ARCHIVED - Brits in Spain should apply for TIE cards NOW as appointments are plentiful

This is the ideal time to apply for an appointment as many of those applying for residency are unable to enter Spain at the moment

There are few positives to the coronavirus pandemic, but Brits living in Spain who want to change their green residency certificate over for a new TIE residency card should take advantage of the fact that the current travel restrictions are preventing many of those who are currently engaged in applying for Spanish residency to actually physically come to Spain at the moment.

The result of this situation is that appointments at extranjerías are actually plentiful, a surreal situation given the lack of availability during the latter months of last year when the backlog caused by the sheer volume of residency applications made it very difficult to even get an appointment.

Last year British nationals who have residency in Spain were requested to not initiate the process of applying for their new TIE cards in order to free up appointments for those trying to obtain residency, but at the moment there is a window of opportunity for those actually living here at the moment who simply want to exchange their certificates for a card.

We ourselves decided to undertake this process and opted to try out the services of a professional company to assess how easy the process would be for non-Spanish speakers and chose Costa Cálida Paperwork Services, who are based on the Camposol Urbanisation in the Mazarrón municipality, a fully legal company specialising in assisting foreign nationals with their paperwork.

The whole process cost just 20 euros a head, for which CCPS book the appointment with the Extranjería, fill in the application form so that the applicant only has to sign the completed form, send a map and a list of all of the documentation which must be taken along to the appointment, as well as booking the follow-up appointment to collect the card 2 months later. Everything was done by email apart from the actual appointment at the Extranjería.

There is an additional 12 euros processing fee for the card applied by the Spanish government which must be paid at a bank once the documentation has been completed; go to the bank, pay the money and obtain a stamp on the document whcih must be taken to the appointment as proof of payment.

The whole procedure was incredibly staraightforward and hassle-free and to our complete astonishment, we were offered a choice of appointments for the following week!

Now is the time to book appointments we are told, as there are plenty available!!!

It was easy to find the Extranjería, which is just outside of Murcia city on the road to Molina de Segura by the University, there was parking right outside the building, the whole process was quick, easy, efficient and stress free and all support was offered in English; even the lady processing the application gave instructions in English.

If you want to change your certificate for a card, do so now, as there are plenty of appointments available, and if you are stressed by Spanish paperwork, as we ourselves always are, then use the services offered by professionals such as the team at Costa Cálida Paperwork Services, who made it a totally stress-free operation for very little money.

Click for link to Costa Cálida Paperwork Services

NB: Please note. Information is changing constantly. Last year we were told changing to this card would be mandatory for anyone with a green residency certificate, now we are being told that the green certificate remains valid, but it is highly recommended that we change it for a TIE.

See the official Spanish Govt. website link here in English.

As anyone who lives here knows all too well, we are frequently asked for NIE numbers and these certificates when undertaking any type of paperwork process and in Spain it is normal for all residents to carry an ID card which can be produced if requested by the police etc. It is therefore HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that residents apply for this card even if simply for the fact that it is easy to carry around rather than taking our green certificates everywhere!. Please note, this article is NOT an advertisement; we paid for the services of the company we have linked to above in the same way as everybody else and simply felt that this information may be of use to other people, as personally, we find the whole topic of paperwork extremely stressful and want to always make sure that we comply with the laws.