There´s not long left before new laws come into effect regarding old style driving licences – you have until 19th January 2015. Several stories are circulating about a change in the law if driving on a UK version, which many ex-pat do, causing panic and confusion. Many have said that those ex-pats driving on a UK driving licence have to have a medical certificate to accompany it, as the locals do under the Spanish driving licence regulations.
The following reply came from "Jefatura Provincial de Trafico in Alicante" after I enquired about the forthcoming changes:
"If you have a European licence with a photo plus a valid and visible expiry date, you are not obliged to change it until it runs out. You can always do it voluntarily before this date as long as you are a resident in Spain. However, if you hold a UK or European driving licence with NO valid expiry date, which means the old fashioned paper version in either green or folded pink and has no photo on it, then you have until 19th January 2015 to either exchange or inscribe it at trafico. This is the time limit decreed by the European Community Directive 2006/126/CE for this type of licence. The medical centre revision tests are only for those wanting to exchange or inscribe their licence with trafico".
So there you have it - if you have the current pink credit card style photo driving licence then all is fine. But a word of caution, many people do not realize that they have an expiry date on them - they are only valid for 10 years, so check yours carefully and make a note of when it runs out. The previous types were valid I seem to remember till you were 80, or maybe it was 70. Personally I think that making you renew them every 10 years was purely for financial gain... call me a cynic! If you are resident in Spain when your UK licence expires you cannot legally renew it in the UK, therefore obliged to exchange it for a Spanish one.
According to "www.britishexpats.com" the question of the legality of a Spanish resident having a UK licence with a UK address on it is often raised. The DVLA will not issue a licence with an address outside the UK. Under UK law it is an offence to have an incorrect address on a driving licence. This has been checked with the DVLA in the UK and their response is "It is acceptable that drivers who move to another part of the EC/EEA could be holding driving licences showing an incorrect address. This is permissible under the terms of the EC Directive on Driving Licences.
From 2015 the DVLA will no longer issue the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence. DVLA is developing a new digital enquiry service which will be launched later this year which will allow car hire companies to check any motoring endorsements.
Most importantly, remember to carry it with you - it is a legal requirement to have it on your person when behind the wheel.
