In the Spanish Contingency Plan,
preparing for a no-deal Brexit, published by the Spanish Government on March 2,
2019, a nine month grace period was introduced during which residents would be
able to either exchange or renew or replace their UK licence by a Spanish
permit, provided the
EU system for verification of entitlement of the drivers would remain
operational.
DGT took action fearing that the EU verification system may not be available as
of November 1 in case of a no-deal Brexit.
Last week the DGT “Tráfico”, launched a special protocol allowing all
residents in Spain who have not made the switch to a Spanish permit, to submit an application for the exchange
of their UK licence by the 31st of October at the latest.
Further asking applicants to make an appointment from the 11th of November but
before the grace period ends. This appointment would be to arrange for the
actual exchange.
We assume that the regular ‘cita previa’ module will have to be used for that
possibly with a special option for ‘Brexit Protocol Follow Up’. If your
application is submitted before the 1st of November, they guarantee that your
application for a Spanish permit will be carried out under EU rules, within the
grace period.
In the Spanish
Contingency Plan, preparing for a no-deal Brexit, published by
the Spanish Government on March 2nd 2019, a 9 month grace period was introduced
during which residents would be able to either exchange or renew or replace
their UK licence by a Spanish permit, provided the EU system for verification of entitlement of
the drivers would remain operational.
A publication from Tráfico Tenerife suggests that this will only be possible if
the verification system remains in place long enough for all applications to be
processed. Not a 100% guarantee it appears and in accordance with the Royal
Decree where the continued functioning of this verification system was
mentioned as a condition for the grace period.
It is important to use this window for swapping your UK licence without having
to re-sit theory and practice test to obtain a Spanish permit. The latter will
be the case after the grace period, or for those residents who haven’t submitted
their applications before the 31st of October, included will be those taking up
residence post-Brexit in a no-deal scenario.
How does it work?
YOU CAN NO LONGER USE THE REGULAR ‘CITA PREVIA’ SYSTEM TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.
You submit your application online using a
Digital Certificate or Cl@ve Pin plus AutoFirma, If you do not have any of
these, you have the option to either call 060 and apply by phone, or you can
print off the pdf-form and visit your Tráfico office in person. On arrival you
take a number and queue.
There is a link to the Speicial Protoco.l on the CAB Spain Information Sheet. You
can set the language to English with the translate option to the top right of
the page.
The website mentions that the special
protocol is for exchanges/canjes (Spanish permit will have
same expiration date as UK one and no medical required). The option to renew,
in case your licence is due to expire is also available. For renewals you do
need a medical. The website doesn’t mention the restrictions with regards to
canjes/exchanges, if your licence meets the requirements to renew under the
‘two year resident protocol’.
If you licence does not meet the requirements
under the Special Protocol but we won’t know how they will deal with that
scenario until after November 11th, when the first licence holders have had
their appointments and are willing to share their experiences. Worst case
scenario, they could refuse a canje/exchange and insist on a renewal instead,
but you will have a couple of days to complement your paperwork with a medical
certificate and your application should still be processed.
The first option to the right of the page is for a canje/exchange, the second
is for a renewal and the third for a replacement of a lost or stolen licence.
Under the on-line options is a button to download the form as pdf-file.
We have no feedback from any members who have used this last option,
(hand-delivering the form at Tráfico), but it appears that the online application basically replaces
the first stage of an ordinary renewal or exchange.
Can I use this special protocol if not a registered resident yet, but do have NIE number?
It appears you can. One of our members, not a registered resident yet (appointment early November so possibly post-Brexit), managed to use his digital certificate to apply for the change of his UK licence for a Spanish one, using his NIE number. He received confirmation and a request to make an appointment at the Tráfico office he indicated in the application, as of November 11. Residency documentation only has to be shown at the time of the actual appointment at Tráfico. The appointment should be timed to your convenience, taking into account the time it can take to obtain non-EU residency authorisation and TIE. This could work as long as the Tráfico appointment will be within the 9 months grace period for Driving Licences. We are not suggesting to those in similar circumstances to do this but difficult situations require unorthodox methods. This could possibly be a way to take advantage of the 9 months grace period as offered and described in the Royal Decree from March this year.
What if I have a trip planned and need an original licence to hire or drive a car abroad?
The online application option, as
explained above, allows you to plan the appointment at a date that is
convenient for you. If you fear the Spanish licence will not arrive as quickly
as Tráfico promises, then you could consider trying for an appointment on a
date after your return. As long as you have submitted your application before
the 1st of November.
A publication from Tráfico Tenerife suggests that this will only be possible if
the verification system remains in place long enough for all applications to be
processed. Not a 100% guarantee it appears and in accordance with the Royal
Decree where the continued functioning of this verification system was
mentioned as a condition for the grace period. It is important to use this
window for swapping your UK licence without having to re-sit theory and
practice test to obtain a Spanish permit. The latter will be the case after the
grace period, or for those residents who haven’t submitted their applications
before the 31st of October, included will be those taking up residence
post-Brexit in a no-deal scenario.
Editors Note:
CAB Spain will continue to update on the implications of Brexit for UK
residents living in Spain. CAB Spain also answer individual questions and have
a comprehensive website full of information and advice.
The CAB is a voluntary association and their advice is free of charge. However,
contributions and donations are welcome.
