ARCHIVED - Driving nowhere for Christmas: Spanish-UK licence update Dec 22
Brits living in Spain with UK licences will still be unable to drive over the holidays
There’s little joy this festive season for UK nationals residing in Spain who haven’t exchanged their British driving licence for a Spanish one, since the latest update posted by Ambassador Hugh Elliott indicates little chance of a resolution before the New Year.
“As we move into the festive period, I know that those of you who are currently unable to drive on your UK licence will be really anxious to know just when the final approvals are going to come through,” Mr Elliott said during an address on Wednesday December 21.
While the deal is essentially done, he said, the agreement is being put through the final checks at the moment and on the UK side, the necessary authorisations are “pending resolution of some final points of technical wording.”
This statement has sparked outrage among many drivers who have been off the road since May and who have accused the ambassador of lying, as up until now the British authorities have steadfastly claimed that the agreement had been finalised.
“Yet again unbelievable. It was all done last week now we have technical wording issues on the UK end. Not the Spanish end, the UK end. Let that sink in,” one disgruntled motorist wrote on social media.
“This contradicts your message of only five days ago which said it had been finalised on the UK side. Well done for ending the year on yet another lie Mr Elliott,” another added.
However, the process appears to be nearing its conclusion since once the checks are done, all that remains is a political sign-off by the Spanish Council of Ministers. At this point, the resolution will be published in the State Bulletin and UK motorists will be allowed to take to the roads again temporarily, with a six-month window to exchange their licence for a Spanish one.
Finally, Mr Elliott assured that meetings continue to take place between the Spanish and UK authorities on a weekly basis and that both parties are anxious to resolve the matter.
“So work will continue between Christmas and New Year and as soon as we have any news we will let you know,” he concluded.
Find all the latest motoring and travel news here or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates
Image: UK Embassy in Spain
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