Driving In Philly...

[johncar54]

The driving problem in reverse

My wife had never driven but as she was coming to Spain I thought it might be a good idea if she had a 'non professional' licence. We made the applications, stood in line, paid the fees and she got her licence and International licence (that is NOT a driving licence but a translation of the licence the person holds, so when using it the person MUST have their actual driving licence with them. This applies worldwide). We arrived in Spain and found that we could not exchange the DL from Phil to a Spanish Licence, even through the way they drive here is not far removed from the Phil way ! We had heard that there was an agreement in the pipeline that DLs could be changed, but so far it cannot be done.

[PeterB]

Yes, the delay in getting a registration is a pain ... however, 3 months is a long time - mine (3 of them now) seem to come through in about 3 - 4 weeks. Usually, the shop you buy from will supply a 'For Registration' plate, but the police don't always find this acceptable!
What is better is to get a 'Permit to Travel' issued by the LTO. The local Mitsubishi agent obtained one of these for me when I bought the Pajero. When the police stopped me and told me that it wasn't legal, I pointed out that it was issued by LTO, so they muttered and let me go on my way. Two days later they stopped me again, but as soon as they recognised our faces, they just waved us on.