The British Ambassador to Spain, Sir Alex Ellis, stressed to the Bulletin during an interview this morning the importance of British residents getting the TIE identification card ahead of April next year when all of the EU Schengen region will have the new biometric EES entry and exit scheme in operation.
For a short period, there will be alternative options at border controls but having a TIE card will make travelling in and out of Spain much easier and fluid while also preventing residents getting caught in the 90-day trap. And, on the topic of the 90-day rule, Sir Alex said that it is a matter for the European Union and that is highly unlikely that it would be scrapped.
However, he was keen to highlight the extremely close working relationship between the United Kingdom and Spain. The Ambassador said that the first official meeting between the Spanish and UK prime ministers in eight years last September in Downing Street was a landmark moment in relations between the two countries.
Ahead of a meeting with the President of the Balearics, Marga Prohens, he said it was a post-Brexit reset which enabled the two countries to plan and pave the way forward for a healthy and prosperous future together. Full interview will appear in next week’s Mallorca Bulletin.