UK Foreign Office shares new travel advice for Brits resident in Spain

People who still hold on to an old 'Green Certificate' style paper residency document could face lengthy delays at airports this year

The Living in Spain page of the GOV.UK website has been updated to reflect new advice for British citizens resident in Spain with regards to crossing in and out of the European Union.

Specifically, the Foreign Office has new information for British residents in Spain on the introduction of the EU’s Entry Exit Scheme (EES) in Autumn 2024 and the documentation required to be exempt from registration.

As of this autumn, the EU will be rolling out its new Entry/Exit Scheme to electronically monitor who is passing across borders of countries in the European Union and the Schengen Area.

To do this, they are installing biometric scanners in all international ports and airports. The aim is to more accurately enforce visa rules, and eventually, as of 2025, to begin charging non-resident nationals of certain non-Schengen countries a visa waiver fee to enter Europe, which will be known as ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System).

The rules apply to people who are not residents in a country in the European Union. 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. 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.

British nationals and other non-EU citizens who have residency status in Spain will have to present “a biometric ID card” in order to pass into European territory without registering, according to the UK Foreign Office.

“Most British residents in Spain hold a TIE. It is a biometric ID card with ‘Articulo 50 TUE’ printed on it, which shows that you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. It is more durable and widely recognised across Spain and the EU than the Green Certificate. It also simplifies administrative processes and border crossings, because it is listed in the EU’s Schengen Border Guard Handbook, whilst the non-biometric Green Certificate is not.

“To be exempt from registering with the EU’s Entry Exit Scheme (due to start in Autumn 2024) British residents in the EU will be required to show a uniform-format biometric card which is listed as a residency document under the Withdrawal Agreement. For residents of Spain, that card is the TIE. It is expected that Green Certificate holders may face significant delays and difficulties at borders if they do not have a TIE. Contact the Spanish Government’s ‘Extranjeria’ offices for information on how to apply for the new TIE.”

Expanding on that theme, the British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliot, said, “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.

“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.”

So, while the Green Certificate is still a valid residency document, it is highly advisable, if you have not done so already, to exchange it for a TIE card.

Learn more about ETIAS visa requirements and who needs one to travel to Spain

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