Off to Spain soon – my license is still valid right? Long term, it seems I must ‘exchange’ it for a Spanish one – does that mean I ‘lose’ my UK license?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-eu-after-brexit

Still no advise. I’d get an international driving permit (valid one year?) but make sure you get the right one..

Yeah, and headlight deflectors, loads of headlight deflectors…

So much for the aspirational adverts about being prepared for when the transition period is over…

Prepared for what I wonder?😆

I believe that after Brexit you’ll be able to drive on the left in any EU Member State. We’re taking back control don’t forget.

does that mean I ‘lose’ my UK license?

The wording on the DVLC web site seems a bit odd…talks about exchanging your UK licence implying surrender but here in Victoria Aus my UK licence entitled me to a Vic permit wasn’t asked to surrender UK licence wasn’t a process of exchange…as far as I am aware holding more than one driving licence is ok it may be an offence in the UK to present a foreign licence to the police if you hold a UK one?

I wanted to have continued ability to drive here in Sweden, so I chopped in my UK license for a Swedish one. Painless process at the time (not possible now of course) and it means that I now have the ability to drive all over Europe without having to have a supplemental license.

Don’t think of it as surrendering your UK license, think of it as gaining more flexibility in how you can drive and of becoming more a part of your new nation.

I am aware holding more than one driving licence is ok it may be an offence in the UK to present a foreign licence to the police if you hold a UK one?

To hold a UK licence you “should” have a UK address I believe.

pre January the advice was you needed an International Driving Permit. (£7 piuece of paper from the post office)

This seems to have been superseded now so you shouldn’t need anything special.
https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit

although I still love the quote on there that says (paraphrased)
“The rules may change in 2021, we don’t know what they’ll be, but here’s some stuff to worry about in the meantime”

Ironically One of which says, you might need to get an IDP. see above.

Just drive on the left blaring your horn and be confident that we have abolished Europe. They’ll just have to adapt, I’m afraid.

If you’re a resident here in Spain for more than 6 months (IIRC, it might be 90 days) you have to swap your licence… but I’ve got no idea whether the Spanish authorities communicate this to their British counterparts.

And now I’m wondering whether I’ll be able to drive in the UK after January without having to get one of those crappy paper international licences.

Just drive on the left blaring your horn and be confident that we have abolished Europe. They’ll just have to adapt, I’m afraid.

If stopped by the police you can just shout ‘BRITISH BULLDOG SPIRIT TWO WORLD WARS AND ONE WORLD CUP’ and they let you on your way, applauding and offering thanks for saving them.

Funny I managed to drive all over France and Spain on a British driving license before we joined the EEC as it then was. Even parents of my friends did the same before us with never a problem even when Franco was in charge.

A lot of things were simpler back then. Who knows how it will pan out now.

‘British driving license’

Chapeau!

I’m not driving a car. I’m taxiing a Spitfire.

Just drive on the left blaring your horn and be confident that we have abolished Europe.

An old school friend lived in Paris in the late 1980’s, he used to change his UK registered car (usually an old soft top) every 6 months and drive around shouting “priorite d’anglais”, breaking all the rules of the road and just feigned non comprehension if he was ever stopped, despite being fluent in French. Lost touch with him, only to discover recently that he’d got into data storage early, sold to Equinix and made ££££M, so clearly being a risk taking nutjob paid off.

Ironically … of sorts… google seems to be telling me that it was an EU directive in 2015 that stopped EU drivers holding licences in more than one EU country…back whenever we were sold/told paying the RAC or AA for an IDP was essential recall that a legal alternative was a scruffy piece of paper with a translation…titulo nombre etc

…..

To hold a UK licence you “should” have a UK address I believe

I have that sorted

Not directly relevant but my Western Australian wife had to surrender her WA licence to get a British one… Although as her WA licence renewed a few weeks later they just sent her out a new one….. So go figure.

So basically, it’s good until Dec 31 (renting a car next week) and then after that, nobody knows for sure?

Here in the Vaterland I’ll have to surrender my UK licence for a German one.

I’ll be able to get my UK licence back only when/if I return full time to the UK.

When you change your licence you might find you lose some categories of vehicles, if I change again I suspect the only thing left will be pedal cars. I’d now have to take a test to get back the things I’ve lost.