Extension of Uk driving license

I am on the understanding that Spain and Italy are the only two EU/EEA countries where a Straightforward licence exchange is still hanging in the balance, as stated in a local paper, Why is it taking so long to reach an exchange agreement between two allies with close economic and social links? And that a person from the EU/EEA including Spain and Italy residing in the UK has one year to exchange their licence from the time of residency. Unfortunately even before Brexit, some UK legal residents in Spain who had the opportunity to exchange did not, but that’s another story.

You may find the link at the end of this post useful.

Unfortunately, I imagine, quite a number of those who voted Brexit were not aware of the implications of leaving the EU - this being one of them. If you are interested to know how negotiations are progressing with Spain and Italy you woud be best placed to contact the Department of Transport directly [email protected].

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-eu-uk-licence-holders-living-in-the-eu#:~:text=UK%20licence%20holders%20resident%20in,licence%20until%2030%20April%202022.&text=UK%20driving%20licence%20holders%20resident,drive%20until%2031%20December%202022. 

Extract from UK Government (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=989f8603-9241-4ea4-bc4a-947065c0fb4a&utm_content=immediately#driving-in-spain)

"If you moved to Spain after 1 January 2021, your valid UK licence will be recognised for 6 months from the date you obtained residence, or until 30 April 2022, whichever is later."

You need to read it all:
If you have a valid UK driving licence

If you were living in Spain before 1 January 2021, your valid UK driving licence will be recognised for driving in Spain until 30 April 2022.

If you moved to Spain after 1 January 2021, your valid UK licence will be recognised for 6 months from the date you obtained residence, or until 30 April 2022, whichever is later.

If you live in Spain, you must exchange your UK driving licence for a Spanish one. You cannot use an International Driving Permit (IDP) instead.

Read the Spanish Traffic Authority’s (DGT) guidance on using and exchanging licences in Spain (in Spanish, with English translation).

If you have lived in Spain since before 1 January 2021 and registered your intention to exchange with the DGT before 30 December 2020, you must request an appointment with the DGT to exchange your UK licence by 30 April 2022. You must do this so that you can complete the process without taking a test.

If you did not register with the DGT before 30 December 2020 and you need to drive in Spain, consider all your options. You may not want to wait for the outcome of the current negotiations. If not, follow the DGT process for non-EU nationals to obtain a Spanish driving licence. This includes taking both a theory and practical driving test.

I may be reading this wrong!

Edit, I will remove my earlier post as seems it may be wrong. Sorry.

Italy have given extension until the end of December 2022  but you will still need to take a test to exchange UK licence for Italian licence