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BREXIT

BREXIT: Where can Brits in Spain get help with residency applications?

As the end of the transition periods nears, it is more important that ever to secure your rights and register legally as a Briton living in Spain. But if you're worried about the process, there is help at hand.

Published: 22 October 2020 09:30 CEST
BREXIT: Where can Brits in Spain get help with residency applications?
Photo: AFP

New residency card process

On July 6th, UK citizens registering as residents in Spain started to be issued with the highly anticipated TIE residence cards.

A TIE is a “Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero”, an identity card for foreigners which is issued to non-EU residents in Spain.

Although the document may be a reminder for Britons in Spain that they will soon cease to be EU citizens, the TIE also acts as a guarantee that they will hold on to the same rights relating to residency, free movement and social security in the country they've made their home.

These rights will be guaranteed for their family members, even those from non-EU countries, as long as they are already registered or do so before December 31st 2020.

READ MORE – Q&A: What Brits in Spain need to know about the new Brexit-friendly residency card

Difficulties reported

It has  become increasingly difficult to secure an appointment at the extranjeria or foreigners office to begin the process to formalise residency.

There is also a certain amount of confusion around whether or it is best to swap your green resident certificates for the new TIE.

But here's a reminder that for UK citizens who have registered as residents in Spain and are already in possession of a green A4 residency certificate or a small green residency card, the TIE card is optional.

READ ALSO: 

Photo: AFP

 

The Local

We have created a series of articles around the issue of residency in Spain and we are also happy to answer questions from our members on specific topics.

Q&A: What Brits in Spain need to know about the new Brexit-friendly residency card

If we don't already know the answer then we will do our best to find out.

You can also find a lot more detail on residency, healthcare, travel and pensions in our Preparing for Brexit section.

UK-funded organisations

The British government has provided funding to three organisations in Spain to offer help and support Brits with the process. If you don't have internet access or don't feel confident completing the form online they can even do it for you if you don't have friends or family who would be able to help.

If you or someone you know may have difficulty completing the paperwork, you can contact them using the details below to discuss how they may be able to help you.

These organisations are:

IOM – The International Organisation for Migration (Andalusia, Madrid and Murcia). You can visit the IOM Spain website here, email them at [email protected] or call one of their helplines:  Andalusia: +34 650 339 754, Madrid: +34 699 581 855, Murcia: +34 648 642 543, all available Mon to Thurs, 3.30pm to 5pm

If you are in Valencia you can seek help from Babelia by visiting their website here emailing [email protected] or on the helpline: +34 865 820 229 available Mon to Fri, 9am to 2pm

Age in Spain are helping those in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Visit the Age in Spain website hereor email: [email protected], fill out the contact form hereor call the helpline: +34 932 20 97 41 available Mon to Fri, 11am to 1pm

Additionally if you’d rather see someone in person then Age in Catalonia is running three pop up events at A Taste of Home shops in Barcelona, Sitges and Cubelles at the end of October and into November. 

Are you a UK National that needs help getting residency in Spain sorted out? Age in Spain can help! We will be at A…

Posted by A Taste of Home – The English Supermarket on Monday, 19 October 2020

British Embassy

The British Embassy has also been running information and support campaigns for British people living in Spain. Due to the coronavirus situation the Embassy's roadshows have had to cease, but they are still doing live Q&A sessions via their Facebook page and remain available for help.

The Embassy can also take up cases if anyone has been turned down for residency and needs help in appealing. 

Gestors

If you really can't face the process and just want someone else to do it for you then many gestors offer residency card/visa services and are often able to secure appointments when it’s seemingly impossible for everyone else.

Be warned however, you will have to pay extra for their help and will still have to find all the relevant paperwork yourself so that the agent can make the application on your behalf. 

