Health certificate for driving

Got stopped by the Traffico the other day they checked my residencia, licence, insurance and asked for my health certicate.which i did not have. Apparently every driver in Spain has one. up to the age of 45 you have to have one every 10 years, and  45 -70 every 5 years, over 70 every year. these certificates can only be obtained from certain doctors for a fee, they let me go this time but could have fined me €90.

I think you get the doctor certificate when you renew your driving licence. This shows you are fit to drive. Next time says you still have not renewed your driving license and they don´t do this in the UK. I don´t have a health certificate. I think what you mean is the psicotécnico, this is what is called in Spain

Did you obtain the "canje" ( exchange for equivalent) of your UK/ foreig driving license? If you do, the health certificate is assumed there.

Maria,

I thought new driving license (pink card) can be use all over Europe and you don´t need to get a Spanish one. My brother who is a driving instructor has told me that. It is also assumed that when you get your driving license the psicotécnico has been done prior to this so you don´t need to have the certificate with you. That´s what I think anyway

Ana

Well, if you are between 45 and 70 you dont need a new driving licence every 5 years, but you do need a medical certificate renewed every 5 years..

It´s my understanding that if you have a UK licence (new EU style one), then you don´t need a health certificate, and you don´t need to change it to a Spanish licence.  I think Myra from the Costa Advice Bureau confirmed this in an earlier thread, and it´s her job to know these things!

As Nati says, the health certificate or whatever it is called is used to get a Spanish licence, to prove you are fit to drive.  This is not needed for a UK licence, hence no need for a health certificate.

The guardia were correct.

To drive in Spain on any license, even UK, you need a driver medical.

You get the licence after paying the fee and doing the medical at designated medical centres in most towns, it takes about 10-15 minutes and costs about 45 euro.

Your insurance and driving license may be recognise if you have an accident and you may be done for driving without a valid license and have to pay all the costs of the accident even if it was not your fault. This happened to a unlucky women not too long ago.

I have advised many times on this forum that if you become a resident in Spain, you are best exchanging your UK licence for a Spanish one asap. I can think of no reason not to, and it avoids problems and confusion such as this.

Yes, thanks to the morons in Brussels, you can now legally continue to drive with your UK or other EU issued licence (didn't used to be the case, back when things were simpler) BUT, you must still compy with the same rules governing Spanish licence holders - which means having periodic medicals. If you have a Spanish licence, as Maria points out, there's no need to keep the medical certificate, since the issuing of the licence itself proves that you had the medical. But, if you insist on continuing to use a UK licence, you will have to also carry proof of your periodic medicals or risk getting fined by the Guardia.

Apart from the minor hassle to exchange a licence, and the relatively small cost, I just don't understand the refusal by so many to change their licences. Johnnie was lucky this time, but at €90, it actually would have been cheaper to exchange his licence.

I just went into the medical place to get the certificate.

They told me that there are only 2 possibilities:

1. A renewal of an existing certificate

2. A new certificate as part of the application to change the driving licence to a Spanish one.

The second option gives you a 3 month certificate that you have to take to Trafico.

So, is there or is there not the possibility of keeping a UK licence and also complying with the law?

And no, I do not wish to change my UK licence.

You don't need a medical certificate if you have a UK licence, at least that is what my research has told me.  It is only used for applying or renewing a Spanish licence and only has a validity of 3 months as you say.

I am happy to keep my UK licence, because if I change it to a Spanish one, I will definitely need a medical certificate each time you renew.

I forgot to say I was over 70.

Not sure if that changes anything?

I am just in the process of changing the car to Spanish plates and the nice lady that is doing the work may be able to confirm the +70 rules.

Cheers,

Colin

Won't you have to renew your UK licence periodically now, being over 70? How will you do that without a UK address?

The law is that you require a medical certificate with a licence from another country to comply with the same requirements as a Spanish licence holder. In the event of an accident you will be deemed ,in court, to be driving without a correct license.

