British Ambassador & Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones Reassure UK Nationals in Spain

With under 10 days to go until the end of the Transition Period for the UK’s departure from the EU on 31st December 2020, the British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott and the Spanish Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones, Hana Jalloul have recorded a joint message reassuring UK Nationals living in Spain.

Hana Jalloul recognized that many British nationals have built their homes in Spain and underlined that the Spanish government views them as part of the Spanish family. She also emphasised that anyone who was legally living in Spain before 31 December 2020 will have their rights protected and recognized in Spain. 

 “I know that many of you have built your homes here and we want you to stay. You are part of the Spanish family. You are part of us. As I said in July, this is, and will always be, your home… my key message is, as long as you were legally living here before 31 December your rights will be protected, and recognised in Spain”.  

You can view the official video: here

The message provide reassurance and clarity regarding the new Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE) and the continuing validity of the green certificate and residency documents. More than 50,000 British Nationals have already applied for the new TIE card since its introduction in July 2020. 

 Speaking about the TIE, Secretaría de Estado highlighted the practical advantages of the new TIE card but clarified that “having the new TIE is not obligatory but it will make life easier here in Spain”. 

The Secretary of State also reminded people of the increased number of administrative staff to process applications.

For information on applying for a digital certificate, please see here.

Hugh Elliott stressed that the green residency certificate remains valid saying : “It’s important to be very clear – if you already have a green residency certificate this document remains valid proof of your residency and of your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. It is not obligatory to exchange it.  There is no hard deadline to exchange it either.”

He also announced that the Spanish Government will be issuing a downloadable document that clarifies the continued validity of the green residency document. 

The Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones has also published a comprehensive Q&A document (in both English and Spanish) to provide answers to the questions about  residency status and new procedures.  You can find the document here.