Great Britain will be leaving the EU.
Great Britain will be leaving the EU in exactly 61 days from writing this, when new and stricter regulations for UK nationals living in Spain will take effect. This article includes some useful information on the legal requirements coming into force on 1st January 2021.
The first most important requirement relates to Registration on the Padrón (Empadronamiento) which is a list of all people who live in a certain town.
The UK Government Guidelines (www.gov.uk) state:
– If you live in Spain you MUST register on the Padrón – this is a legal requirement for people residing or intending to reside in Spain for more than 3 months.
– You must register at the address where you normally live.
– You cannot register on the Padrón at more than one address.
– You do not need to own a property to register. You must still register if you are renting or live with others.
In order to register on the Padrón you must make an appointment at the Town Hall (968.590.012) and bring the appropriate documents (NIE, Passport, recent proof of IBI payment, latest utility bill of water or electricity etc). If renting the property, the rental agreement should be taken as well. The assistance of an interpreter is essential if unable to communicate in Spanish.
Registration on the Padrón is not the same as registering as a resident in Spain, which is a separate National register called the ‘Registro Central de Extranjeros’ (Central register for Foreigners).
Registering as a Resident is, in fact, the second most important requirement.
The exact wording in the British Government website is:
‘You MUST register as a Spanish Resident if you want to stay in Spain for more than 3 months. Children must also be registered with their own Residency document’.
The information on the Spanish Government website reads as follows:
Residence documents (green card, A4 document, TIE cards) of a Union citizen obtained before the end of the transition period will serve to:
a) Prove legal residence in Spain after 31st December 2020,
b) Benefit from the Withdrawal Agreement.
Applications made after 31st December 2020 will meet a more expansive criteria and will only qualify as third-country Nationals. Therefore the general immigration (Non-EU regime) will apply.
This means that people who applied for Residencia since July 2020, will have been issued with the new TIE (Tarjeta Identificación Extranjero = Foreign Identity Card). Residents who have the A4 or card-type Residencia document do not need, at present, to apply for a TIE card.
British Nationals who have difficulty in registering their Residencia in Spain due to health problems, linguistic or technological barriers, or live in a remote area, or are homeless, may contact the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at Uknationalssp@iom.int or call 648 642 543
Finally, remember that it’s FLU-JAB time.
Don’t forget to make an appointment at YOUR MEDICAL CENTRE if you require a flu jab. People registered at the Camposol surgery MUST NOT go to Mazarrón for their flu jab. They must phone (968.131.695) and make an appointment with the receptionist to attend the surgery for their flu jab.
Silvana, your Councillor for Camposol and International Relations, is available to assist with information on silvanaeb@mazarron.es