Despite the best efforts of the Spanish authorities there are still significant waiting times for the TIE residence cards needed by Britons to live legally in Spain since Brexit. High demand, staffing shortages, and automated bots have been blamed. The Spanish government is in the process of overhauling the system for foreigner´s and their paperwork. Meanwhile, the wait goes on.
The delays are divided into two distinct parts: booking the initial fingerprint appointment and the physical manufacturing of the card itself.
Securing an appointment through the online portal is notoriously difficult due to high demand, staffing shortages, and automated bot, In major provinces like Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, waits for available slots can stretch from 8 to 14 weeks. In smaller cities or less-populated provinces, you may find appointments within 1 to 3 weeks. In the case of Mallorca it usually takes at least a month.
The Spanish authorities are aware of the delays and are trying to be helpful. If you miss the "apply within 30 days of arrival" rule because no appointments were available, you can simply book the earliest slot you can find.
If you need to travel outside Spain while your card is delayed, bring your fingerprint receipt (resguardo) to a local police station to apply for an autorización de regreso (return authorization) so you can re-enter the country without problem.