The TIE card is going to make life much easier for British expats, especially travel.

The TIE card is going to make life much easier for British expats, especially travel. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

Humphrey CarterPalma28/05/2024 10:10
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Earlier this month during his visit to Mallorca, the British Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, urged all British people who live in Spain and are still in possession of a Green Certificate to apply for the TIE, or “Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero,” if they haven’t done so already. Not only is the TIE card the most durable and dependable way to prove your rights in Spain, but it will also avoid disruption at the border when the EU’s Entry Exit Scheme comes into force.

According to the FCO’s advice: “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.”

If you have been living in Spain legally since before 1 January 2021, you and your family members have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. You must ensure you are correctly registered as a resident. Your children must also be registered with their own residency documents.

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If you registered as a resident before 6 July 2020, you will have a green A4 certificate or credit card-sized piece of paper from Extranjeria or the Police called a ‘Green Certificate’. Whilst this remains a valid residency document, the British Embassy in Spain and the Spanish Government strongly recommend that you register for a ‘Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE)’.

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.

If you were living in Spain prior to 1st January 2021 but you don’t have any residency documents and are registering for the first time, you will be asked to submit evidence to prove that you complied with the residency criteria at the time (e.g. you were registered on the municipal registry (padron municipal). If your application is successful, you will be issued with a biometric residence card called a ‘Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE).’
This card has ‘Articulo 50 TUE’ printed on it which shows that you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.