DO I HAVE TO EXCHANGE / RENEW MY EU DRIVING LICENCE?
Updated Jan 2020
NB. Due to Brexit, holders of UK issued licences resident in Spain must register their intention to change to a Spanish issued licence by 31/1/20. This can be done via the DGT website. They then have 9 months in which to do the change.
Those not registered by the deadline will be treated as non-EU citizens & be required to take a driving test. Assuming the rules will be the same as for most other non-EU citizens, it’s probable that they will only be permitted to drive on the UK issued licence for 6 months, after which time they would be deemed to be driving without a licence if they haven’t passed the driving test in Spain.
The written test can be taken in English, but the practical will be in Spanish.
Those who need to renew / extend their licences are the following:
- Holders of licences with no expiry date or with an expiration date (from date of issue) of 15 or more years in Group 1 – AM, A1, A2, A, B y BE who have been resident in Spain for two years.
- Holders of Group 2 licences with an expiration date (from date of issue) of 5 or more years – BTP, C1, C1E, C, CE D1, D1E, D, DE who have been resident in Spain for two years
Of course, once your licence expires, as a resident if Spain, you must renew it in Spain, regardless of the categories shown.
The documentation you will require is as follows:
- Resident certificate or card & passport
- Application form for the licence exchange
- Driving licence
- Medical certificate
- Recent photo 32mm x 26mm
- Form with second photo signed by tráfico
- Payment of 24.10 €
It’s worth mentioning that although you will, at the end of this process have a Spanish /EU licence, rather than one issued by the country in which you took your driving test, you are not technically exchanging it – you are renewing it, because under the DGT rules it is out of date.
Here’s a link to the DGT
