The Government approves a mutual agreement for the exchange of driving licences between Spain and the United Kingdom

The Council of Ministers has approved this Tuesday 14th of March 2023, the agreement by which Spain and the United Kingdom will proceed to the reciprocal recognition and exchange of driving licences as well as the exchange of information on traffic offenses in terms of road safety.

This agreement puts an end to the extensions applied to the exchange of licences between the two countries that had been applied since the end of the transitional period provided in the Withdrawal Agreement of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

From now on, holders of a valid and current driving license issued by either of the two countries may request the exchange of their equivalent driving licence where they have established their residence, without being subject to any additional requirement such as a practical test or theoretical test, and according to the equivalence tables between the categories of permits of both countries.

The agreement establishes that all valid permits or licences of current residents issued prior to the commencement of this agreement may be exchanged. For licences issued after the commencement of said agreement, it will be an essential requirement to initiate the exchange, that licences must have been issued in the country where the applicant was resident.

With this pact, those British citizens with residency in Spain who had not had their driving licence recognized before Brexit, nor in the successive extensions granted, will be able to do so as of Thursday, March 16 2023.

To facilitate administrative paperwork at the provincial traffic headquarters, a period of six months has been granted during which British citizens can circulate in Spain with their original licence while they process the exchange.

In addition, Spain and the UK agree to provide each other with information on the details of vehicles and their owners for the purpose of investigating road safety related traffic offences, in particular: in cases of speeding, not wearing a seat belt, failing to stop at a red traffic light, driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), driving under the influence of drugs (DUI), not wearing a helmet, driving in a restricted lane or illegal use of mobile phones.