As of Sunday, UK nationals living in the EU for more than six months will no longer be able to use DVLA licenses. British residents will need to obtain a Spanish license to get behind the wheel and may need to retake driving tests until an agreement is reached. The change will not affect holidaymakers visiting the country, who can still use their driving license in the UK. A British government source told the Mail on Sunday that the situation was considered temporary, while the Foreign Office said it was pushing for “speeding up talks” with the Spanish government. “This could go on for a week or it could be longer. It should be temporary, but we do not know how temporary,” the source said.
“Despite the best efforts of the government, no agreement has been reached yet”
A State Department spokesman said: “Despite the best efforts of the UK Government, no agreement has yet been reached on the exchange of UK driving licenses with Spanish licenses. “As of 1 May, UK license holders who have resided in Spain for more than six months and have not changed their license during the transitional period will no longer be able to drive legally in Spain. “This does not affect motorists visiting the UK or Gibraltar. “We have agreed to speed up the talks quickly and urge the Spanish government to move forward with interim measures. “We remain committed to reaching an agreement and the United Kingdom already has similar arrangements in place with 24 other EU countries.” Until now, British residents in Spain have been able to use DVLA licenses to travel. Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, blamed Spain for the delay, telling the newspaper it was “manna, manana” and saying it was “time to do what they agreed”.
