Can I get Spanish residency after Brexit? How to do it step by step
After Brexit, a lot of people who were already living in Spain or planning to live here started to worry about their residency conditions. Is it still possible to get Spanish residency after Brexit? How is the process?
In this post that we have written from BMI Spain, we will tell you the step by step of the process so you can obtain your Spanish residency after Brexit without a problem.
Also, in BMI Spain we work to offer you the best services so you can travel or live safely thanks to our insurance programs like the home insurance in Spain and the health insurance in Spain that we have for you. If you want to know more about these services, you can see all the details on our website.
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Are you ready to discover how to get Spanish residency after Brexit and all the possibilities that the UK citizens have now to do it? Keep reading to find all the answers!
Background: Brexit and the Withdrawal Agreement
Brexit is the name of the process related to the United Kingdom exiting the European Union. This fact involves the implementation of new laws, and specially, negotiations and treatments between the European Union countries and the United Kingdom.
The exit agreement has been ratified by both the UK and the EU and it changes some conditions for the British people who want to live in Spain: from January 2021 onwards, they are regarded as non-EU citizens also for any kind of immigration procedure in Spain.
However, there is still the possibility of obtaining the residency card easily as a EU citizen if you meet certain requirements to do it.
Once we have explained what Brexit is, it is important to say that there are two different situations for British citizens living in Spain: people who were legally resident in Spain before January 1st of 2021 and those who were not yet or didn’t start the process.
People who were legally resident before January 1st 2021
If you were legally resident in the country before that date, you will be able to stay in Spain and you must ensure you are correctly registered as a resident.
If you registered as a resident before July 6 of 2020, you will have a green A4 certificate or credit card-sized piece of paper that is still a valid document and proves your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement instead of the TIE.
You can exchange your paper EU residence document for the new TIE but you are not required to.
However, the Spanish government recommends obtaining the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), which is a biometric card that is more durable and simplifies administrative processes and border crossings. The TIE also exempts you from European Travel Information and Authorisation Systems (ETIAS) and visa requirements.
People who were not legally resident before January 1st 2021
In case that you were already in Spain during 2020 and you can prove it, you can obtain your residence in Spain after Brexit easily by following the usual EU route thanks to the Withdrawal Agreement.
In that case you only need to prepare the documentation and submit it online or in person.
The documents that you can submit in person or online to get your Spanish residency after Brexit as if you were still a European Union citizen are:
- Application form
- Valid passport and copy of it.
- A document that proves your entry into Spain in the last 3 months like, for example, a copy of your flight ticket.
- Certificate of registration (empadronamiento).
- A contract or a current bank account with sufficient balance to demonstrate sufficient economic means.
In case you start the process from 0 in 2021, you will have to do the non-EU usual path, which means applying for a regular permit in the same way an American or Canadian citizen, for example, would do.
The process in that case is harder and it takes longer, so there are certain residence permits that make everything much faster and you may find interesting to consider:
- Non-lucrative visa: This kind of visa only requires the possession of sufficient economic means and a private health insurance.
- The investor’s visa: This visa is perfect for you if you want to make an investment in real estate to obtain residency.
- The student visa: This visa allows you to modify your situation afterwards to a work permit so it is an easy and common way to enter the country, especially for young people.
Steps to get Spanish residency in Spain after Brexit
If you want to get the TIE card in Spain after Brexit you need to follow the next steps:
- Step 1: Submit your application for Spanish Residency to the immigration office in the country where you live.
- Step 2: When your application is approved, you can book and attend an appointment at a police station in your province or territory. You will need to show all the required documents and paperwork to ask for your TIE card.
- Step 3: Once your TIE card is ready, you can collect it.
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We hope you have answered all of your questions while reading this post about getting Spanish residency after Brexit.
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