If you have moved to Spain, you can’t renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man driving licence while living there.
What you can do is use your current licence to drive for up to six months after becoming a resident. After that, you will need to get a Spanish driving licence if you want to keep driving legally.
Driving in Spain using an IDP
You can’t use an International Driving Permit (IDP) as a way around this. It won’t count as a substitute for a Spanish licence.
There was a temporary agreement made between the UK and Spanish governments. If you were living in Spain before 16 March 2023, you were allowed to keep driving on your valid UK or Gibraltar licence.
This was permitted until 15 September 2023. After that, if you didn’t exchange it, you had to stop driving until the exchange was completed.
The six month rule
If you moved to Spain after 16 March 2023, you are allowed to drive for six months from the date you became a resident. It’s a good idea to start the licence exchange process during this time, as once the six months are up, your UK or Gibraltar licence will no longer be valid for driving in Spain.
If you haven’t finished the exchange by then, you’ll need to wait for the Spanish licence to come through before getting back behind the wheel.
In short, you’ve got six months of driving on your UK or Gibraltar licence once you become a resident, but after that, it’s all about the Spanish licence. Best not to leave it too late.
