Driving Licence Exchange

The British ambassador issued a statement after the government announced that from 16 March holders of UK licences resident in Spain can drive again for six months while they exchange them for equivalent Spanish ones.

Spanish government ministers have approved the agreement that will allow UK driving licences held by residents in Spain to be exchanged for Spanish ones and vice versa from Thursday 16 March.

The deal approved at this Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting (14 March) also includes the exchange of information about traffic offences affecting road safety.

The approval means that holders of a valid driving licence issued by either of the two countries can apply to exchange it for an equivalent document issued by their country of residence, without the need to take practical or theory driving test.

With this agreement, those British citizens resident in Spain who did not exchange their driving licence before the deadline in May last year will be able to do so from Thursday 16 March.

A six-month period has been established in which British citizens can drive in Spain with their original licences until these are exchanged.

In a video posted on the Brits in Spain Facebook page on Tuesday evening, the British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, encouraged UK licence holders to exchange their documents for Spanish ones “as soon as possible”.