Taking driving Licence to Spain
Discussion
Hi
I have a question for a friend regarding moving to Spain and the driving licencing faff that goes with it.
Firstly, it is worth noting that he has a fair number of endorsements on his licence (all speeding related) and just missed out on a ban by appealing the would be final offence.
The question is: can Spanish authorities see how many endorsements you already have? Does this even matter or do they only count offences committed within their boarders? And finally, how does this effect ESP insurers? Do they need to know about driving offences from other countries? Can they check?
The information I can find is that you are able to drive on your DVLA licence in Spain until it is required to be renewed. But I cannot find any information relating to the questions above. This leads me to believe that in essence, you start with a clean slate when you transfer your licence to a Spanish one.
Any information on this process and anything related would be hugely appreciated. In regards to insurance, any details for specialist insurers in Spain would also be a great resource. The car in question will value in excess of £200K so I would imagine most mainstream insurers would not be interested.
I have a question for a friend regarding moving to Spain and the driving licencing faff that goes with it.
Firstly, it is worth noting that he has a fair number of endorsements on his licence (all speeding related) and just missed out on a ban by appealing the would be final offence.
The question is: can Spanish authorities see how many endorsements you already have? Does this even matter or do they only count offences committed within their boarders? And finally, how does this effect ESP insurers? Do they need to know about driving offences from other countries? Can they check?
The information I can find is that you are able to drive on your DVLA licence in Spain until it is required to be renewed. But I cannot find any information relating to the questions above. This leads me to believe that in essence, you start with a clean slate when you transfer your licence to a Spanish one.
Any information on this process and anything related would be hugely appreciated. In regards to insurance, any details for specialist insurers in Spain would also be a great resource. The car in question will value in excess of £200K so I would imagine most mainstream insurers would not be interested.
Edited by jay4636 on Sunday 22 March 10:57
Your UK license is also a European license. The only time you might be required to change to a Spanish one is if you commit a serious motoring offence.
I have been French resident for 10 years and still use my UK license. As I have French cars, I do get speeding fines, but fortunately no points - to date.
That might be about to change with revised EU law, but for the moment it is not an issue.
The answer, as always, is try to drive within the law. Spain seems much more relaxed about speeding, but you could pose your question in the Spain link at the end of Gereral Gassing.
I have been French resident for 10 years and still use my UK license. As I have French cars, I do get speeding fines, but fortunately no points - to date.
That might be about to change with revised EU law, but for the moment it is not an issue.
The answer, as always, is try to drive within the law. Spain seems much more relaxed about speeding, but you could pose your question in the Spain link at the end of Gereral Gassing.
Thank you to whoever moved the topic, I appear to have completely missed this area when looking originally!
In regards to the replies above, thanks for your input. I did also read about Ireland and the sharing of information with the DVLA, but this does (at the moment anyway) appear to isolated.
In regards to the replies above, thanks for your input. I did also read about Ireland and the sharing of information with the DVLA, but this does (at the moment anyway) appear to isolated.
Spain seems to have a habit of making rules up as they go along, changing them suddenly and interpreting them in different ways. I received a 500 Euro fine about 1.5 years ago after being stopped in one of the many roadblocks they set up. The police claimed that as I lived there, I had to have a Spanish driving licence. I had always shown my Norwegian (supposedly EU) driving licence previously and had no problems. I subsequently obtained a Spanish driving licence & have, of course, never been stopped since.
jay4636 said:
When you exchanged you licence were you asked to provide proof of existing endorsements? Or did it come to you clean? (Dependent of course on whether you had any endorsements to begin with)
I was not asked to provide details on endorsements (I had none). Existing licence is taken in exchange and you receive a temporary one while they issue the Spanish one. I did everything through a gestor, just provided him with all the relevent bits of paper etc, then paid for his services.Wile I am resident for tax in France, I also spend 3 months each year in Spain. So I have been stopped at road blocks, but my UK license and French, or UK registered cars have never been an issue.
