The United Kingdom’s embassy in Madrid has issued a warning on Tuesday, April 22, on its official Facebook page, calling on all nationals living in Spain, to exchange their green card s for a TIE, as those who fail to do so, risk facing legal troubles once a new system starts operating at the EU borders at the end of the year.
The Embassy has further clarified that those without a TIE document will be treated like tourists when entering and leaving any of the EU countries, as a result of which, the period of their presence in the bloc could be potentially flagged as an overstay.
UK Nationals Complain of Insufficient Appointments for TIE Exchange
The Embassy’s statement has been followed by lots of criticism from UK nationals who say securing appointments to obtain or renew a TIE has become increasingly difficult.
Christine Markuss, a British resident in Spain, says the situation has become problematic since appointments are now necessary not only for those applying for a TIE for the first time, but also for those renewing them.
Whereas Facebook user Michael Soffe has criticised the Embassy for, allegedly, misinforming UK residents in Spain, by at first telling them a TIE was only needed for irregular residents.
She also noted that the price for a TIE application has gone up from around €12 to €25.
Despite bureaucratic hurdles, Spain remains a famous destination for British nations wishing to live in sunnier places, Statista reveals. In 2022, 313,975 UK passport holders were recorded living in the country, the highest number since 2013, when there were 316,362.
A large share of them are centered in the coastal region of Andalusia (92,180) and the region of Valencia (87,700).
