ARCHIVED - British Embassy in Spain reveals why the delay in an agreement on driving licences
The UK Embassy in Madrid has released a statement on Twitter with more information for drivers on why it is taking so long to reach a deal
As of May 1, UK citizens resident in Spain for more than six months are not able to drive on a valid British driving licence, and so have to take their driving test again in Spain to get a Spanish driving licence.
In response to outrage from some Brits living in Spain, not to mention confusion, disdain and apathy from several others, the British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, has tweeted an explanation of why the deadline for driving licence validity was repeatedly pushed back for months on end, and why the Spanish and British governments couldn’t come to an agreement in all that time on allowing Brits to exchange their UK licences for Spanish ones without having to take a test.
“An update: negotiations continue this week and are making progress,” reads the communiqué from the Ambassador on Twitter. “You’ve asked why the delay? Spain has asked to include data provision on vehicle owners. This is more complex – so taking longer.”
An update: negotiations continue this week and are making progress. You’ve asked why the delay? Spain has asked to include data provision on vehicle owners. This is more complex - so taking longer. V disruptive for the group affected. We’ve asked for a new grace period. https://t.co/0sk1GxkIvq
— Hugh Elliott (@HughElliottUK) May 3, 2022
It’s thought that the DVLA in Britain is unable or unwilling to share vehicle ownership data, perhaps because it would be a breach of data protection laws. The DVLA does share driving licence data with other countries, but it’s possible that it is the data about vehicle ownership is the real bone of contention. However, there is no official confirmation of this so far from the Embassy.
The Ambassador also recognised that the inability of the British and the Spanish to reach a deal which would allow Brits to continue to exchange their licences if they didn’t register to do so before December 30 2020 is very “disruptive for the group affected” and has confirmed that they have “asked for a new grace period” to provide more time to reach an agreement.
Regardless, the Embassy has insisted time and again that any UK citizen resident in Spain who absolutely must continue to drive should take a driving test in Spain and get a Spanish licence, because there is still no assurance that any agreement will be reached, despite the various grace periods.
Now read: How much does it cost to get a Spanish driving licence? These are the 7 things you have to know
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