Driving licences

Until you have residencia it is perfectly legal to drive in Spain on a UK driving licence. Officially when you become a resident you should apply for a Spanish driving licence which can be applied for at the information desk of the local provincial traffic department (Jefatura Provincial de Trafico) within six months of the approval of your residencia. You need to produce your UK licence, your residency card and three passport-sized photographs. New EU legislation means that a Spanish licence is no longer mandatory so you do not really need to go through this process but if you are permanently resident in Spain it could be easier to do so.

The old green British driving licence is now only officially valid for tourists and if you still use it you should have a translation in Spanish to accompany the licence.

The other major point about the new EU-style photo card driving licence is that it also works as proof of identity.