Brits in Spain urged to get key document or risk being ‘treated as overstayers’ | Europe | Travel

Brits in Spain are being urged once again to make sure they have a key document to avoid being “treated as overstayers”. The UK Embassy in Madrid took to social media to remind British residents in Spain to exchange their pre-Brexit documents for the latest certificate.

Before Brexit, Brits who resided in Spain used a green EU residency certificate. However, this has since been swapped for Tarjetas de Identidad de Extranjero (Foreign Identity Cards), better known as TIEs, as proof of residency. This will soon be the only documentation accepted by Spanish authorities for British nationals who hope to stay in the country for a prolonged period of time.

The British Embassy in Madrid said in a post on Facebook: “Only those with a biometric TIE are exempt from the EES when entering Spain. If you only have the green certificate, it will not be accepted as proof of residency for EES purposes.”

The TIE documentation proves your legal status as a foreigner in Spain, giving you the same rights as before the UK left the EU. It is only needed if you have a visa that allows you to stay in the country for longer than six months.

You do not need the TIE card if you are just a tourist and not planning on staying for six months or more. The documentation is only necessary for non-EU citizens.

The old green certificate will soon not be recognised by the EU’s new Entry Exit System (EES). It’s expected to come into force later this year and will collect the travellers’ name, passport details and biometric data, including fingerprints and captured facial images. All of this information will be on the TIE card.

The embassy added: “To be exempt from registering with the EES, British residents in the EU will need to show a valid uniform-format biometric card.”

It continued: “You could be treated as a tourist at the border, subject to full EES checks and potentially accused of overstaying in the Schengen Zone.”

According to the latest data from Spain’s Immigration Observatory, 403,925 UK nationals were officially registered as living in Spain as of June 2024. However, only 217,408 of those have TIEs, suggesting many are yet to change their documentation correctly.

His Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain, Sir Alex Ellis previously said: “We want British residents in Spain to be able to travel smoothly into this country. That’s why it’s really important that anyone with a Green Certificate gets a TIE.

“It can take a few months, so start the process now to ensure smooth travel once the EES comes into force later this year.”