Back on 1st May 2022 it became law that any British that had been living in Spain for more than 6 months, and had not used the opportunity to exchange their driving license to a Spanish one, were told they were no longer allowed to drive in Spain.
This left thousands of Brits with not being able to use their cars or facing the prospect of taking a Spanish driving test in order to obtain a Spanish driving license.
Ever since the British consulate has been lobbying the Spanish government to re-open the process of exchanging licenses and allowing Brits to drive again. It went back and forth for over a year and there was little progress, until now.
At last the Spanish government has agreed that from 16th March 2023 Brits can once again exchange their UK license for a Spanish one. The new deal that was agreed, also included an exchange of information for anything that could affect road safety such a traffic offences.
The most recent approval of the license exchange will allow holders of a driving license to be able to apply to exchange it for one from their country of residence, without needing to take any additional tests.
There is still a time limit applied for people being able to do this and it was agreed that there will be a 6 month period for these exchanges to be applied for. Drivers are advised to check with the DGT in Spain about making appointments to start the exchange process and that the consulate is available to answer any queries.
