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Deadline fast approaching
ON March 15 2023, the UK and Spain reached an agreement on driving licence exchange, which enabled UK licence holders living in Spain to swap their UK licence for a Spanish one without needing to take a practical or theory test.
will be rejected in an authentication process, or that may have been altered. This includes deteriorated or badly damaged coins that cannot be determined to be authentic.
If you are unsure of a coin, take it to your bank where staff will check that the coin meets all the guidelines. It is also recommended that from now on, people should review all their oneeuro coins, refusing to accept any that may be thought not to be suitable.
The agreement gave existing residents who had not yet exchanged their UK licences for a Spanish one six months (until September 15) to do so, during which time they could continue to drive on their UK licences. As for newly arrived residents, the agreement gave them six months from the date they acquired their residency documents to exchange their UK licence. Licences can be exchanged after the six month period, but will no longer be considered valid for driving in Spain.
The Embassy has advised that anyone struggling to get an appointment at their local Dirección General de Tráfico Office go to their neighbouring one instead.
Last week, the British Embassy announced a resolution had been found to an issue which some holders of expired UK licences (typically those over 70) had been experiencing when trying to exchange their licences. Those affected should follow the established process for exchange, requesting their check code via gov.uk.
His Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott said,“We want this message to reach as many UK licence holders as possible, so please spread the word and refer to our Facebook page and the Living In Spain Guide on gov.uk for more information.”
UK licence holders who moved to Spain before March 15, 2023 and fail to make the exchange by September 15 will no longer be able to drive on their UK licence.
The process for completing the exchange is run by Spain’s Dirección General de Tráfico (see their website for more information.)
THE recent wave of thefts from Spanish lorries on French roads has forced the Paris government to take urgent measures.
Specifically, the French gendarmerie has set up the emergency telephone number ’17’ so that hauliers can report lorry theft and police checks can be carried out quickly.
According to sources from Fenadismer, the transport employers’ association, in recent months there has been a considerable increase in theft from lorries on French territory, especially of diesel fuel from vehicle tanks. Hauliers normally fill up with fuel in Spain (an average of €3,000 worth of fuel) just before crossing the border, as prices are much lower than in the rest of Europe, making them a prime target.
Spanish drivers who are victims of theft on the road, whether of fuel or goods, are being urged to report any theft through the emergency telephone number.
Emergency number 17 connects the caller directly with the National Gen
AN offduty National Police officer heroically detained an unruly passenger on a flight between Palma de Mallorca and Seville last Wednesday, August 2.
The flight had taken off from Palma de Mallorca International Airport, heading to the city of Seville, when the passenger began to exhibit aggressive behaviour. Although initially calmed by the cabin crew, his actions soon escalated, according to a national news outlet on August, Thursday 10
On the date of the incident, the passenger became violently disruptive, harassing young female passengers and
