I am asking a question on behalf of my elderly mother who returned from Spain in Dec 2014 after 15+ years. First some facts:
- My mother had Spanish residency for most of the period she lived in Spain
- My mother had a valid Spanish driving license on her return to the UK - in fact Valid until Sept 2016
- My mother is 70+
- My mother has just decided to buy a small car in the UK and therefore exchange her Spanish License for a UK license
- She followed the process fully via the DVLA, completing all necessary forms
- The DVLA required conformation that her Spanish license was 'valid'. They had to get this confirmation from the Spanish DGT.
- The DVLA applied to the DGT for this information. As is typical with Spain, they got no response.
- Eventually, the DVLA accessed some form of DGT database which for some unknown reason declared her Spanish licence invalid - no known reason why. Note her license says that it was valid until Sep 2016.
- The DVLA then returned her Spanish license to the DGT in Madrid!
She is now in no mans land! No license and no way forward without taking a full UK test again.
Any ideas why this seems to have so horribly wrong for her. By the way, no convictions of any sort.