Spanish Driving Licence For UK Car Hire

We often get questions from our customers regarding hiring a car with different licences within the UK and the answer is the same no matter where you hire in the country. It depends on your situation at the time, if you are living in the UK but have a licence from Spain its completely different to if you are from Spain with a Spanish licence hiring within Great Britain.

Living in the UK with a Spanish driving licence is the stricter of the two, if you are living in the UK with a licence that isn’t from this country then you can only drive with it for a year after you have moved to this country. If you are driving in the country and haven’t changed over to a full United Kingdom licence in a year then you will be subject to not only be able to hire a car but a fine from the DVLA of up to £1,000. Please make sure that for legal reasons if you are living in the country then you change your licence within 12 months! You will not be able to hire a car until you get your UK licence.

However if you are living in another country and want to hire a car within the UK there are no restrictions as long as it is in English or inside the EU which Spain is so hiring a car with a Spanish licence as long as you are arriving from Spain poses no issues.

If you are interested in this subject and want to know more about your licence and whether it is acceptable within the UK then just ask us on our live chat function in the corner of the page or if you prefer you can call us on +44 (0)113 880 0748 or email us at [email protected] and we will happily answer any questions that you may have.

Having worked in the car rental industry for over 15 years, he really knows his stuff. Rob heads up our marketing department and as a keen traveller, always has a new location to talk about. Particularly if there is a golf course nearby.