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@Conor55

EU licences are valid in Spain and can also be surrendered in exchange for a Spanish licence

@Conor55

From a quick glance it might  be that only nationals of the country where the license was issued can exchange it.  But maybe i am wrong

Take look here:-

Thanks for the replies.  I will need to be ordinarily resident in Spain to exchange my Irish license for a Spanish license. I don’t know how thoroughly they check residency during the exchange process.

I’ve been a US resident for 20 years and was able to renew my Irish  license twice using my sisters address in Dublin.

    Thanks for the replies.  I will need to be ordinarily resident in Spain to exchange my Irish license for a Spanish license. I don’t know how thoroughly they check residency during the exchange process.
I’ve been a US resident for 20 years and was able to renew my Irish  license twice using my sisters address in Dublin.
   

    -@Conor55

Why do want to exchange it? You don't need to.

I don't plan to maintain a residence or address in Ireland, so there would be no where to mail it. Also, after age 70 or 75, I will probably need a vision test etc. annually to keep my license, I don’t want to have travel to Dublin to take the test. I think it makes sense to switch to a Spanish license as my home and car will be in Spain.

    I don't plan to maintain a residence or address in Ireland, so there would be no where to mail it. Also, after age 70 or 75, I will probably need a vision test etc. annually to keep my license, I don’t want to have travel to Dublin to take the test. I think it makes sense to switch to a Spanish license as my home and car will be in Spain.
   

    -@Conor55

Then, it will be just a straight swap.

@Conor55

I don't think "ordinarily resident" is a Spanish thing. I think you will need to be an actual legal Spanish resident in order to be eligible for a Spanish license. (And you should be a legal resident if you want to spend more than 3 months there.)

As an Irish citizen, you simply do the EU Citizen Registration. Appointments booked online, and you typically need proof of funds, proof of health insurance, and proof of (Spanish) address.

This process should allow you to register for social security contributions and the public health system. I would personally be more concerned about this issue than my driving license, especially as I (like you) already have an EU license elsewhere.

@Conor55 from what you say i think you were  not permitted to renew your DL.  I know one can only renew a uk licence  if you are normally resident in uk.  So you cannot just ’use a uk address.’

Extract  from:-https://www.ndls.ie/images/Documents/DrivingLicence/IrishCitizensAbroadApplyingForLicenses.pdf

Licensing laws across the EU require that, to be entitled to a licence, you must be ‘normally resident’ in the country granting the licence. This rule has not changed in recent times. Applying that rule on the ground, the term ‘normally resident’ is generally considered as the place where a person usually lives, for at least 185 days in each calendar year, because of personal and work ties, or, in the case of a person with no work ties, because of personal ties which show close links between that person and the place where he or she is living.

@Conor55

Spanish driving licences have to be renewed every 10 years, or every 5years if you are over 65 or have health issues. You will be required to have a medical test each time you have to renew (dexterity, eyesight, hearing, blood pressure and general health)

@Johncar

Interesting post, thank you.

You're absolutely correct that you SHOULD be a UK resident to renew your Brit driving license. But if you have the required documents (e.g. Brit passport) and the required UK address, then the online system would likely let you renew. I did this using my father's address, which I used for many years for my bank accounts. I think Ireland is likely similar.

The "ordinarily resident" phrase is definitely NOT EU terminology... it's British/Irish (as per your Irish link). There's no way to (easily) demonstrate that I'm ordinarily resident in either Spain or Bulgaria or Cyprus (where I have legal residence). Of course, in practice, you can't be (as a non-EU citizen) ordinarily resident in an EU country without also being legally resident (unless you're happy to overstay illegally). Rather, EU countries simply want to see proof of legal residence (your residence permit or EU Citizen Registration Certificate), and don't bother with any further check of your ordinarily resident status there.

I could have exchanged my UK driving license for a Spanish license, or a Cyprus license. The process is much the same. I chose to do it in Bulgaria simply because it was more convenient (I'm 5 minutes away from the office that deals with exchanges). The EU doesn't mind which I have either, they're happy to let me drive in Spain and Cyprus without requiring me to exchange again. The UK seems happy too, so I doubt there's any pressure to exchange back (as long as I have the corresponding residence permit).

I'm not 100% sure on this, but, for the UK, the "ordinarily resident" thing is even more amorphous than 185 days in a particular country. A couple of weeks ago, I popped back to see my father... so, obviously, I wasn't ordinarily resident then. BUT... I'm pretty sure that if I go back to UK tomorrow, but this time having decided to return to live in the UK... I can legitimately say that I am ordinarily resident in the UK... even though I've only been there 1 day! Weird, huh? :-)

Why is this important? Because the test of NHS entitlement (and to avoid NHS benefit fraud) is ordinary resident.