A deal between Britain and Spain over British driving licences is "close" with informed sources telling Bulletin Online that the issue will be resolved "satisfactorily for all". The British ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, was quoted as saying that plenty of "behind the scenes negotiations" were taking place. In a video message he apologised for the length of time the whole process was taking.
As we reported yesterday, the driving licence deal could be tied to an agreement over Gibraltar and a wider deal over the rights of expat Britons in Spain.
The licence issue is causing serious problems for thousands of British expats. The Spanish government did introduce "grace" periods in which Britons could exchange their licence, although some were unable to register in time and are therefore still very much in the "slow lane". They have rightly taken to social media to vent their frustrations over the situation. Others have decided to retake their driving test in Spain, which is a costly operation.
The Spanish government has said that it wants good relations with the new British government of Liz Truss and talks are ongoing. Spain is home to 400,000 British citizens, with a similar number of Spaniards living the UK.
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“ Britons could exchange their licence although some were unable to register in time.” Some. Most just couldn’t be arsed. Or had other nefarious reasons for flying under the radar, away from the Hacienda. There’ll also be a number of entitled Brits who think that their British licence is somehow superior to Johnny Foreigner’s. You can easily spot them. They’re the brexit-loving, gammon-faced folks who’ll down vote this comment. Guffaw.
If Huge Idiot negotiated anything, dont expect very much.
I'll take a wild guess; To legally drive in Spain as a permanent resident requires obtaining a Spanish driving licence. Because you failed to obtain a licence before the post-Brexit exchange opportunity expired, we may give you another few months to simply exchange your licence. After that, you can always obtain a licence in same way as anyone else.