From Tiekom we would like to help as far as possible expats or foreigners living in Spain, in this case, we believe that Brexit represents some important changes for the largest group of expats living in our country. For this reason, we have collected some information that may help you if you are thinking of applying for residence in Spain.
In the last quarter of 2020, Spain created a special residency for British nationals in Spain.
This is called a TIE (Tarjeta Identificación Extranjero), and you can get it from the Extranjeria or Foreigner’s Office.
But you must make an appointment first before going there. You can book your “cita” at Extranjeria website
Requirements
Identification and proof of address (valid passport and certificate of Census (empadronamiento)
Healthcare
S1 letter if retired or in receipt of exportable UK benefits, or private medical insurance. As well as proof of social security payments for employed or self-employed.
British need to prove that they have valid health insurance to process residence in Spain. If you are looking for the most complete health coverage policy that allows you to be covered, contact us here and from Tiekom we will recommend the best one with a very competitive price.
Proof of income – submit any of the following.
- Contract of employment
- 3 months payslips
- 6 months UK bank statement
- 6 months Spanish bank statement
- Pension P60 or letter
- Contract for rental property
- Average balance certificate from the last 6 months
Dependent Applicants – Birth certificate or marriage certificate
Official translation of documents that are not in Spanish must be provided.
The officer shall tell you the Expedient number on which you can use it to check the status of your application in the Extranjeria portal.
Once you have received an approval, you must proceed with the following steps:
- EX23 application form.
- First stage approval notice or copy of the approval status.
- Passport and copy.
- Small passport size photo (carnet size) 32mm x 28mm.
- Modelo 790 form with 12 Euros payment (you can pay at any bank)
After submitting all of these documents, you will then do the biometrics/fingerprinting and you will need to wait for 40 days (more or less) to pick-up your new card.
As for driver’s license
First of all, you can only exchange the British driver’s license to Spanish if you have your license valid before 30 December 2020.
You will need to make an appointment at the local DGT office through this DGT website
And prepare the following:
- TIE or Foreigner’s Identity card, or
- Resolution of the approval of temporary or permanent resident request by the Extranjeria or Foreign’s Office
- Receipt of application or renewal of TIE (Foreigner’s card)
- Valid British driver’s license.
Soon enough, changing the license online will be available through the DGT website.
UK bank accounts
We are aware that some UK nationals who hold UK-based bank accounts, but are resident in the EU, have received letters from their UK bank, informing them that these accounts are to be closed.
Most people living in Europe should not see any change to their banking at the end of the transition period (31 December 2020). Whether UK banks can service EEA-based customers is a matter of local law and regulation. Also, banks are set up differently and may have taken different actions to continue to serve their customers. Your bank or finance provider should contact you if they need to make any changes to your product or the way they provide it. If you have any concerns about whether you might be affected, contact your provider, or seek independent financial advice.
Meanwhile, please be assured that your UK state pension can be paid into your Spanish bank account.
Passports
From 1 January, passport validity rules are changing for travel to European countries. You’ll need to have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland).If you renewed your passport early last time, any extra months added to the normal 10-year validity will not count towards meeting this requirement, so we encourage everyone to doublecheck their passport validity online now at: gov.uk/checkpassport
