This guide is for UK citizens, permanently resident in Spain, either retired with healthcare provided by an S1, or non-workers with private healthcare, who wish to swap their green Residencia certificate (A4 paper or credit card size) to a TIE card within the province of Alicante.
Both the UK and Spanish government websites advise that it is not mandatory to make this swap. Your Residencia certificate continues to be valid after the Brexit transition period and is proof that you were resident in Spain before 31 December 2020, thereby protecting your rights under the conditions of the Withdrawal Agreement.
The procedure comprises 3 stages:
1. Make an online appointment (“cita previa”) for the Foreigners’ office in Alicante.
2. Attend your appointment in person at Alicante, with completed application form, supporting documentation, as detailed below, and proof of fee paid.
3. Collect your TIE card at a later date - you will be advised at your appointment how long it is currently taking for the cards to be available for collection.
Important: If your passport is close to expiry, it would be best to delay applying - you need to present a valid passport when you collect your TIE, so if you renew your passport between making the original application and collecting the TIE, it may cause a problem.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED:
1. Confirmation of your appointment, either electronic or printed out.
2. Completed EX-23 application form.
3. Residency certificate (green A4 or credit card size certificate)
4. Passport (+ 1 copy of the photo page and facing page of your passport in black/white, or colour)
5. One recent, colour photograph, size 32mm x 26mm.
6. Padrón (“Certificado de Empadronamiento”) - this is only required if you have changed your address, but some members have reported being asked for it, so if you can obtain an up to date one easily, it would be prudent to take it.
7. Proof of payment of €12 fee – receipted Modelo 790 Codigo 12.
1. Making an Appointment:
An appointment (“Cita Previa”) is mandatory – you cannot turn up at the office and hope to be admitted. If there are two or more of you applying, you need to make separate appointments for each person – when I made our appointments, they were both at the same time, which is possible if you request the second immediately after you’ve made the first. Ensure that the appointment is requested in the name of the applicant and take a copy of your appointment confirmation with you.
Follow this link to make a “Cita Previa”:
https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpco/index.html
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- From the SELECCIONAR drop-down list, “Provincias disponibles” (Provinces available), select ALICANTE, then Acceptar.
(NOTE: ignore the first drop-down menu, "Tramites Oficinas de Extranjeria" - Foreign Office Procedures)
EDIT: 8 May 2021 - Recent feedback from members confirms that it is now possible to make appointments at the foreigners' offices in Torrevieja, Elche and Benidorm - if these are available, slots will be listed, along with those available at Alicante.
EDIT: 11 June 2021 - I heard from a gestor friend yesterday that TIE appointments at Torrevieja, Elche and Benidorm have been suspended again, because there is spare capacity at Alicante. This means that, until advised otherwise advised, people applying online for an appointment will only be offered Alicante office as an option.
- From the “Tramites cuerpo Nactional de PolicÍa” (National Police Force Procedures) drop–down list, select POLICIA-EXP.TARJETA ASOCIADA AL ACUERDO DE RETIRADA CIUDADANOS BRITANICOS Y SUS FAMILIARES (BREXIT), then Acceptar.
- On the next screen, select “Entrar”.
- You can enter either your NIE number or Passport number; also enter your name and ensure that you enter it exactly as it appears on whichever of the documents you choose. If you enter your NIE number, do so without hyphens.
- Click on the box in the reCAPTCHA and click 'Aceptar'.
- On the next page click 'Solicitar Cita'.
NOTE: If the message, 'En este momento no hay citas disponibles' is displayed, this means there are no appointments available – there has been a shortage of appointments available, so just keep trying at different times of the day.
- Click in the blue box to see if more than one office is offered, and if so select the one you want, then click 'Siguiente'.
- In the next two boxes, enter your mobile phone number and your email address. These will be used to send you confirmation of the appointment. There has previously been a problem with confirmations being sent to Hotmail addresses, so use Gmail or alternative.
