Spain - British Expat Forum

Hi all!

I thought I’d ask here rather than trawl through the Spanish websites and get sent off on wild goose chases
I’ve been living and working here (Barcelona) for a few months now and need to get a few things sorted out….

1. Where do I go to get my NIE?
2. Where do I go to get my UK driving licence approved?
3. I came over with a clapped out old Renault that I want to get rid of. It’s still on UK plates but I have declared it as exported and have the documentation to prove it. Can I just take it to scrap yard or do I need to do something official?

If anyone in Barcelona can point me to an exact place for any of the above I’d be very grateful

Well I think that’s about it for now…..

Cheers,
Chris

Hi Chris

Welcome to the forum! We have several members in Spain so I hope they can help you out soon.

Cheers

Kay 8)

TranceformeR wrote:Hi all! Where do I go to get my UK driving licence approved? Cheers, Chris

You don't have to do anything with your UK driving licence, it's valid as it is. This is taken from the British Embassy website in Spain:

The pink and green driving licence issued by the DVLA in the UK since 1990 is acceptable in all EU countries and is valid for all purposes in Spain from 1.7.96. British residents in Spain, no longer have to exchange their British driving licence for a Spanish one but should register it at their local Police station every three months. The green-coloured British driving licence is only accepted if used by tourists and accompanied by an official translation into Spanish (which we understand is available from the Spanish Embassy in London). Holders of these licences may prefer to use an International Driving Licence issued anywhere outside Spain.

I'll try and find out about the NIE but I don't have an answer for your car.

Thanks for the quick replies and warm welcome

Quote:

but should register it at their local Police station every three months.

Do you know if this means the local (Catalan) police or the Guardia Urbano?

The car is going to prove quite a problem--- it no longer has insurance, MOT or road tax so I'm going to have to get it towed when I move it

Quote:

I'll try and find out about the NIE

How did you get yours (that is, if you needed one)?

Cheers,
Chris

Hi Chris

You get your NIE from the local Policia, normally in the larger towns. In my area its either Alicante or Benidrom. However the rules have changed recently and you must have a provable Spanish address.

Its also a tim,e consuming process and you can end up in a line of people for many hours.

I suggest that you go to a local accountant, they will do the job for you for around 25-30 euros, saving all the hassle though you will still have to to go to the police station with them.

We have arranged quite a few of these for our clients (we help people move to Spain, Costa Blanca).

Hope this helps
Cheers Richard

The accountant sound like a good idea
I'm glad I only need to go the police station because I've seen the queues at the immigration office here in Barcelona and a sleeping bag is essential

A provable address is no problem since I work here...

Finding which Policia station applies to me might be trickier since I live in a village outside of Barcelona but I assume the accountant will tell me all I need to know...

I think you all know what the next question is - Can anyone recommend a good accountant in the Barcelona area?

Dont know if you have done everything yet, but one question I have is, if you are working you should already have your NIE number!

Hm....good point that! As regards accountants in the Barcelona area I'm afraid I have no knowledge, maybe somebody else has some idea

Cheers
Richard HappyExPat

jacques wrote:Dont know if you have done everything yet, but one question I have is, if you are working you should already have your NIE number!

I should have one and my company has asked me to get it sorted out but that was months ago and they haven't asked again... I still get paid and I still pay the right amount of IRPF. But I might be changing jobs soon and my new employer might not be as easy going so that's why I want to get it sorted now. I have also found out that I need my NIE to get rid of my car so I really need to get a move on.

I found an accountant, and I'm going to see him this week... Hopefully shouldn't take tolong now.

Cheers,
Chris

I would get the accountant to make sure that all the payments you have made have been credited to your name and NIE number when you get it!!

Thanks for the tip. I ask when I see him....

Cheers,
Chris

I understand that your UK driving licence ( now talking about the European model with two parts ) has to be approved by the Spanish Traffic Police. You no longer have to exchange your British one for its Spanish equivalent, but you still have to visit your local traffic police office and complete a form ( of course ) You are then given a temporary licence while your ( photo ) Brit one is whisked off to Madrid. ( You retain the paper part throughout ) Ours took about 8 weeks to re-appear. When we got them back the only difference was that a date had been printed on the back of the licence top left hand side.
I hear from local friends that if you are checked by the Guardia Civil and found to be resident and DON'T have this procedure applied to your licence, you could end up with a fine.
This is the procedure around Malaga, currently anyway !

All true I'm afraid. In fact I had an incident a couple of months ago. Luckily my Residencia had not come through and I was able to explain that I was 'between' the UK and Spain. The policia accepted that and no problem.

Its a case of complying 'im afraid. If there is one thing the Spanish system does better than the Uk its to generate paperwork! Having said that at least they keep control of things and not let it degenerate in to a free for all like the UK