"The UK’s legal checks have now been completed and a final version is with Spain for agreement on their side. When the British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Spanish Foreign Minister Albares met this week, they both agreed that we are close to completing this process. We will update again before the Christmas break and work with Spain will continue between Christmas and New Year.
In the meantime, here are provisional answers to some more of the questions you have been asking us:
My UK licence has expired. Will I be able to exchange it without taking a test?
Yes. The text includes provision for expired licences to be accepted for exchange, provided they were valid at the time you began living in Spain.
Do I have to give up my UK licence? Why can’t I keep both?
Once an exchange agreement is in force, you can drive in Spain on your UK licence for the first six months of living here, during which time you must exchange it for a Spanish licence. It is not possible to hold licences issued by the UK and Spain at the same time. If you return to live in the UK at any point, you will be able to exchange your Spanish licence for a UK one without taking a test.
I’m in my 80s/90s. Is there any age restriction on who can exchange their licence?
There is no age restriction and your driving licence remains valid until it expires. However, in general, once you reach 65, your licence will only be issued for five years, rather than 10. Validity periods are different for driving different categories of vehicles."
2 comments
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Is this the same article repeated every two weeks as there always seems to be an imminent deal?
Those who refused to get a licence could have made it irrelevant a long time ago.