For some considerable time there has been a sort of problem at large in Spain concerning driving permits issued by other countries within the E.U. Actually, there are several problems, but the one I want to focus on at present is that of the British license and its acceptance in Spain.
A British driving permit, or license is issued to expire at age 70, and in the interim the holder need do nothing at all to maintain it. To compound the problem, here in Spain it was made lawful several years ago that all driving permits issued by member E.U. states are legal and acceptable, and it is not required of those E.U. citizens who move to Spain to change their originals for Spanish issued permits.
However, the officers who police traffic seem to see things differently, and they are inclined to persuade and passionately encourage people to regularize their situation by making an exchange. The difficulty with this is that the clerks at Trafico know that it is not necessary and will have to be persuaded to effect the change.
The patrol officers do have a valid point. Firstly, they want to be able to find you on their computer to determine whether your permit is genuine, as there are some very convincing forgeries in circulation. Secondly, if the officer finds you in a state of emergency in that you are lying in a heap and cannot speak for yourself, he may need to contact your next of kin urgently. The address on your license will almost certainly be incorrect, and without the ability to access the Spanish police computer to obtain your most current information, which is your responsibility to maintain, the situation might go badly against you.
The major problem that is encountered by holders of British driving permits is that there is no information provided by the government to alert such drivers that in order for their license to be considered valid here, it must be accompanied by a medical certificate that is current, and that certifies the medical competency of the individual to drive.
Only the more knowledgeable policeman will know to ask for such proof, but the crunch comes when and if such a person is involved in an accident that is attributed to them. The insurance company, when processing the claim usually starts off its checklist with the question:” Was the driver presumed to be at fault, in possession of a current and valid driver’s license for Spain?” To arrive at an answer the license will be put to a number of tests for among other things; forgery; validity within the expiry date, and, if issued by a foreign authority that is within the authorised group, does a current medical certificate accompany it?
It now seems as though Spanish law covers this situation in that it requires that the holders of foreign issued licenses are subject to all the same obligations as Spanish license holders, and that means medicals every five years or more often, depending on age and physical condition. Failure to hold a medical certificate renders the license in Spain to be expired.
To correct this situation one need go along to a Centro Medico specializing in driving or gun permits and take the test that involves eyes, reflexes, including a strange video-type game, and tests for blood pressure. The examiner will inform you of the validity period of the certificate.
Finally, if you have taken up residency within Spain the DVLA in the U.K. expect you to change your U.K. issued license for a Spanish permit after one year, as is the case where the situation is reversed. After that period the DVLA will not honour your request for a duplicate.
Copyright (c) 2007 Eugene Carmichael
