However, the Bulletin is continuing to be contacted by residents who are continuing to be turned away by the DGT Spanish traffic department.
And according to this latest latter received from a British resident, the British Embassy in Madrid has admitted that there are still problems which remain to be resolved.
“We arrived in Mallorca on 2nd December 2020 in a permanent move to the island. On 16th December we instructed a gestor to advise DGT of our intention to exchange our UK licences for Spanish when we had obtained residencia (the ‘two step’ procedure as per Gov.UK and DGT guidelines with a registration deadline of 1st January 2021). The gestor also undertook the processing of our residencia application.
Upon receiving our TIE cards (in summer 2021) we requested the gestor to proceed with the licence exchange only to be informed that they hadn’t undertaken the registration of intent to exchange licences (and omitted to advise us). They professed to be unaware of the ‘intent to exchange’ registration facility (even though we specifically requested it!) and claimed to have spoken with DGT at the time and simply been advised that licences could not be exchanged until after residency status had been obtained. If they are to be believed(?) then DGT surely provided false information.
Subsequently, during the period of negotiation our UK licences expired and we are experiencing the refusal of DGT to exchange due to their insistence upon only using the on-line check code facility which, in the case of expired licences, does not provide entitlement and penalty details as supplied by DVLA.
Approaches to DVLA are met with such responses as ‘DVLA are unable to comment on DGT procedure ……… this would be a matter for the Spanish Government and is not something DVLA would be involved in remedying’.
DGT just remain obdurate in their refusal to consider alternative proof (as in the case of a DVLA issued Certificate of Entitlement) even though the Exchange Agreement states ‘Both Parties by mutual agreement may also establish specific channels of communication in cases where the systems …….. leave any doubt as to the validity of a driving licence presented for exchange’. It would appear that this simple, straightforward, sensible adoption of permitted procedure is either beyond the capabilities or exceeds the levels of acceptability of one or both of the involved authorities.
The British Embassy have eventually acknowledged that there is a problem but continue with the usual line about the ‘continued liaison between Dept for Transport and DGT’ and ‘continuing to work very hard to ensure the Agreement is fully implemented’. As with the entire exchange agreement negotiations, what is not on offer is any detail of the progress of said discussions.
As rurally located and thus car reliant legitimate residents who have endeavoured to abide by the rules throughout, this situation is unacceptable to the point of being intolerable.” Michael Wood
6 comments
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Michael WoodI also had to take the test. It was easy, but it was a long time ago, and I suspect things have changed since then. Yet, a couple of years ago, an old friend and his wife moved here from the US (but they're Welsh), and US driving licences also cannot be swapped for Spanish licences. After finalising their residency, they also took the test, and if I recall, it took about 4 days in total with the written and practical, both had Spanish licences within 2 weeks. I seem to remember that the total cost was about 300€. So, you can sit around hoping to get an exception, or just go get a licence like everybody else. Your choice.
john williamsUsing indicators is, if not actually illegal, certainly discouraged. Apparently.
Morgan WilliamsThere are numerous issues such as lead times, cost and ´new driver´ status affecting insurance and vehicle rental which make “just go get a driving licence” an ill-thought and pointless remark. Furthermore, with decades of experience of safe driving (on occasions professionally) a very broad range of vehicles – from bikes through light/medium commercial lorries to high performance sports cars – I am confident that there is no reason why I shouldn´t be driving. Your facile comments are in no way constructive to the issue.
Morgan WilliamsYou're kidding right? What a joker. Being able to drive has nothing to do with passing the Spanish test. For example - you never, ever, use the inside lane at a roundabout. Why do they exist then? You must never cross a solid white line despite there is nothing coming and no danger to anyone - oh unless there is a cyclist in which case it's fine. You do need to know where you can seat a child of 1.2 metres height in a car - and how long a load a lorry of a specific weight limit can overhang at the rear. And so it goes on. Mind I remember when in the UK you weren't allowed to cross your hands on the steering wheel so no-one is perfect.
As a last resort, you can always just go get a driving licence. If you can't pass the test, then perhaps there's some reason why you shouldn't be driving.
For info - we arrived in Menorca in November 2020. We had a similar experience regarding an attempted exchange of licenses. My license expired in April 2022 so I took the Spanish test just to be on the safe side. When it came to exchanging post the agreement, DVLA issued me a code as per normal and traffico changed both licenses for a new Spanish license. My wife’s license was valid throughout but, in common with many others, suffered 11 months off the road. When we applied online to the DVLA for a code, their platform would not generate one. We called the DVLA contact centre and they were fabulous. The answered very quickly and generated a code that we were able to use to exchange her license.