READ MORE:  What does a 'gestor' do in Spain and why you'll need one

More information:

  • Spain's government has a dedicated Brexit page for UK nationals HERE
  • Check out the UK Foreign Office latest advice on Living In Spain HERE 
  • Follow the British Embassy Facebook page for updates as well as Live Q&A sessions HERE
  • Check our Brexit section for all the latest news and updates: HERE

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BREXIT

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

The British Embassy in Madrid says 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. 

Published: 13 May 2024 17:00 CEST
'Get the TIE now': Brits in Spain urged to exchange residency document

British authorities in Spain have urged thousands of Brits in Spain who have held onto their old green Spanish residency certificates since Brexit “to follow suit and get a TIE as soon as possible, ahead of the introduction of the EU’s new Entry Exit System (EES), expected in autumn this year”.

“It’s really important that any British person who lives in Spain gets the TIE – not only because it is the most durable and dependable way to prove your rights in Spain, but also to avoid disruption at the border when the EU’s Entry Exit Scheme comes into force,” outgoing British Ambassador Hugh Elliott said in the statement to the press.  

“We are working with the Spanish Government and the EU to prepare for the implementation of this new scheme and we have requested that more TIE appointments are made available.”

READ MORE: How Brits in Spain can exchange their green residency document for a TIE in 2024

The green certificate – issued in either card or A4 sheet size – is the residency document of EU nationals and is officially called Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión. They do not contain a photo, nor do they have an expiry date, and they’re sometimes wrongly called NIEs. 

Example of a smaller green residency certificate, which used to be issued to UK nationals residing in Spain before Brexit took place.

The British Embassy has encouraged Brits with these green certificates to exchange them since the Spanish government began issuing Withdrawal Agreement TIEs to Brits in July 2020.

However, the exchange has never been made compulsory, just strongly encouraged.

The TIE, which stands for Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, is the biometric residence card that non-EU residents in Spain get, so this corresponds to the new status of UK nationals. 

A 2023 study by Spain’s Immigration Observatory revealed that more than half of UK nationals living in Spain last year hadn’t exchanged their green residency documents for TIEs following Brexit. 

This amounted to 211,274 UK nationals residing in Spain who preferred to keep their green certificates rather than follow the advice of British authorities.

However in their latest announcement, the British Embassy says “most British people living in Spain already have the TIE, having abandoned the formerly issued paper Green Certificate following Brexit”.  

The justification for encouraging the exchange up to now has been mainly to avoid problems with border and airport officials, as there have been some British travellers whose green certificates were not recognised as valid residency documents and weren’t allowed to board their flights.

“The biometric TIE proves that the holder is a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary with the right to reside and work in Spain,” the embassy writes. 

So what’s changed now to increase the urgency of British authorities? 

The EU’s new Entry Exit system, which has been marred with problems and delays since its announcement.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Spain and the EU’s new Entry Exit System

“The EES will require all non-EU short stay travellers to register via an automated system at the border. They will need to provide their name, passport details, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit upon entering Spain,” wrote the British Embassy in Madrid on Monday. 

“This will replace the current passport stamping at the border. These details will be held on file for three years, meaning Britons making repeat visits to Spain within a three-year period will not have to go through the same registration process each time.  

“To be exempt from registering with the EES, British residents in the EU will need to show a valid uniform-format biometric card, which in Spain is the TIE.” 

In essence, as the EU’s travel system is going fully digital and biometric, the green certificates will no longer be accepted. 

As the UK Embassy writes: “The non-biometric Green Certificate, though a valid residency document in Spain, was issued prior to EU Exit and does not feature in the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement or in Annex 22 of the Schengen Border Guard Handbook. 

“Therefore, it is expected that Green Certificate holders may lose out on the chance to be exempt from registering. 

“As a result, they may encounter difficulties and delays at the border, especially when entering other EU countries where the Green Certificate may not be recognised.”

It’s important to note that the British Embassy has not stated that is now compulsory for Brits to exchange their green certificates for TIEs, but they are strongly advised to do so.

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