Photo arrived from our recent brunch with the British Ambassador and team. This was an excellent opportunity to talk through and raise awareness of the concerns that charities have and those questions passed to us from our members etc.

The Council of Ministers has approved on Tuesday 14^th March 2023 the agreement by which Spain and the United Kingdom will proceed to the reciprocal recognition and exchange of driving licenses as well as the exchange of information on traffic offenses in terms of road safety.

This agreement puts an end to the successive extensions applied to the exchange of permits between the two countries that had been applied since the end of the transitional period provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

From now on, holders of a valid and current driving license issued by either of the two States may request the exchange of their equivalent driving license where they have established their residence, without being subject to any additional requirement of practical or theoretical test.

The agreement establishes that all valid permits or licenses of current residents issued prior to its entry into force may be exchanged, while for permits issued after said entry into force it will be an essential requirement to access the exchange that the permits have been issued in the country where the applicant had his legal residence.

British citizens residing in Spain who had not had their driving license recognized before Brexit, nor in the successive extensions granted, will be able to do so as of Thursday, March 16.

To facilitate administrative processing at the provincial traffic headquarters, a period of six months has been granted during which British citizens can circulate in Spain with their original permit while they process the exchange.

In addition, Spain and the United Kingdom undertake to provide each other with information on the data of the vehicles and their owners for the purpose of investigating traffic offenses related to road safety, especially in cases of speeding, not wearing a seat belt, failure to stop at a red light, driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence of drugs, not wearing a crash helmet, driving in a prohibited lane, or illegal use of mobile phones

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR AN EMERGENCY?  

HELP Vega Baja suggests things to consider……

Are you prepared if there is a family emergency? It´s hard to think about emergency situations and how you will respond but as we all know, life is unpredictable and it’s better to be safe and prepared just in case. Whether it is a death, break-in or other type of emergency, there are things that we can all do to ease the stress that such situations can cause.

It is important for every home to have an emergency list with essential names and numbers – just in case. There is no need to get overwhelmed when creating an emergency list. It doesn’t need to be complicated. The main thing is to take that first step to make your list and share it with those you absolutely trust. A list should also be placed in your home in a safe place, and you should again tell only those you trust where the list can be found.

An emergency list is a physical list of “emergency information”. However, it could also be stored digitally. It can be small and refer to your healthcare wishes (in this case it is important to check with your doctor to see if there are any official documents required to accompany your healthcare request). It could also be more complex and in-depth, including information for each member of the family.

An emergency list is not simply the number of your doctor. It is a place to put all the important information you store perhaps in your head, things you do automatically without having to think about it! Passwords, codes, online payments etc. Here are some of the items that you may wish to include:

Doctor, SIP card, Health Insurance, special conditions and medications, personal ID (TIE,NIE,SIP card and passport numbers), Local contact of someone who you trust and can be called upon quickly to help, Funeral policy contacts, next of kin, work contacts, utility companies, Pet veterinarian, banking, power of attorney, deeds of property/rental agreement/will, home/car insurance, UK state pension, private pensions etc…

For all these matters, contact details, policy numbers and passwords are needed. Obviously, it is VERY important that only those whom you trust should be provided with this information.

At HELP Vega Baja we hear frequently of cases where someone has absolutely no idea where to start because their partner “did everything” and it takes considerable time and stress to work their way through what can be years of paperwork.

Particularly at times of loss, please help loved ones by ensuring they know at least the basics to take away some of the stress that inevitably occurs in an emergency.

Please see the information section of this website to download the Emergency List