UK expats living in Spain have slammed bureaucrats after they have been left unable to drive following a failure between the two countries to reach a post-Brexit agreement on UK driving licences.
Tens of thousands of expats in Spain are now banned from using their UK driving licence to drive on Spanish roads.
As reported by the Daily Express, the new rule does not affect people from the UK travelling to the country for a holiday, who will still be able to use their licence, but rather Britons living in Spain.
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Up until now, they have been permitted to use their DVLA licences in order to drive in Spain, but this will no longer be allowed.
Following the news, UK expats have posted on social media sharing their dissatisfaction about the "backwards" rule, with many now being unable to drive to work.
Ward Priestman, who lives in Spain with his wife Ann-Marie, stated that the pandemic “delayed Spanish residency permits being issued”.
He was also not able to register with a driving school in order to begin the process.
Writing in the Brits in Spain Facebook group, he said: “That’s us screwed. Due to the pandemic, our ties were delayed and we didn't get them until the April after the deadline.
“I have no idea what we are going to do, we live up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.
“Why on earth is this so hard?”
Uswitch has stated that passing a driving test in Spain is nearly twice as expensive as in the UK, averaging between £700 and £1,100.
While lessons are moderately cheaper, sitting the theory test costs £50 more than in the UK, and tests in Spain require registration fees as well as a copy of health documents.
Fellow expat David Waddington stated there was “no reason” why there should be additional issues.
He added: “It’s a total disgrace!
“There is clearly some unrelated issue going on in the background. If licences could be switched before Brexit without a problem, there is absolutely no reason why they can’t be switched now.
“Why are people like me who are suffering from this situation being kept in the dark as to what is really going on.
“And personally I have no problem sharing my DVLA data with the Spanish authorities.”
Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith has slammed the Spanish Government, stating: “It’s a case of ‘Manana, manana (tomorrow, tomorrow)’.
“It’s time they pull their finger out and do what they agreed.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson commented: “An agreement to swap UK driving licences for Spanish licences has not yet been reached.
“From May 1, UK licence holders who have been resident in Spain for more than six months and did not exchange their licence during the transition period will no longer be able to drive legally in Spain.
“We have agreed to rapidly accelerate talks and are urging the Spanish Government to bring forward interim measures.”
Until a new deal is struck, UK expats will need to obtain a Spanish driving licence before getting back behind the wheel.
One driver, using the Twitter handle Tenerife Unlocked, said the new policy means they couldn't go to work, nor could they continue their work with a dog charity.
They added that it was “absolutely ridiculous” as motorists were able to switch their driving licences prior to Brexit.
