement over the future licence exchange process.
Elliott also said that there could be no guarantee that an agreement would be found and that if it is essential that you drive in Spain that you should look into having lessons and then sitting a Spanish driving test.
“What I can’t guarantee is when or whether an agreement will be reached and so if it’s absolutely imperative that you drive you may prefer not to wait for the outcome of the negotiations and take steps towards taking a test now as I know some of you have already done. Although I know for language reasons, this will not be an option for many of you.”
Many Brits took the time to comment on the Facebook post and to share their frustrations at how long the negotiations were taking to resolve.
Phil said, “If both sides strongly wish to reach an agreement, then what is the blocker? This should be the most simple of all things to agree. It seems ridiculous that this has dragged on so long.”
Marc said, “Another Brexit can being kicked down the road....how difficult can it be to agree this one simple issue?”
Matthew said, “It's only taken 6 years 1 month so far to negotiate on such an easy point.”
Source
https://twitter.com/ukinspain/status/1494327906369040388
https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/videos/1287232871780462
Image Credit: UK in Spain
