You get the impression that Brexit is done and dusted but for thousands of British citizens in Spain there are still many unanswered questions. The rumour mill is working over-time at the moment and I have been told, by a number of reliable sources, that British citizens living in Spain will have to apply for permanent residence and our present green certificate residence paper will be changed to a residence card which will only be issued to British citizens. This all sounds very good to me but the question is; when will all this happen?
This year Britain is in limbo; nothing is really going to happen until January 1 2021. And then what? Will the Spanish government start issueing the new residence cards to the estimated 400,000 Britons living in Spain? It will obviously be quite an operation and extra staff will certainly be needed at the foreigner’s department. There are other questions which also remain unanswered.
Now, I am sure that Britain and Spain will sign a deal which will mean that the lives of British expats in Spain will not change greatly but some clarity would be nice. The Foreign Office has done at excellent job in Spain keeping British citizens informed but they obviously do not have a crystal ball. Prime Minister Boris Johnson must also remember that any legislation which is introduced in Britain could be followed by the Europeam Union which could hit expat Brits. Some clarity sooner rather than later is needed.