I have been to Motril to speak with the Policia Local at the police station, and with the Guardia Civil in Salobreña, who were manning a check point.
The reason why is that we have had many queries from readers concerning crossing the municipal boundaries for appointments with, doctors, the ITV centre, etc.
Both the Guardia Civil and the Policia Local said that if you have such an appointment, you must go by yourself; in other words, your spouse, partner or a friend who speaks the lingo, is not acceptable.
Not only that, you cannot pop into Al Campo, in Motril, ‘whilst you’re there’ – if they stop you and find shopping in the boot, then you could be fined, even though you had a bona-fide appointment in that town. So, “I might as well do some shopping whilst I am here,” will get you into trouble.
Whilst the Policía Local in Motril gave more leeway in the case of a person with the doctor’s appointment not having a driving licence being driven by a spouse, the Guardia Civil in Salobreña basically said, “you should take a taxi.”
And that’s the trouble you see; it depends on who stops you and your circumstances – there are no hard-and-fast rules.
However, if the person that needs to attend a medical appointment is ‘incapacitated,’ then obviously, they can be accompanied.
So, summing up, yes you can leave your municipality for appointments with the ITV centre, with doctors, opticians, orthopaedic clinics, etc, etc, but you are expected to go by yourself – taking somebody with you is fraught with problems. But above all, print out your appointment document and take it with you.
(News: Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)
Denise: No, I’m afraid you cannot. The police are very keen on pulling over people intending to do their shopping at Al Campo to see where they are from. Ítrabo, like Jete and Otívar, have small co-ops that stock all essentials – and that is the key word. Sorry!
Hi what if you live in small village like ittabo and there is only a small shop can you go to al campo or Motrin to shop for essential things
Laura: Ref. the taxi: he’s working so he’s allowed to cross municipal boundaries. However, both the driver and any passengers must wear a mask during the trip.
Ref. printed copy: having your a copy on your mobile is as valid. It has always been way if you book a ticket for a bus, you have both options to show the driver when you get on. G
Ref: Hubby asked to accompany you: What the police told me and I have reproduced here is the worse case scenario. A policeman who stops you might just decide to wave you both through but if you get the ‘wrong guy on the wrong day’ you could end up with a fine.
A ..if you take a taxi , surely that’s works as then there are two different “households” in one car.
Also ,if it’s us for example , we don’t have a printer , so we had it on our phone .
When we went to the DGT for hubby (very little Spanish for things in that department) I went in alone and the man inside actually asked for my husband to go in, so I had to phone him and ask him to come in !