The British Embassy in Spain is yet again urging British residents in the country – and specifically those in the Malaga and Alicante provinces – to exchange their paper Green Certificates for a TIE card (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) urgently.
This targeted push follows the publication of data from the Spanish Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations which states that Green Certificate ownership is most prevalent within these two provinces where large number of British Nationals reside.
It is expected that these individuals will face considerable difficulties when the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) comes into force in October this year. ALSO READ: EU’s Entry/Exit System will not recognise Spain’s green residency certificate.
Under this new border system, all non-EU passengers crossing into Spain or other EU countries will need to register their name, passport details and biometric data unless they can present a valid uniform-format biometric residency card. For British residents in Spain, only a TIE card will be accepted by Spanish and EU authorities. The Green Certificate will not be recognised because it does not meet the requirements to feature in Annex 22 of the Schengen Borders Code.
As a result, Green Certificate holders attempting to enter Spain or any other country in the Schengen zone may not have their residency rights recognised and may be wrongly accused of overstaying as a tourist in the EU. This could lead to them being denied entry and returned to the UK. Although there will be an appeals process, it may require the Green Certificate holder to return to the UK until it is resolved.
The British Embassy has said that with hundreds of thousands of British Nationals – residents and tourists – passing through Alicante and Malaga airports each year, ‘it is particularly imperative that anyone with a Green Certificate in those provinces exchanges it to a TIE as soon as possible, as the majority of residents have already done so’.
British Ambassador in Spain Alex Ellis said: ‘We have already seen an increase in Brits getting a TIE since our campaign began, which is fantastic news, and we’re grateful to the community groups, charities and British people who’ve helped spread the word.’
‘However, there remains a minority of British people still in possession of a Green Certificate so we want to reach them, explain why the TIE is so important and ensure they have one by October, in order to enjoy smooth travel into Spain and the Schengen area.’
ALSO READ: British Embassy: ‘Get the TIE now’ – ahead of EU’s Entry Exit System coming into force.
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