Although we’d never intended to stay in one country long-term, travelling by car necessitated having the vehicle registered somewhere. So we considered which country, when to get there, car prices & MOT requirements etc & decided as Spain was so big, we liked the country & there was a large English speaking population, that the best option would be to buy a used car here.
We sold our beloved Honda for scrap & bought a used Fiat Doblo registered at our long-term rental address near Alhaurin el Grande. But we were moving on & no mail was ever delivered there anyway! Therefore, we’d rented a post box in a Papeleria shop in town & took advantage of having some things delivered from Amazon. As it was common for most homes in the Malaga Campo not to receive mail, we hoped that we could use the Papeleria mailing address for the car documents.
We knew a local English lass who was fluent in Spanish (having lived in Spain since she was 13) gave Spanish lessons to expats & hired her time to help with translation, form completion & communication with officials etc. We asked her to help us negotiate the red-tape.
I wish my Spanish was better (a lot better!), but although I’d tried to learn a little each day, was making really slow progress, so needed this assistance.
Impressive Christmas lights in Malaga
First of all she accompanied us to the town hall to help setup our IVTM (car tax) to be paid automatically by direct debit & to add our Papeleria address as the mailing address. A straightforward process completed within half an-hour. Then, she helped us book an appointment online & came with us to Malaga DGT (traffic department) to ensure this address was recorded on the car registration. A few minutes at the desk to complete a form with a few words of explanation & the job was done
In mid-January, one week before we left the Malaga area, we were stopped by the police who were pulling all cars over.
I’ve no idea why, but the policeman informed us that we’d have a problem driving our Spanish registered car on a UK licence after Brexit. I assume this is in the event of a no-deal Brexit, but with just a couple of months until 29th March & with MPs defeating Theresa May’s most recent plan, who knows what will happen?
A little research identified that the UK Government had issued an International Driving Permit (IDP) to ensure UK licence holders could drive in Europe in the event of a hard, or no-deal Brexit. An IDP would last one year for Spain & up-to 31st January, these could be obtained by post from the AA or RAC, afterwards in-person only at a UK Post Office.
We were just in time & I’ve sent off the form & fee & am waiting for the IDP to arrive. This will be delivered to our Papeleria address & I’ll see if we can use the address at our current house, or perhaps our AIR B&B host will accept delivery.
Research into a British citizen’s rights post no-deal Brexit revealed that if we hadn’t exchanged our UK drving licence for a Spanish licence by 29th March, we may have to take a Spanish driving test….
What to do?
The first step is something we should have done a few months back, apply for our Spanish Residencia. We had our NIE numbers & had tried to obtain a Padron by registering at the Alahurin el Grande town hall, but as our tenancy agreement was in the name of the old woman & the property was in the name of her husband, this wasn’t possible (did this mean our tenancy wasn’t legal?), so we’d baulked at the Residencia process. However, having a Residencia would be necessary to potentially getting a Spanish driving licence.
So, with our English speaking contacts, we set the process in motion before we left. We very nearly received our Residencia cards before we departed, but needing proof of our account balance, the bank issued the wrong certificate & we had to leave Alhaurin & pop into the Orihuela branch to order another.
Apparently everything is in order & we should have our Residencia cards soon – something else which will need to be securely forwarded from the Papeleria in Alhaurin el Grande.
As for the licence exchange? Shall we do this, or wait & wonder & hope for a good Brexit? Or no Brexit? Or will there be another referendum?
Interesting political times in the UK right now!
Just before Christmas, Alhaurin el Grande went mad for Poinsiettas with every flower bed & beneath every tree in the town centred being filled with hundreds of plants. Less than a month later & as we were leaving, council workers were busy replacing the tired-looking Poinsiettas with trailing Geraniums.