On 30th March 2023, finally, the Spanish BOE published the agreement on the recognition and the swapping of driving licences of different countries.
THE BODIES authorised to exchange will be:
-for Great Britain – the DVLA (the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency)
-for Northern Ireland – the Driver and Vehicle Agency
–for Spain – the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico, part of the Ministry of the Interior)
1. SHORT-TERM RECOGNITION OF LICENCES FOR NON-RESIDENTS:
If you are not a resident in Spain (or the UK) and you only intend to stay for a short period of time in Spain (or the UK), the following applies:
The holder of a driving licence which is valid and up to date and which has been issued by the UK (or by Spain), provided he or she is of the required minimum age or above for driving in that country, shall be authorised to drive in Spain (or the UK) temporarily, without needing to have or to show an International Driving Licence or to have an official translation, in vehicles of the category valid in the licence, with a time limit determined by the national laws of Spain (or the UK).
2.SWAPPING YOUR LICENCE IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOVE TO SPAIN (OR THE UK), YOUR LICENCE SHOULD SWAP AS FOLLOWS:
The holder of a driving licence issued in Spain who is legally resident in the UK, or the holder of a driving licence issued in the UK who is legally resident in Spain will receive, after applying for it, an equivalent driving licence of the new country of residence. (This exchange will not require any extra practical or theory test.) You do not need to do any exam or test!
Current residents will be able to exchange a valid licence issued before this regulation came into effect.
For those licences issued afterwards, the licence will have to have been applied for in the place where the applicant has his/her legal residence.
In order to make the exchange, the licence must be valid and up to date. Licences which have become out of date will be available for exchange provided that they were valid when the holder entered the country where the exchange is being made.
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