Exchanged UK for EU (Spanish) driving license - impact on ability to hire a car
I have held full uk driving license for 30 years and am in the process of exchanging it for a Spanish one. Given that almost all car rental companies require you to have held your license for at least a year, when I receive my new Spanish license can I use it to hire a car in the uk immediately or will I have to wait a year?
Best Answer
I exchanged my British driving licence for a Spanish one in 2012. Unlike the British licence, the Spanish one doesn't have a counterpart: all the information on validity is on the plastic card. This includes a table on the back showing your entitlements. Mine shows class B valid from the date I passed my test in the UK (in 2003). It also has an "Observations" field with a code which says that my original licence was from the UK.
Note that you may lose special entitlements. My UK licence had a ton of special classes, but my Spanish one only has class B. Still, that's what matters for hiring a car.
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Can I hire a car in UK with a Spanish driving licence?
The UK was always dedicated to keeping licence requirements the same regardless of the outcome of the EU agreement after Brexit. This means that anyone from the EU and EAA can use their licence to drive and hire a car in the UK.Can you rent a car with European license?
The very short answer is yes; you can hire a car or van as long as you're a fully qualified driver, and you're prepared with all the additional documentation that might be required of you.Can I rent a car in the EU with a UK driving Licence?
UK driving licences UK drivers do not need any extra paperwork or an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive a local rental car in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, if you have a card driving licence issued in the UK.Will UK driving Licence be valid in Spain after Brexit?
British expats have been banned from driving in Spain after post Brexit talks on license rules broke down. Under tough new restrictions, UK nationals who have lived in the EU country for more than six months will no longer be able to use their UK-issued licenses.Spanish Residents no longer able to exchange UK and Gibraltar driving licences in Spain.
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Answer 2
As per this article from an automobile magazine, you will probably get a license with an special code with key 106.3 with the first issuance date, so you should be able to provide proof of experience.
I'm not sure if this code is a national code or a EU-wide code, though.
Answer 3
As of right now (pre-Brexit) you can use your EU driving license in the United Kingdom. There is no need for you to wait for anything.
If and when Brexit happens it is unclear what the policy will be.
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