When is a day off not a day off

[mangocrazy]

Just needs to be legal in France for the full 6 months

But how will DVLA know that you have brought a French registered car into the UK? How is it enforced? Surely they don't keep tabs on every French (or German, or Dutch, or Spanish or...) registered car that enters the UK?

I'm interested in this, as I need to bring my Beta back to the UK for a program of works that will undoubtedly take longer than 6 months...

[Noggin]

Just needs to be legal in France for the full 6 months

But how will DVLA know that you have brought a French registered car into the UK? How is it enforced? Surely they don't keep tabs on every French (or German, or Dutch, or Spanish or...) registered car that enters the UK?

I'm interested in this, as I need to bring my Beta back to the UK for a program of works that will undoubtedly take longer than 6 months...

Absolutely no idea!! Sorry!

I mean, if they've stamped your passport on the way in, then, if stopped, they can guess - but apart from that, no idea (like I said, I have zero intention of doing this, so haven't looked into it, just found the info on Govt sites!)

[DefTrap]

I don't think the DVLA will know as such but there are potential insurance implications with actually driving forrin regd vehicles long term in a country where you're non resident.
I did it for ages, naughty.

[mangocrazy]

I don't think the DVLA will know as such but there are potential insurance implications with actually driving forrin regd vehicles long term in a country where you're non resident.
I did it for ages, naughty.

Yeah, the main thing is not to get caught...

[Yorick]

I don't think the DVLA will know as such but there are potential insurance implications with actually driving forrin regd vehicles long term in a country where you're non resident.
I did it for ages, naughty.

I can't legally drive a UK registered vehicle here.
And IIRC , I can't drive Pen's car which is still in UK.

She can drive it as she has 2 licenses

[Sadlonelygit]

I don't think the DVLA will know as such but there are potential insurance implications with actually driving forrin regd vehicles long term in a country where you're non resident.
I did it for ages, naughty.

I can't legally drive a UK registered vehicle here.
And IIRC , I can't drive Pen's car which is still in UK.

She can drive it as she has 2 licenses

Ok, I'll bite.
Why not?

[Yorick]

I don't think the DVLA will know as such but there are potential insurance implications with actually driving forrin regd vehicles long term in a country where you're non resident.
I did it for ages, naughty.

I can't legally drive a UK registered vehicle here.
And IIRC , I can't drive Pen's car which is still in UK.

She can drive it as she has 2 licenses

Ok, I'll bite.
Why not?

It's just the law. And it's reciprocal.

[Sadlonelygit]

So you're saying that a Spanish license isn't accepted in the UK, and that UK insurance isn't valid in the Canaries?

[Yorick]

So you're saying that a Spanish license isn't accepted in the UK, and that UK insurance isn't valid in the Canaries?

I'm not sure exactly. But had to sell my UK registered camper van once I got my Spanish licence.

[cheb]

Haven't the Spanish always been a bit funny about traffic law? I remember horror stories of people being locked up for carpark bumps as they didn't have a bail bond for lots of thousands of pounds.

[Noggin]

So you're saying that a Spanish license isn't accepted in the UK, and that UK insurance isn't valid in the Canaries?

Think it’s insurance companies. My mate can’t insure me on his english car permanently (which restricts the options to go be sociable in the valley as he won’t go cos he can ‘only’ have two beers )

It’s possibly easier to insure a foreign resident with a foreign licence for a holiday, but adding someone permanently seems to be difficult/prohibitively expensive

[Pirahna]

She can drive it as she has 2 licenses

I'll have a guess that she exchanged her UK license for a Spanish one which meant she would have surrendered her UK license at the time the Spanish one was issued. If she then applied for a fresh UK license after getting the Spanish one, the Spanish one will now be invalid. It could be the other way round, it doesn't matter. You can only have one valid license and it'll be the last one to be issued.

[Pirahna]

So you're saying that a Spanish license isn't accepted in the UK, and that UK insurance isn't valid in the Canaries?

There's a couple of different points. When you become a Spanish resident you get something like 180 days to exchange your UK license for a Spanish one. A vehicle on foreign plates is only allowed in the country for 180 days, after that time you're supposed to re-register it onto Spanish plates. So in theory a Spanish resident can own a non-Spanish vehicle, but only while it's being swapped to Spanish plates. The difficult bit is finding a Spanish insurance company that will cover a foreign vehicle owned by a Spanish resident with a Spanish license.

The reason Yorick will have had to sell his luxury motorhome is that it's something he built himself. The Spanish are notoriously stubborn when it comes to modified vehicles so rather than register it as a camper he would have to register it as a commercial, difficult to do but not impossible. My VW Kombi is a right hand drive, N1 commercial and now on Spanish plates. It has sliding doors on both sides and windows in both sliding doors.

