A Licence To ...

In the Riki Lash column in "The Bulletin" on Sunday was a piece about driving while using a mobile. It said that if caught three times, this would result in the confiscation of one's licence (as opposed to "license"; well, he is American). What it also said was that it didn't matter whether that licence was foreign, it would still be taken away. Now, it would be highly unlikely, I would suggest, that a tourist would be stopped three times for using a mobile during a short stint in Majorca, so this has to refer more to those who live here. The fact is that there is a whole other issue here, and it is one that I wonder if all expats are fully aware of. If a resident, one must have - by law - a Spanish driving licence. A UK/European one is not deemed valid. At the start of this year, a law was enacted which elevated the lack of a licence to the status more of a criminal offence, as opposed to an administrative oversight, which it had previously been. A non-Spanish licence is embraced under this law, and contravention can potentially result in a huge fine or worse.

This law is a complete nonsense of course. It sounds more like a way of extracting some 18 euros for the process of converting the licence. But whatever the thinking, the fact is that there may well be many here who are driving without a valid licence. If so, then don't go too close to Trafico's controls; rather, get yourself down to the Trafico building sharpish and get the licence changed.

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