Hi, Your IP address indicates that you are in fact already in Spain and from the content of your post I assume somewhere in the La Linea area. Lets take each of your points in turn…
1) I assume that you are English… to fully comply with Spanish Law your Brit reg car must be re-matriculated to carry Spanish registration and this should be done within 3 months of your arrival. It will be necessary to change the headlights to right dipping rather than left. A decent Scrappies can normally provide these. If the vehicle has only one rear fog light it must be on the left hand side of the vehicle. This may mean changing the rear light clusters and a small amount of rewiring. You may well need a Certificate of Conformance from the vehicle manufacturer. In any event the vehicle must be street legal in the country of registration all the time it is on foreign ie., UK plates. UK road Tax and MOT must be current at the time of changeover. once the UK MOT cert expires the vehicle is illegal throughout Europe. A Spanish ITV (MOT) certificate is not valid on a UK reg vehicle so if the MOT renewal date is getting close it must be re-MOT’d in the UK. Probably better also to get Spanish Insurance as your UK Insurance may only provide cover for up to 90 days…
2) Registration on the Padron does not make you legal in Spain. You must, if you are going to stay for more than 183 days, apply for Registration as an EU member resident in Spain… what used to be called Residencia. You will need to provide evidence of Health Insurance and sufficient income. Also if you are in Spain for more than 183 days your tax liabilities become payable to Spain rather than the UK.
3) Concerning your Driving Licence… the information is confusing but it appears that once you have Residencia you should exchange your EU / UK Photocard type licence to a Spanish one. If you have a non photocard licence you cannot exchange it and in order to obtain a Spanish Licence you will have to take a Spanish Driving Test; this can only be done through an approved driving school. The information relating to a medical cert in support of your Driving Licence indicates that you should have one, irrespective of where your licence was issued. Your UK licence will be taken from you when you apply for a Spanish Licence, you cannot have both. The trafficos will issue a Cover note to cover the transition period between the application being made and the issue of the Spanish Licence. You can drive in the UK on your Spanish Licence for a period of up to 183 days after which it must be changed back again. As I said you cannot have both licences simultaneously, it’s one or the other.
Hope this clears up any confusion. Take a look at this website… it lays down guidelines to Brits in Spain and their legal liabilities.
http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/
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