I am pretty sure the local Police are wrong with their interpretation re EU driving licenses, but I do know they can be pretty aggressive. We recently saw them near a school looking for parents with UK registered plates. They are clearly in breach of EU regs re re-registration and so are forced to get their documentation changed.
Unlike France, I do not recall seeing mobile police units routinely checking, stopping and fining speeding vehicles.
I am pretty sure the local Police are wrong with their interpretation re EU driving licenses, but I do know they can be pretty aggressive. We recently saw them near a school looking for parents with UK registered plates. They are clearly in breach of EU regs re re-registration and so are forced to get their documentation changed.
Unlike France, I do not recall seeing mobile police units routinely checking, stopping and fining speeding vehicles.
I have been here 8 years and not changed my license over. There are great advantages to being a tourist, but I do not live on a Costa del Expat.
If you have a few UK points I would stay on that till I had to change.
As others said, you will never get the same answer twice about things here, so stop trying to be nice, you will just get regularly royally rogered if you carry on like that.
Cars are insured here, not drivers themselves, can be quite handy that.
If you have a few UK points I would stay on that till I had to change.
As others said, you will never get the same answer twice about things here, so stop trying to be nice, you will just get regularly royally rogered if you carry on like that.
Cars are insured here, not drivers themselves, can be quite handy that.
When I took out insurance on my cars in Spain they didn't ask about speeding tickets or the like. I've had, erm, a moderate number since getting a Spanish drivers license and it had zero impact on my rates. None has been severe enough to have points taken away, but even if they take points away I'm not sure if your insurance company would find out, or if they would care.
I'll give up my recidencia before I give up my UK licence! It says UK on a European flag, so it's a European licence, that's good enough for me.
If you change it to a Spanish licence, apart from the fact they will f
k it up somewhere down the line, if you want to change back to a UK one, you will have to take some tests again, such as for a trailer foe example. Which some of us old farts automatically got way back 
If you change it to a Spanish licence, apart from the fact they will f
k it up somewhere down the line, if you want to change back to a UK one, you will have to take some tests again, such as for a trailer foe example. Which some of us old farts automatically got way back mickrick said:
I'll give up my recidencia before I give up my UK licence! It says UK on a European flag, so it's a European licence, that's good enough for me.
If you change it to a Spanish licence, apart from the fact they will fk it up somewhere down the line, if you want to change back to a UK one, you will have to take some tests again, such as for a trailer foe example. Which some of us old farts automatically got way back
Also as another old fart we can drive up to 7.5 T ,not so if you change to a Spanish licence you need to take a test, that was why I never changed either.If you change it to a Spanish licence, apart from the fact they will f
k it up somewhere down the line, if you want to change back to a UK one, you will have to take some tests again, such as for a trailer foe example. Which some of us old farts automatically got way back There is a very useful facebook page that is in very good English and will answer any question you have on Spanish traffic law, Page title is N332, it is run by the Guardia Civil.
I changed my licence some time ago, did not lose anything, still allowed to drive 7.5 tonners, when you change they asked did i need all the categories? I said yes, and kept them. In general you can keep your UK 'euro' photo licence, the issue starts when they know you are resident all year, also they check out the UK plate vehicles because there are many idiots that think they are the boll*cks and dont bother to tax and mot the vehicle when it runs out, therefore no insurance. I have seen some that are 3-5 years out of date and test. I am sure the UK cops would be just as harsh on Foreign drivers.
I changed my licence some time ago, did not lose anything, still allowed to drive 7.5 tonners, when you change they asked did i need all the categories? I said yes, and kept them. In general you can keep your UK 'euro' photo licence, the issue starts when they know you are resident all year, also they check out the UK plate vehicles because there are many idiots that think they are the boll*cks and dont bother to tax and mot the vehicle when it runs out, therefore no insurance. I have seen some that are 3-5 years out of date and test. I am sure the UK cops would be just as harsh on Foreign drivers.
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