This morning Costa Consulting Bureau were kind enough to share the information that the DGT in Malaga had send to them with regards to the confusion over the changes to the Spanish / UK driving licence regulations. The letter sent in reply to their questions reads as follows :
"This morning I phoned you to talk about the new rules in driving license for foreign residents in Spain. We have read your web page and we can answer some of the questions and be helpful. Also, we'd like to add that it's first-hand information since Centro Medico Avenida has spoken directly with the Manager of the Driving License Department of Trafico in Malaga and asked all these questions.
In 2009 there was approved the new Rules of Driving License in Spain. These rules established that in the 19th of January of 2013 it would come into force a law that said that all European residents who have been living in Spain for more than 2 years, and had not got the European driving license, had to be inscribed in the office of Trafico in Malaga. The inscription means that they have to renovate their UK licenses. For doing that, they need to go to Trafico and hand in the following documents: application form of renovation, pay taxes of renovation (less that 30€), medical certificate, and a photo. In case the residents don't update their UK licenses in Trafico, they will be fined with 200€.
Not all residents have to renovate their UK licenses. All residents who have the European driving license, that is the plastic card with the date of expiration in the front side, don't have to renew their UK licenses. Their driving license is correct. But those residents who have the old format UK driving license, that is a paper, they need to go to Trafico to renovate their licenses.
Apart from renewing the UK driving license, the resident has another option, he can apply for the Spanish driving license. The drawback of this election is that they will have to leave their UK driving license in Trafico, since the law establishes that it is illegal to have more than one driving license, one Spanish and another British. So, the disadvantage would be that if the resident decides to return to UK he will have to apply again for the driving license in UK. If he finally decides to apply for the Spanish driving license, he needs to go to Trafico and fill in an application form, pay taxes (27,40€; it went up this year, last year was 26€), and a photo. In case the UK driving license is going to expire in short, he will need also a medical certificate. Only in that case he will need a medical certificate.
I've also read your web page that somebody asked if there was 2 years grace in which this law come into force. You can anwer that it is not correct. The law entered into force the 19th of January of 2013. Maybe the person who informed her read the publication which Trafico made in its web page in which established an example saying that if a person started to live in Spain in 2013, in 2015 (2 years after) will have to renew his UK driving license. This question has been answered too by the Manager of the Driving License Department in Trafico.
Finally, we'd like to say that Centro Medico Avenida does the whole process in case that the residents have to renew their Spanish driving license. They just come to our Centro Medico and pass the medical revision and we renew their licenses and give them their provisional driving license. They just need to bring their NIE, Passport and Spanish driving license. No photo is needed. We'll take them a photo for the new license. They won't need to go to Trafico. In the Centro Medico Avenida they will pay for the medical certificate and the taxes of Trafico (22,90€ if they are below 70 years, if they are upper 70 years they don't have to pay the taxes of Trafico)."
Thanks again to Costa Consulting Bureau .
SOURCE: TUMBIT