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BREXIT

An open letter from the British ambassador to British citizens living in Spain

Simon Manley has written an open letter to all British residents in Spain regarding the latest Brexit developments.

Published: 14 September 2018 17:15 CEST
An open letter from the British ambassador to British citizens living in Spain
HMA Simon Manley wants to reassure British citizens living in Spain. Photo: British Embassy, Madrid.

As many of you are no doubt aware, this autumn will be an important period in the ongoing Brexit negotiations, leading up to the European Council meeting on October 18th.

Ahead of that, you might have seen that the Government has published a series of  technical notices on a range of areas, to help businesses and citizens prepare in the unlikely event of a no deal Brexit.

Firstly, let me reassure you though that the Government does not want, nor does it expect, a no deal outcome in the negotiations.  As a result of the significant progress made in negotiations, I remain confident that the UK will agree a positive and ambitious deal with the EU – an outcome that is in the interests of both the UK and the EU, and in the interest of both British and EU citizens.

And of course, we continue to discuss the implementation of the deal agreed last December on the rights of UK citizens currently living in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK with the Spanish authorities.  But as a responsible government, we must prepare for all eventualities, however unlikely. Hence these technical notices on driving licences, and travelling between the UK and the EU, amongst other subjects.

I appreciate that this is a period of uncertainty and many of you have questions and want more advice for UK nationals living in Spain. We want to help you prepare for all scenarios and further relevant information will continue to be made available on gov.uk over the coming weeks. And both the Embassy and Consulates will continue with the outreach events that we have planned throughout Spain, with some 20 such events planned between now and the end of the year, and ensure that your questions and concerns are shared with the relevant UK government departments.

In the meantime, please ensure you are correctly registered here in Spain, and stay up to date with the latest news, by signing up for email alerts and visiting the Living in Spain guide on gov.uk, and continue to follow our “Brits in Spain” social media channels, including on Facebook. 

Both I and our UK in Spain consular teams will continue to share with you what we know, when we know it, to provide you with as much clarity as possible.

READ ALSO Brexit planning: What you'll need to do if there's no-deal

For members

RESIDENCY PERMITS

Why is it so hard to get an appointment at some of Spain’s foreigner offices?

One of the reasons Brits in Spain say they haven't got a TIE residency card yet is the apparent impossibility of getting an appointment at their local extranjería office or police station. So is there any truth to this?

Published: 17 May 2024 10:34 CEST
Why is it so hard to get an appointment at some of Spain's foreigner offices?

Anyone who has tried to do anything official in Spain will be well aware of the dreaded cita previa system, whereby they must first make an appointment.

For foreign residents, this is not a simple task. It’s not just a question of simply making an appointment as more often than not, there aren’t any available.

And it’s not like you can just log-on a day later and find more. Many people spend weeks or even months trying to make these appointments, so they can carry out mandatory bureaucratic procedures.

These appointments are needed for everything from applying for or renewing your TIE if you’re non-EU to getting your EU green residency card. They’re needed again when going in for fingerprinting or even just trying to pick up your card once it’s ready.

Earlier this week, the British Embassy in Madrid stressed that it’s “really important” that the 200,000+ UK nationals in Spain with a green residency certificate exchange it for a TIE card “as soon as possible” to avoid issues with the EU’s new Entry-Exit System. 

READ ALSO – ‘Get the TIE now’: Brits in Spain urged to exchange residency document

The problem is that the exchange has never been made compulsory, only strongly encouraged and around half of British residents in Spain still haven’t gotten their TIE after Brexit.

In reaction to the announcement by the British Embassy, numerous British residents in Spain commented how hard it is get an appointment at their local police station or extranjería (foreign affairs) office.

Could the difficulty in getting an appointment be one of the reasons to blame for this?

So why are these cita previas so coveted and why are they so difficult to get?

Unfortunately, it’s not just a question of simple Spanish bureaucracy. There’s something slightly more sinister going on here. The fact of the matter is that if you go to certain relocation companies, firms and agencies they can get you an appointment straightaway – if you pay for it.

A year ago in May 2023, Spain arrested 69 people for blocking appointments at immigration offices. They were accused of booking up all the available appointments via a computer bot to later sell to foreigners to make a profit, despite the fact that this process should be free.

Arrests were carried out in Madrid, Albacete, Alicante, Almería, Badajoz, Barcelona, ​​Vizcaya, Burgos, Cádiz, Córdoba, the Balearic Islands, Marbella, Murcia, Tarragona, Tenerife, Toledo and Valencia, which gives us an idea of how widespread the illegal practice is.

Although Spanish police managed to dismantle this particular ring of criminals, it did not solve the problem.

Just seven months later in December 2023, ONG Movimiento Por la Paz (MPDL) confirmed to Levante news in Valencia that the ministry’s network had been hacked for two years and that it was unfair to foreigners who were being discriminated against because of it. 

They also claimed that the police and foreign ministry knew about the problem and still let it happen. 

Vincente Marín, CEO and lawyer for Parainmigrantes website aimed at foreign residents and those wanting Spanish nationality, confirmed this in a video he posted on the site.

He explained that bots hack into the system and that whenever appointments become available, they can book them up in seconds and then sell them on the black market for between €100 and €200, admitting it was a big problem for his firm too.

The initial screen of the appointment page (cita previa) on Spain’s extranjería website, and where many foreigners find it impossible to book residency official processes.

Fast forward to February 2024 and a group of lawyers and gestores from Castellón and Valencia denounced the system, saying that it was “controlled by criminal mafias”. They also cited the problem of bots hacking the system and complained that some of their clients still hadn’t been able to get appointments in five or six months.

In May of this year, the issue is still ongoing. Balearic news site Ultima Hora reported several readers who had been trying to get appointments for months in Mallorca and had been unsuccessful.

One has to get an appointment before her residency card runs out in June and was even considering paying an agency who were asking for €200 to help her get one.

Wherever there’s a sizable population of foreigners, from Barcelona to Valencia, the extranjería website has generally been ‘hacked by bots’.

In order to improve the situation more national police have been called in to work at the Immigration Office in Orihuela (Alicante) because of the number of foreigners living in the area. The police there have confirmed that they have allocated more resources for the issuance of documents too, to try and speed up processes. 

If you’re trying for an appointment the best option is to aim to not pay for one if you can help it, as you’re only fuelling the problem.

Reputable law firms may still be able to help you get one by dedicating more resources to applying for them manually, but you shouldn’t have to pay over the odds for what should be a free service. 

Here are our tips on how to get a cita previa when it seems impossible. 

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