British Embassy: A Deal In Weeks Not Months For Driving Licence Holders In Spain
Spain News
Published: 06 June 2022 15:39 CET
A deal for British driving licence holders in Spain, will be “in weeks, not months”, says Hugh Elliott, The British Ambassador to Spain.
Making the announcement on Thursday, June 2, via video on the Brits in Spain Facebook page, Mr Elliott said “So first of all, I can’t make any promises on exact timings because we’re still in the negotiations and there are no cast-iron guarantees.
“But yet I am confident that we will reach an agreement. We are genuinely in the final stages, I expect it to take a matter of weeks, not months.
“It’s our top priority here at the embassy and we’re working together with our colleagues in London, of course in order to fix this as quickly as we can”.
On May 1, 2022, it became illegal for UK citizens who are residents in Spain, to drive using their British driving licences if they have had Spanish residency for more than six months.
This came after at least 17 months of negotiations, four extensions to the validity of UK licences granted by Spanish authorities and numerous updates by the British Embassy in Madrid.
This has led to many Brits feeling frustrated at the lack of progress in the negotiations between the British Embassy in Madrid and the Spanish authorities, in order to resolve the issue.
In the video, the Ambassador said that he “can’t go into lots of detail or give a running commentary of what is an ongoing negotiation”, but assured viewers that the Embassy is “working on this every day” and are “genuinely making progress.”
This failure to reach a mutual agreement for the exchange of driving licences between Spain and the UK, a problem that has been solved across nearly all of the EU nations, has for over a month now seen many UK licence holders (who’ve been resident for six months) unable to legally drive.
As a consequence of the UK leaving the EU, many feel in limbo, with those who can’t drive deciding between preparing to sit a Spanish driving test or hanging in there and waiting for a deal.
It is no surprise that the extremely long holdup is one that baffles most Brits living in Spain.
In the video, the Ambassador said that although he couldn’t go into too much detail, he did want to answer the main questions that the embassy has received.
“Firstly, on data provision. So lots of you have contacted us to say that you’re very happy for your data to be shared if that means getting you back on the road,” Mr Elliot said.
“So I need to clarify, the data that Spain is seeking relates largely to those visiting Spain and driving on their UK licences, rather than the data of residents. Now I recognise this is all the more frustrating if you’re a resident, but the better news is that we will be able to resolve this issue.”
The British Embassy had previously explained that the long wait was due to Spain asking for UK driver data provision, something the other EU Member States hadn’t asked for. This time Mr Elliott went into a little more detail about what exactly Spain is requesting.
Judging by some of the comments on the video, many of those affected still continue to struggle to understand why withholding such data is deemed more important than resolving an issue that is actually affecting residents in Spain.
“You also asked why the interim measure that allowed you to drive on your UK licence can’t be reinstated,” Elliott continued.
“Now this is of course something that we asked Spain for, but the fact is that they haven’t agreed to it.
“The more positive news is that Spain has agreed to a clause that will allow everyone back on the road from the moment the agreement is signed, for a period of up to six months to allow people time to exchange their licences during that period”.
Back on May 12, Mr Elliott did say “the agreement we’re working towards now will enable UK licence holders, whenever they arrive in Spain or arrive in the future, to exchange their UK licence for a Spanish one without needing to take a practical or a theory test”.
The British Ambassador has, on many occasions, stated that he is “confident” a deal can be reached. Furthermore, the fact that this time he did not voice that those for whom it’s “imperative to drive” in Spain should take steps to apply for the Spanish driving test, has many Brits living in Spain believing this time the outcome might just be positive.
Source
https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain
https://www.thelocal.es/20220603/a-deal-in-weeks-not-months-uk-embassy-tells-licence-holders-who-cant-drive-in-spain/
