The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020, and agreed with the EU on a transitional period that will last until 31 December 2020. During the transitional period nothing will change for British citizens living permanently or wishing to acquire the Spanish residence -TIE CARD-.
This means that all British citizens resident in Spain or who are applying for residence and have a British driving licence will have until December 30th to exchange their UK driving licence for the Spanish equivalent and under the same conditions as for BREXIT.
Therefore, until a new agreement is signed between Spain and the United Kingdom that allows the exchange under the same conditions as before the Brexit, if you do not apply for the exchange before December 30, from January 1, 2021 it will not be possible to start this procedure, and
holders who wish to drive in Spain in a regulatory manner, must obtain a Spanish driving license in accordance with the requirements and tests.
More information on this procedure can be found at the following link: https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/permisos-de-conducir/canje-permisos/canje-permisos-extranjeros/canje-renovacion-sustitucion-uk/index.shtml?Reino%20Unido
Once the Spanish driving licence is issued, the British driving licence will be withdrawn. (It is not possible to have both driving licences in force).
We hope that soon both countries can sign a new agreement, which will solve the requirements imposed from January 1st, 2021, and it will be possible to exchange the British driving license for the Spanish one again, without the need of an exam.
We invite you to read the following article: Moving to Spain from UK, through which you will be able to know all about the procedures you need to complete when you move from the Uk to Spain.
The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues.
