New study reveals over 200,000 UK Nationals in Spain haven’t exchanged residency documents

A recent investigation by the Department of Immigration has shed light on a concerning statistic: more than half of the British citizens residing in Spain have not completed the necessary paperwork to exchange their green residency documents for a TIE post-Brexit.

The study, conducted by Spain's immigration observatory, presents data spanning from July 2020 to June 2023, disclosing that only 159,604 UK nationals have successfully exchanged their previous residency documents for the TIE, a crucial card that secures their residency rights under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

This implies that a staggering 211,274 Brits in Spain, representing over half of the total British expatriate population, are yet to complete the exchange process.

According to the immigration observatory's data, as of December 31st, 2022, there were a total of 412,040 British nationals living in Spain. This marks an increase of 4,412 individuals compared to the previous year, representing a 1% rise. This figure also includes newcomers from the UK who do not possess the rights granted by the Withdrawal Agreement and must apply as non-EU candidates.

While UK nationals who legally resided in Spain before the Brexit deadline are within their rights to retain their old EU green residency certificate, both the UK and Spanish governments have strongly advised them to exchange it for the non-EU foreigner identity card, known as the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero).

The TIE card prominently guarantees UK nationals, who can provide evidence of their residency in Spain before Brexit, the same residency rights they held before the UK departed from the EU.

Remarkably, only 1% of UK nationals possessing an EU certificado de registro who have applied to exchange it for a TIE have had their applications either filed or rejected, amounting to a total of 828 individuals.

On the other hand, 15% of UK nationals in Spain who lacked a green certificate but applied for a TIE have had their applications either archived or denied, totalling 8,924 applicants. Nevertheless, a substantial majority of these applicants, 85%, have successfully acquired their TIE.

In their cases, substantiating their pre-Brexit residency status has entailed providing documents such as nominas, social security registrations, rental contracts, and padrón town hall registrations.

Notably, the data reveals that after an initial surge in exchanges during the second half of 2020 when the TIE was first made available to UK nationals, the number of Brits trading in their old residency certificates for TIE cards has substantially declined since then.

During the initial period (July to December 2020), a significant number of residency authorizations were granted to UK citizens without prior EU registration certificates, totalling 32,730. In December 2020 alone, 12,269 authorizations of this nature were issued, constituting 58% of the total authorizations granted in that month.

The report also provides intriguing demographic insights into the British expat population in Spain and their residency document exchanges. Among the 218,540 UK nationals who received a TIE between July 2020 and June 2023, people aged 65 and over accounted for 34% of the total, while those aged 50 to 64 constituted 30%.

The average age of UK nationals residing in Spain is 55 years old. 51% of TIE holders are men (110,930), and 49% (107,610) are women. However, in the 65 and over age group, 52% of TIE holders are men. Conversely, in the 18-34 age group, the majority of British TIE holders are women, comprising 52% of the total.

Remarkably, more than half (51%) of the Britons who have completed the residency document exchange are concentrated in just three Spanish provinces: Alicante (55,028 people; 25% of the total), Málaga (39,522 people; 18%), and the Balearic Islands (16,577 people; 8%).

While it technically remains optional to exchange your documents, both the UK and Spanish governments strongly recommend that UK nationals residing in Spain with the old green EU residency certificate complete the exchange process as soon as possible. This is not only because the TIE secures the rights of UK nationals abroad under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement but also because possessing a TIE can streamline numerous bureaucratic processes in Spain and mitigate potential travel complications when crossing Spanish borders.

The TIE also features a photograph, something absent from the old green EU certificate, and is considerably more durable, although it does require periodic renewal, unlike the green certificate, which does not have an expiry date.