I don't think you will be able to get a medical cert. @ age 70 unless you are changing your licence to a Spanish one , & this would have to be done within 3 months of your 70th birthday otherwise , as a resident, you will forfeit your right to drive without taking a Spanish driving test. Your UK license will not be valid.

I went and got a medical certifcate for 27€ in Torrevieja which I carry with all my documents. 

As my UK licence still has quite a long time before it expires, I went to Traffico in Alicante and asked if they could change the address on my licence as the address on the UK licence was no longer valid and I am permanently resident in Spain.  They said I didn't need to change anything on my licence but agreed to take my new address details on put them on their computer - they then gave me my old UK licence back untouched.

My main concern was that my UK licence was not valid with the old address on it and the DVLC state they will not change a licence if you are resident abroad.  However, you read so many conflicting stories I don't know if I have done the right thing or not.

I went and got a medical certifcate for 27€ in Torrevieja which I carry with all my documents.

Does that mean you have to get one every 3 months then?  That's all they're valid for.

So now some more confusing information.

The dreaded threat of terrible things if you don't comply with this or that regulation.

What a pity that nobody seems to have all the answers in English.

So now I am being told I cannot use a valid UK licence that is registerd at my valid UK address whilst I stay for a while each year in Spain. Is that what was said?

Now that I am over 70 (71 to be precice) I have missed some deadline that forces me to change my Valid UK licence etc for a Spanish one and I now have to take a driving test as I missed a 3 month deadline.

I have been over here now for 5 years and I have never in all my life ever heard of so many variations of what the rules and regs are.

Until you actually do the spadework yourself, it is very tricky to sort out the well meant but ill informed knowledge from the real thing.

My nice Spanish lady now wants to know when my UK licence runs out. I am looking fwd to hearing what she need this information for and where it might lead.

So far nobody has said anything about the 2 options I was given. The 3 month certificate is to give you time to get Trafico sorted out but as far as the EU rules are concerned, no EU country can make you change your licence.

I doubt that anyone actually knows the full story about this, I wait to be corrected.

You're probably right, nobody knows for sure what the rules are, not even those charged with enforcing them, which is why it's probably best to try to do whatever they think is right, which is most likely that, if you live in Spain, you should have a Spanish driving licence. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the crazy bureacrats in Brussels say, they're not the ones with the scary uniform and guns!

True, there's a lot of conflicting information on the subject - but also in your own posts. Yes, you can use a valid UK licence whilst you "stay a while" in Spain. But you say you've been here 5 years. You may have a UK address still, but where are you resident? It makes sense to me that your drivers licence should be registered to your principal residence. If that's in Spain, then you need a Spanish licence, since DVLA will not accept a non-UK address.

As long as you have an in date licence I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Comply with the rules of the issuing authority in terms of medical reports or eye tests etc as applicable to age etc

Certainly as a non-resident you have nothing to worry about and that does not mean you cannot own house and car in Spain etc.

That's my opinion!

I went and got a medical certifcate for 27€ in Torrevieja which I carry with all my documents.

Does that mean you have to get one every 3 months then?  That's all they're valid for.

I know a lady who is now 69, she passed her test in Jersey & was unable to exchange her licence as they are not deemed part of the EC. At the begining of last year she started lessons for a Spanish licence & passed after the 3rd attempt. She had to have 4 med. certs.  You also can't re-take the test after a failure without a minimum of 12 hrs. more lessons. It's a closed shop & nice little money earner.

If you are not a resident the UK licence is ok without a med. cert.

That's one downside of a forum.. lots of different opinions, including some which seem genuine enough yet conflict with each other..now I'm really confused!

so as a uk citizen with uk license, and no medical cert of any kind, if I choose to holiday in spain and hire a car then I'm liable to be breaking the law by not conforming to the equivalent terms as if I held a spanish license?

if that's so, why does the car hire company accept just the uk license and not insist on a medical cert also?