Spain has confirmed to the British government that UK nationals legally residing in Spain before the start of this year, can again enter the country even if they didn’t have a Registro and don’t yet have a final TIE card. Spain gave a window between January 4th and 11th to enter for those who’d started the process of registration but had not yet received their final card, but now they have added documents that can be shown.
As of now, residents can enter Spain, including the Canary Islands, with any of the following documents to prove their residence status:
- TIE card.
- Registro.
- Receipt of application for the TIE (Resgaurdo de presentación de la solicitud de la tarjeta de residencia).
- Confirmation of acceptance of residence registration (Resolución favorable por la que se concede la tarjeta de residencia).
- Any other documents that give credible evidence of legal residence before 1st January 2021 such as an Empadronamiento, contract of employment, rental contract or Escritura.
- For students, documentation that shows enrolment in an on-site or residential course plus proof of accommodation.
However, this does NOT change the situation for non-residents or property owners; this is ONLY for legal residents. There is still currently a ban on non-residents entering the country from the UK in place until March 2nd by Spain, and a ban on non-essential travel by the UK Government, so a non-resident travelling and using an escritura or similiar to enter the country, is breaking the laws of both the UK and Spain. Many people may see this as a potential loophole to enter the country, but with passports now being stamped and digital documents, it is easily exposed and punishable with a minimum fine of 3,000 euros.
It is also important to remember that this is merely a change to the documentation required to prove residence, everything else remains the same when entering Spain as a resident, you still need a valid passport, negative Covid-19 test, either PCR, TMA or LAMP, and passenger locator form.
