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Yet More Legal Issues - Driving Dilemma!
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Just when we thought we'd reached the end, of the legal wrangling here in Spain, something else crops up and bites us on the bum; just part of the course, when you are Darrell and I. The next hurdle we have to overcome is driving related; as a resident of Spain, Darrell has to obtain a Spanish driving license by law. Darrell, lucky enough, has a British driving license, which under normal circumstances can be directly exchanged for a Spanish one, due Britain's membership, for now at least, of the EU.
Nothing is ever simple in our World. Darrell may well have a British Licence, but he is an Australian citizen, who decided against obtaining his British passport. This complicates the issue dramatically. From the information I have read on the internet, Australians are not allowed to directly exchange their driving licenses; assuming, the Australian in Question, has an Australian licence, which he does not. Because Darrell and I have been in a relationship for 23 years, living in the UK, he obtained a UK licence years ago.
As an Australian, with Spanish residency, Darrell would normally have to apply for a Spanish driving license, taking a Spanish theory and practical test; this would have to be done, within six months of him becoming resident here. As a holder of a UK licence, he should not have to take any test, but simply surrender his UK licence, rather like he did with his Australian one, to the British Authorities in the early 2000s.
Can you see our confusion? Can Darrell, just relinquish his English licence? Or as an Australian citizen, will have had to go back to driving school?...I just don't know! Once again, we are in a grey area and there are no clear answers, so it looks like we will have to take another trip to a solicitor, to get a definitive answer. The internet is ambiguous, as I thought it would be; no one seems to be in the same position as us, typically, once again!
The clock is once again ticking and we need to get some answers. There is another bank holiday today, so a further delay before we can get the information we need. Judging on previous experience, we are unlikely to get a conclusive resolution anytime soon, since officials often seem as confused as we are.
If any readers of 'Spanish Views,' has any information on this situation, we would both be grateful for their help. We can't be the first people in the country to have this particular issue, the answer has to be out there somewhere!
Muchas Gracias
Nothing is ever simple in our World. Darrell may well have a British Licence, but he is an Australian citizen, who decided against obtaining his British passport. This complicates the issue dramatically. From the information I have read on the internet, Australians are not allowed to directly exchange their driving licenses; assuming, the Australian in Question, has an Australian licence, which he does not. Because Darrell and I have been in a relationship for 23 years, living in the UK, he obtained a UK licence years ago.
As an Australian, with Spanish residency, Darrell would normally have to apply for a Spanish driving license, taking a Spanish theory and practical test; this would have to be done, within six months of him becoming resident here. As a holder of a UK licence, he should not have to take any test, but simply surrender his UK licence, rather like he did with his Australian one, to the British Authorities in the early 2000s.
Can you see our confusion? Can Darrell, just relinquish his English licence? Or as an Australian citizen, will have had to go back to driving school?...I just don't know! Once again, we are in a grey area and there are no clear answers, so it looks like we will have to take another trip to a solicitor, to get a definitive answer. The internet is ambiguous, as I thought it would be; no one seems to be in the same position as us, typically, once again!
The clock is once again ticking and we need to get some answers. There is another bank holiday today, so a further delay before we can get the information we need. Judging on previous experience, we are unlikely to get a conclusive resolution anytime soon, since officials often seem as confused as we are.
If any readers of 'Spanish Views,' has any information on this situation, we would both be grateful for their help. We can't be the first people in the country to have this particular issue, the answer has to be out there somewhere!
Muchas Gracias
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