The Kombi is in wifey's name and was insured by a UK company to be kept permantly outside the UK at our Spanish address. I got my residency and exchanged my license several months before she did, a call to the insurance company and I was a named driver on the policy with a Spanish license. When she exchanged her license we put the van onto Spanish plates. The Spanish don't insure the person, they insure the vehicle, so any driver over the age of 25 can drive the Kombi or our car irrespective of what nationality license they have. Any fines are handed out to the owner though.

All very simple if you follow the rules.

[Yorick]

She can drive it as she has 2 licenses

I'll have a guess that she exchanged her UK license for a Spanish one which meant she would have surrendered her UK license at the time the Spanish one was issued. If she then applied for a fresh UK license after getting the Spanish one, the Spanish one will now be invalid. It could be the other way round, it doesn't matter. You can only have one valid license and it'll be the last one to be issued.

Just asked her. Both are totally legal.

[Yorick]

So you're saying that a Spanish license isn't accepted in the UK, and that UK insurance isn't valid in the Canaries?

There's a couple of different points. When you become a Spanish resident you get something like 180 days to exchange your UK license for a Spanish one. A vehicle on foreign plates is only allowed in the country for 180 days, after that time you're supposed to re-register it onto Spanish plates. So in theory a Spanish resident can own a non-Spanish vehicle, but only while it's being swapped to Spanish plates. The difficult bit is finding a Spanish insurance company that will cover a foreign vehicle owned by a Spanish resident with a Spanish license.

The reason Yorick will have had to sell his luxury motorhome is that it's something he built himself. The Spanish are notoriously stubborn when it comes to modified vehicles so rather than register it as a camper he would have to register it as a commercial, difficult to do but not impossible. My VW Kombi is a right hand drive, N1 commercial and now on Spanish plates. It has sliding doors on both sides and windows in both sliding doors.

The Kombi is in wifey's name and was insured by a UK company to be kept permantly outside the UK at our Spanish address. I got my residency and exchanged my license several months before she did, a call to the insurance company and I was a named driver on the policy with a Spanish license. When she exchanged her license we put the van onto Spanish plates. The Spanish don't insure the person, they insure the vehicle, so any driver over the age of 25 can drive the Kombi or our car irrespective of what nationality license they have. Any fines are handed out to the owner though.

All very simple if you follow the rules.

Just asked her. She has a car at her mum's in UK. Without a UK license, it's impossible to insure.
So with 2 licenses, she's legal in both countries.

[Pirahna]

She can drive it as she has 2 licenses

I'll have a guess that she exchanged her UK license for a Spanish one which meant she would have surrendered her UK license at the time the Spanish one was issued. If she then applied for a fresh UK license after getting the Spanish one, the Spanish one will now be invalid. It could be the other way round, it doesn't matter. You can only have one valid license and it'll be the last one to be issued.

Just asked her. Both are totally legal.

Just out of interest, how are two driving licenses legal?

[Yorick]

I'll have a guess that she exchanged her UK license for a Spanish one which meant she would have surrendered her UK license at the time the Spanish one was issued. If she then applied for a fresh UK license after getting the Spanish one, the Spanish one will now be invalid. It could be the other way round, it doesn't matter. You can only have one valid license and it'll be the last one to be issued.

Just asked her. Both are totally legal.

Just out of interest, how are two driving licenses legal?

She took 2 tests. So 2 licences.

Many countries don't recognise other countries so not rare to need several licences.

[Horse]

Just out of interest, how are two driving licenses legal?

She took 2 tests. So 2 licences.

Many countries don't recognise other countries so not rare to need several licences.

But IIRC UK and Spain do.

I'd guess that if DVLA knew she had two licenses, they'd get a tad peeved.

Worst case, if nicked in the UK and banned, it would be a bit naughty to then drive (in the UK) on a Spanish licence.

[Felix]

Just out of interest, how are two driving licenses legal?

She took 2 tests. So 2 licences.

Many countries don't recognise other countries so not rare to need several licences.

But IIRC UK and Spain do.

I'd guess that if DVLA knew she had two licenses, they'd get a tad peeved.

Worst case, if nicked in the UK and banned, it would be a bit naughty to then drive (in the UK) on a Spanish licence.

Folk were doing it back in the 80's. I knew a guy who was nicked for DD in the UK and was still driving on his German licence.

[Horse]

This was introduced in the UK in 2015

The third European Commission (EC) Driving Licence Directive 2006/126/EC introduced a number of new obligations on member states. ...

The Directive does not allow drivers to have more than one EU/EEA driving licence. In the UK it is not possible to apply for a licence if you already hold another licence.

... stop drivers holding more than one EU/EEA driving licence. Any breach of this new provision will be an offence

Maybe a Brexit bonus if it's been rescinded?