ARCHIVED - Brits in Spain to protest in Madrid over driving licence delay
Since May 1, UK driving licences are no longer valid for driving in Spain
Furious British expats are planning a series of demonstrations outside the embassy in Madrid later this week in a desperate attempt to spur diplomats forward in their driving licence negotiations.
Britons living in Spain who failed to exchange their UK licences for Spanish ones before the December 2020 deadline have been off the road since May and although Ambassador Hugh Elliott promised a resolution by the end of July, that date has come and gone with thousands of citizens unable to drive in Spain.
Furious residents have set up a dedicated Facebook page called ‘Invasion of the British Embassy in Madrid for the DL exchange Issue’ and one of its admins, Pascal Siegmund, has called on people to protest in the Spanish capital on Thursday September 22.
Those put off the road were further frustrated by the British embassy’s repetitive statement last week, claiming that it was urgently trying to reach a deal with the Spanish authorities.
The British embassy in Spain tweeted: “We recognise that negotiations are taking longer than anticipated and longer than either you or we want.
“We are genuinely making progress on the outstanding points but, for reasons we have explained before, we cannot be definitive about the timescale.”
The embassy added: “We know that this is frustrating to hear and we don’t underestimate the impact on those of you who are affected.”
In response, the Facebook group was launched with the aim of forming a delegation to meet with the ambassador.
“We are writing this post following the useless (British) Embassy update. The embassy update didn’t satisfy any of us. We are going to go further (and) organise a protest,” Mr Siegmund wrote.
The Facebook group paints a bleak picture of the challenges facing Britons living in Spain who have spent the last five months off the road. One user described the desperate situation of an elderly man with a physical disability forced to return to the UK after 27 years due to not being able to get to hospital for cancer treatment, while another woman is struggling to visit her husband who is terminally ill in a Spanish ICU.
One of the main points of contention for many is the fact that British citizens legally resident in Spain cannot drive, while tourists arriving on holiday can freely take to the roads using their UK licences.
63-year-old Oxford native Deb Lee moved to Alicante in 2020 but unluckily missed the deadline for exchanging her paperwork. Now, unwilling to take the Spanish test, the expat is forking out a fortune on taxis.
“I have been a safe driver for over 40 years, without a point on my licence. How is it fair that an 18-year-old British tourist can come over here and rent a car at an airport, but I cannot drive,” she said.
>>> Find all the latest motoring and travel news here or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates <<<
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