Looking ahead to the introduction of two new travel visas which will impact British visitors to the Balearics and the rest of Spain, the British Embassy in Madrid has issued the following statement to clear up any confusion, especially for British resident who still hold the old green certificate and have yet to apply for the new biometric TIE card.
The embassy states:
The registration certificate, often known as the “green certificate”, (either the A4 green certificate or the credit-card sized piece of paper issued by the Extranjería office or the National Police office) remains a valid proof of Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary status, and therefore proves the right to reside and work in Spain under Spain’s implementation of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.
As a result, this document exempts UK nationals from the upcoming Entry Exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and from any visa requirements and from the 90/180 day Schengen Area rule.
While both the UK and Spanish government do recommend UK nationals exchange their green certificate or card for the TIE, there is no legal obligation to do so in Spain. UK nationals with the green certificate or green card should not be treated differently, as their Withdrawal Agreement rights are unaffected by the type of documentation they hold.
The following links to the Spanish government websites provide confirmation of the validity of the green documents as valid proof of Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary status.
1. The relevant national legislation in Spain that states that UK Nationals who are Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries are not obliged to apply for further documentation to prove their Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary status and residency rights:
Disposición 7276 del BOE núm. 184 de 2020
2. Note published by the Spanish Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations which clarifies the documents that a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary may hold: 837f05d3-ab64-8251-578f-38cc0daa67b0 (seg-social.es)
3. Further details on the Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations website: Residents and workers in Spain – Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones (inclusion.gob.es) which states that the new residence document is not compulsory for those who already have registration certificates or family member cards of EU citizens, as these documents serve to prove legal residence in Spain once the transitional period ends, and to benefit from the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement.