Since May 1, 2022, British citizens residing in Spain are no longer permitted to drive with their UK driving licence due to Brexit.
While the UK was part of the European Union and is now not, British drivers could drive throughout the whole bloc, as all Member States recognized their driving licenses. However, due to Brexit, several other EU countries, including here Spain, no longer recognise British licenses.
Spain has been requiring additional elements to the agreement and is being particularly difficult about this, whilst others are much more lenient.
The UK ministry is said to be doing everything possible to resolve this problem while negotiations continue with Spain.
In the last week of July 2022, British and Spanish officials have continued intensive talks, which have resulted in a productive meeting held on July 29. While there remains some outstanding work to be done to agree on the annexes of the agreement between both countries, the UK authorities explain that once the agreement is finalised, the same will be published in the Spanish Gazette.
From that day on, British citizens living in Spain will have a period of six months to exchange their British driving license with one issued by the authorities of Spain without having to take a test. Those whose driving licenses have recently expired will also be eligible to exchange them for a Spanish one. This is certainly better news because having to do the theory and retake an actual driving test in Spain is not an easy one at all and can be quite costly.
Research on the internet to find companies who can help with this exchange process in Spain. Best Cover Insurance cannot guarantee all this information will remain correct if government decisions change, but when you need car insurance we are here to help.
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