Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
With the Driving License exchange for those of us stuck it the UK with Covid rules and all that …. when you apply for the test are you given a “waiting for test” piece of paper or is it just plain illegal to drive on a UK license from Jan 1st? Hold a TIE. Thank you all.
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“There is no waiting for test document and as you have a TIE you cannot drive on your UK licence in January”
“British citizens are allowed to travel to Spain if fully vaccinated. As tourists. For those with residency status in Spain, its possible to travel to Spain with just a negative antigen test, so why stuck in UK?? For those arriving to exchange license, there is no waiting to take the Spanish driving test, you can start taking lessons straightaway.”
“No, as if 1st January 2022, you cannot drive until a Spanish driving test has been passed (which is the same for Spaniards, so why would it be any different for anyone else).”
“My 19 year old Spanish neighbor is waiting to take his practical test and has already passed his theory (Malaga), he has been told he has to wait as it is all fully booked at the moment.”
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Explore Cities →“I read somewhere on here that if you are resident in Spain on the 31st December21, you will now have until the end of June 22 to take a test and get Spanish licence, due to backlog I guess. Has anyone else seen this? I’m sure someone posted it on Brexpats, but I can’t find it.”
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