Spain updates documents Britons living in Spain need to enter under current restrictions
The Spanish Government has updated its list of documentation that UK nationals who were legally residing in Spain before January 1st 2021 can use to prove their residency status when entering Spain.
In a Facebook post titled *Documentation for UK nationals living in Spain before 1 January 2021 to enter Spain during current restrictions*, the British Embassy in Madrid wrote on Thursday May 13th:
“The Spanish Government has informed the UK Government that it has updated the list of documentation that UK nationals who were legally residing in Spain before 1 January 2021, and as such are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, can use to prove their residence status when entering Spain while entry restrictions remain in place.”
The document, signed and stamped by the Spanish Embassy in London, says that Britons who were legally living in Spain before the end of 2020 will be required to present any one of the following documents to prove your residence status:
- Residence card issued under Article 18.4 of the Withdrawal Agreement (the TIE) – ‘la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE)’
- Temporary or permanent EU residence certificate (green certificate) – ‘el certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión’ (tarjeta verde)
- Residence card as a family member of an EU citizen – ‘la tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión’
- Receipt of application to exchange an EU residence certificate (green certificate) or residence card as a family member of an EU citizen for the new TIE (residence card issued under Article 18.4 of the Withdrawal Agreement) – ‘el resguardo de expedición de la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE) o de la tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión’
- Confirmation of the positive outcome of your residence application from the Immigration Office – ‘la resolución favorable de reconocimiento como beneficiario del Acuerdo de Retirada emitida por la Oficina de Extranjería competente’
⚠️Important information for British citizens who wish to travel to Spain⚠️
Please, check the residence evidence accepted to enter Spain ⤵️@ukinspain @FCDOGovUK @FCDOtravelGovUK @MAECgob pic.twitter.com/ySeyQwYHSh
— Embassy of Spain UK (@EmbSpainUK) May 13, 2021
According to the British Embassy in Madrid, this list of documents has been communicated to airlines and other operators.
This should hopefully mean that airport staff and border police on both sides don’t turn Britons back when they have the accepted documents to prove residency, as has been the case on a number of occasions over the past months.
Equally, Britons who don’t have the right documentation to prove residency should not book flights to Spain for residency purposes under current restrictions.
As things stand, a rental contract, house deeds, a padrón certificate, utility bills and work contracts are not part of the agreed documentation.
However, there are other permitted reasons to enter Spain which the UK’s government website lists in detail here.
It’s worth noting that the British government recently decided to put all of Spain - including the Canary and the Balearic Islands - on its amber list for holiday travel from May 17th, meaning UK holidaymakers in Spain will have to quarantine for ten days upon return.
Spanish tourism authorities have since announced that from “around May 20th” Spain will welcome back UK holidaymakers and that they won’t need a PCR to enter the country either, although this has not yet been confirmed and is subject to EU negotiations relating to non-essential travel from third countries.
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In a Facebook post titled *Documentation for UK nationals living in Spain before 1 January 2021 to enter Spain during current restrictions*, the British Embassy in Madrid wrote on Thursday May 13th:
“The Spanish Government has informed the UK Government that it has updated the list of documentation that UK nationals who were legally residing in Spain before 1 January 2021, and as such are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, can use to prove their residence status when entering Spain while entry restrictions remain in place.”
The document, signed and stamped by the Spanish Embassy in London, says that Britons who were legally living in Spain before the end of 2020 will be required to present any one of the following documents to prove your residence status:
- Residence card issued under Article 18.4 of the Withdrawal Agreement (the TIE) – ‘la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE)’
- Temporary or permanent EU residence certificate (green certificate) – ‘el certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión’ (tarjeta verde)
- Residence card as a family member of an EU citizen – ‘la tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión’
- Receipt of application to exchange an EU residence certificate (green certificate) or residence card as a family member of an EU citizen for the new TIE (residence card issued under Article 18.4 of the Withdrawal Agreement) – ‘el resguardo de expedición de la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE) o de la tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión’
- Confirmation of the positive outcome of your residence application from the Immigration Office – ‘la resolución favorable de reconocimiento como beneficiario del Acuerdo de Retirada emitida por la Oficina de Extranjería competente’
⚠️Important information for British citizens who wish to travel to Spain⚠️
— Embassy of Spain UK (@EmbSpainUK) May 13, 2021
Please, check the residence evidence accepted to enter Spain ⤵️@ukinspain @FCDOGovUK @FCDOtravelGovUK @MAECgob pic.twitter.com/ySeyQwYHSh
According to the British Embassy in Madrid, this list of documents has been communicated to airlines and other operators.
This should hopefully mean that airport staff and border police on both sides don’t turn Britons back when they have the accepted documents to prove residency, as has been the case on a number of occasions over the past months.
Equally, Britons who don’t have the right documentation to prove residency should not book flights to Spain for residency purposes under current restrictions.
As things stand, a rental contract, house deeds, a padrón certificate, utility bills and work contracts are not part of the agreed documentation.
However, there are other permitted reasons to enter Spain which the UK’s government website lists in detail here.
It’s worth noting that the British government recently decided to put all of Spain - including the Canary and the Balearic Islands - on its amber list for holiday travel from May 17th, meaning UK holidaymakers in Spain will have to quarantine for ten days upon return.
Spanish tourism authorities have since announced that from “around May 20th” Spain will welcome back UK holidaymakers and that they won’t need a PCR to enter the country either, although this has not yet been confirmed and is subject to EU negotiations relating to non-essential travel from third countries.
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