DRIVING MEDICAL

Hi mervy, check these out. Info in first I think. Didn't check others.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=DRIVING+MEDICAL+IN+SPAIN+&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Depends what you mean Mervy. If you are driving in Spain as a tourist on your British licence, then, no. But if you are a resident, you are required to either exchange your licence for a Spanish one, or register your EU photo-style licence at Trafico (equivalent of DVLA) for a small fee. You will then be subject to the exact same requirements as any Spanish driving licence holder, and that means a medical every 10 years until age 45, after which every 5 years. Failure to comply wil render your licence invalid, and therefore also your insurance.

Similarly, (and frequently overlooked) if you are driving a UK plated car on which the MoT and/or UK road tax have expired, just as it would be illegal in the UK, so it is in Spain. Therefore insurance will be nul and void.

Do not expect your insurer to advise you on these points. It is not their responsibility to ensure that your licence and vehicle are in order, but you can be damned sure that in the event of a claim, they will find out if anything may get them out of paying!

This was what 1st entry on Google link I gave Mervy said, Roberto. (It was a post by someone on a forum)

HEALTH CHECK Information
I was just thinking the other day about DVLA issued EU Licences and the laws here in Spain. The law in Spain requires you to have a medical check as required by all drivers. So after a little hunting around and a lot of time spent on reserch on the internet and talking to the local police, I discovered that all EU Driving Licence holders That are RESIDENT'S of Spain, must comply with the law of Medical Check's. This means you if you are Ex-pat living or working here in Spain.

For standard cars that means people under 45 years old need to take the medical tests every ten years, from 45 to 70 years old it's every five years and when you're past 70 it's every two years. For anything over 3,500kgs, minibuses and most things with trailers its a medical every five years up to 45, every three years between 45 and 60 and every two years from then on.

The exam is of mixed physical and aptitude test. And, of course, if you haven't passed the exam and you go out and Kill someone onthe road or destroy lots of property Then will your insurance company cover your accdent? If I were you I would check this out and see what your insurance company covers you in this case. Please check the appropriate legislation Articles 16 & 22 information here. So dont say you were not warned, Ignorance is no defence in Law.
_________________

For all us non-residents can anyone tell us what this medical entails?

If we are 45+ when we come over do we have to have this medical done when we register our driving licences at Traffico.

It's a good question, and one that I've yet to discover a definitive answer to. (Maybe someone can Google it for us?) The Tráfico website doesn't make it clear at all. Although it states here http://tinyurl.com/2pljpn what you need to present, surprisingly there's no mention of the medical at all. Personally I would assume you need it when registering, as you would if obtaining a new Spanish licence (regardless of age).

There are plenty of private medical centres that offer a drivers licence medical, and it probably doesn't cost much, so it may be a good idea to get it done anyway. As Maria said, it's fairly "light" - if you can see and hear, you should be OK! To be on the safe side, I would recommend consulting a gestor  and even getting one to do the job for you, as a trip to Tráfico is likely to be rather stressful!

Maybe Maria can enlighten us a little bit more on this? I may have missed something on the dgt website, but this is obviously something that many members will want to know more about.

I have been following a similar thread on another forum, and the general consensus of opinion there seems to be slightly different from what I have posted previously.

Firstly, it would appear that as a resident you are not legally obliged to exchange your licence or register your UK (other EU) licence at all. This concurs with the info contained on the link I gave before (http://tinyurl.com/2pljpn) which states that it is voluntary to register your licence. However, I understand that even if you exercise your right not to, you must still abide by the rules regarding medicals that apply to holders of Spanish licences, which would presumably therefore entail carrying not only your licence, but the medical certificate as well. Personally, I think that if you are unfortunate to find yourself pulled up by the Guardia, being a resident with a foreign licence that has not been registered with Tráfico, is only likely to bring more problems than it's worth. But each to their own!

Secondly, as I pointed out previously, the info about exchanging licence mentions nothing about the medical, and other foreign residents have reported that they successfully have exchanged their licences without needing the medical. It would appear that it is only required at the first renewal. This seems out of whack with the requirement to meet the same criteria as Spanish licence holders - who would have had to have a medical at the time the first licence was issued. I certainly needed one when I exchanged my licence, but that was 10 years ago, so things may well have changed, and knowing how bureaucracy works, it may have changed again by the time you read this!

Indeed the check at the medical centre is very straightforward but they do not usually speak any English.  It involves a basic eye test and blood pressure etc.   The one my OH recently used in Almeria did the whole thing for his renewal including taking it to trafico so we didn't even have to go and queue.  I think it cost about €40.  If you have any chronic condition you have to have a certificate from your doctor confirming your current state of heath.  OH is diabetic and they accepted his recent blood tests.  Only problem is that the new licence then has to be sent from Madrid and Apartado addresses are not accepted so licence is somewhere in Limbo as Correos do not recognise our Campo address....