New driving licence rules from 19 January

[Pelinor]

The wife just got back home. As usual she got the machista of a moron at Trafico who hadn't got a clue what the hell he was talking about who was trying to take advice from a woman who did know what she was talking about at the far end of the counter but he couldn't be arsed to listen. Coupled with my wife not liking machista's it got a bit messy. We're going back to Trafico tomorrow and hopefully we wont get the idiot. Will report back.

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

We're going up on Friday with a *good friend* and will report back afterwards.

I attempted to get ours changed in Adeje the other day, but the woman said no medical was required, and to go up to Trafico with photos and pay about 30€.  So off we go.

[Pelinor]

Well back from Trafico. It was quite painless really I will try and talk you through it.

Do not attend trafico it your inscribed licence hasn't expired. They will turn you away.
They will only see you if it's expired, or you are having it inscribed for the first time or your changing your licence for a Spanish one.

Go armed with your original licence UK or where ever. Your residency papers ( the green piece of paper DNI) Passport, and if you are having your inscription renewed, the paper work for the expired inscription. You will also need €10.10cent.

Get a number from enquires, it seems that the window dealing with foreigners is no2 off to the far left. The girl is very helpful.
She will do the paper work and give you a paper to take to the medical test centre. Everyone gets a medical.

Armed with the piece of paper go to the medical test centre. The are two either side of the Trafico offices. We went to the one on the left 'Osa Mayor' Centro De Renocimiento. It's on the 1st floor in a building about 20 paces from the front door of Trafico.

See the girl on reception no appointment is necessary once the paperwork is done she will direct you to one of two rooms. The man inside the first will ask general medical questions. Have you had any major operations, heart problems what drugs you take if any (medical) how long you have been wearing glasses  etc...
He will then test your hearing in a booth. Head phones on and a beep test raise your left hand or right hand for which ever side of the head phone beeps. About ten beeps in all. He will then test your blood pressure and give you a simple eye sight test which consists of covering each eye in turn and reading three letters on a eye sight chart from about 6 meters large letters only. simple. He will then pass you on the the other room

The chap will ask more or less the same medical questions as the first chap. You will then be tested on a computer.
The test consists of a Tv screen with two parallel white bands running top to bottom on a coloured background. Within the white bands and to the centre of the screen is a black line, one in each band. You will be told to manovier the black lines in order to keep them within the white bands as the white bands move down the screen. The White bands move in a stream down the screen bending left and right as they go.
To enable this you will use two 'T' shaped joy sticks on a box to your front.

Every time a black line passes outside the white bands there will be a beep. Don't panic! I must have beeped half a dozen times and it's no problem. In fact the chap said I did very well. But you have to concentrate. Thats it for the test.

Now if you are taking any drugs lets say anti depressants for example and you tell them, they will ask for a certificate from your Doctor to say that the drugs do not affect your driving. With that said they passed me and said I could take the doctors certificate any time I wanted. Just drop it in to them when passing.

Paper work is then done by the receptionist. Photographs are free so take them even if you don't need them! She will give you a certificate for Trafico with your photo on. Sign the papers and pay the lady €38.00cent.

Now back to Trafico.
Enquiry desk again and get a number for the payment of the renewal of the inscription. Go and pay the €10,10 cent at the desks to the left of the front door as you enter.
It's not all plain sailing. At the payment desk they might tell you to take the same number and wait for a turn at the main desks. This is wrong you will need to go back to the same desk that you first went to, prior to the medical, desk No2. This is what happened to us, it may not happen to you but be aware.

She will complete the operation giving you two copies of the inscription. One copy to be kept in the vehicle at all time. The inscription last for ten years. You will not have to have any medical again until this inscription runs out. I will be 67.

It would be wise to go with a Spanish speaker We arrived at trafico at about 10am and we were done and on our way home at 11.30.

Hope this is clear.

[Janet]

That's brilliant, G, and as per the instructions I was working from.

... changing your licence for a Spanish one.

... Go armed with your original licence UK or where ever. Your residency papers ( the green piece of paper DNI) Passport, and .. a paper to take to the medical test centre. Everyone gets a medical.

I'm so glad you said this. In all the instructions I've come across there were quite strident statements that if you were changing a British licence for a Spanish one, you wouldn't need a medical. I didn't post it, because it flew in the face of reason, and because when we changed ours we had to have a medical.

Thanks for confirming that medicals are indeed required, as I thought they had to be.

[Pelinor]

Thanks Janet We explained about Poker being told he didn't need a medical. She could only suggest that either Pokers inscription hadn't expired or  he didn't go to the correct test centre. I explained he went to the correct place but I didn't know about his inscription.

But with that said she was adamant, everyone that goes to trafico about their driving licence either to get a new Spanish licence, to change their old licence to a Spanish one, to inscribe their licence for the first time of for a renewal of the inscription, no matter where in the EU they come from and no matter what sort of licence they have they have to have a medical.

The only difference is that the inscriptions now last for ten years where as before it was five.

[Janet]

 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Thanks Guanche.  I'm printing your instructions out and taking them along.

[Pelinor]

Thanks Guanche.  I'm printing your instructions out and taking them along.

What is it your going to do there Myrtle? If you don't mind me asking.

[Janet]

G, I've been able to add the following to my post on my website. Thank you 

From Trafico today:

- You need to go to Trafico if your inscribed licence has expired and you're having it renewed.
- You need to go to Trafico if you have been driving here for more than 6 months and you're having a British licence inscribed for the first time.
- You need to go to Trafico if you're changing your licence for a Spanish one.
- You do not need to go to Trafico if you have already inscribed your British licence and the inscription is valid.
- You do not need to go to Trafico if you already changed your British licence for a Spanish one.

One of the above conditions must apply to all British drivers.

Everyone who has been resident in Spain for two years, and who has not changed their British licence for a Spanish one, must have a medical.

If you are in the category of driver who needs to go to Trafico, you can get a medical at the centre to the side of Trafico.

I hope this is as clear as it needs to be.

[Janet]

Diana McGlone has added:

I would add if it is an Inscription or exchange for the first time then it takes 45 days from application to when Uk confirms entitlement etc. to Trafico - therefore get the medical done first in the order of business