- In the field 'Motivo o tipo de solicitud de la cita', enter 'Solicitud Documento de residencia Artículo 50 TUE', then click on 'Siguiente'.
- You will then be offered the next available appointment dates and times. Click on the one you want, so that it turns red, then click on 'Siguiente'.
- In the pop-up box, click OK.
- Then you’ll receive an SMS to your mobile phone; enter the code number from the SMS into the 'VERIFICACIÓN DE SOLICITUD DE CITA' field.
- Put a tick in the box beside 'Estoy conforme...' and, if you want to receive email confirmation, tick the box beside 'Deseo recibir...'.
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- To finalise the appointment, click on 'CONFIRMAR'.
- Click on 'Imprimir' to save or print the appointment.
2. EX-23 application form:
This can either be completed online and printed, or downloaded and completed by hand (use black ink and CAPITAL letters). The form can be found here - the last one in the list:
http://extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es/es/ModelosSolicitudes/Mod_solicitudes2/index.html
How to complete form EX23:
Page 1
1. DATOS DEL SOLICITANTE (Applicants’ details):
- PASAPORTE – Your passport number
- NIE – Your NIE number
- 1er Apellido – Your surname
- 2o Apellido - Your second surname, if you have one; otherwise, leave blank
- NOMBRE – Your first name, plus middle name if you have one
- SEXO - H for Male, M for Female
- Fecha de nacimiento – Date of birth in the format 02/05/1963
- LUGAR – Place of birth
- PAIS - REINO UNIDO
- Nacionalidad - BRITISH
- Estado Civil (tick) Single/ Married/ Widowed /Divorced /Separated
- Nombre de Padre - Father's Name
- Nombre de Madre - Mother's Name (if not known put S/N)
- Domicilio en Espana - Street Name and Residencial if you have one
- No. - Street Number
- Piso - Flat or house number in residence
- Localidad – Name of the town in which you live
- C.P. - Postcode e.g. 03170
- Provincia - ALICANTE
- Telefono Movil – Mobile phone number
- E-Mail - Your email address
- Representante legal, en su caso - Only complete this if you are using someone to deal with the forms for you, e.g. lawyer, gestor, etc.
2. DATOS DEL REPRESENTANTE A EFECTOS DE PRESENTACION DE LA SOLICITUD - If you have a representative, they should complete these for you. Leave blank if doing it yourself.
3. DOMICILIO A EFECTOS DE NOTIFICACIONES – If you want to receive any notifications to your home address, enter it in this section - you’ve already completed the same information in section 1. above, so repeat the information here as required.
- Put a cross ‘X’ in the box, ‘Consiento que las comunicaciones…..’ to confirm that you agree to receive notifications by email.
Page 2
- Enter your first and last names at the top under Nombre y Apellido del Titular
- Section 4.1 - Select TARJETA INICIAL
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- Section 4.2 - Select RESIDENCIA CON CERTIFICADO DE REGISTRO DE CIUDADANO DE LA UNION.
- Do NOT select the ‘NO CONSIENTO…..’ box (by leaving this box empty, you are authorising the consultation and verification of your supporting documents, as per page 3. below)
(Page 3 - DELETED - as of 15 January 2021, it is no longer required to include a list of supporting documents)
Finally,
complete the place (Alicante) and date fields, then sign in the box,
‘FIRMA DEL SOLICITANTE’.
3. Proof of payment:
Follow this link to the payment form Modelo 790 Código 012:
https://sede.policia.gob.es:38089/Tasa790_012/ImpresoRellenar
Then complete the fields as follows:
- NIF/NIE - enter your NIE number.
- Apellidos y nombre o razón social - enter your surname, then your first name(s)
- Tipo de vía – enter the type of road on which you live, e.g. Calle, Camino, Avenida, etc.
- Nombre de la vía pública – enter your road name
- Núm. – enter your house number or apartment block number
- Piso – if you live in a flat, enter your flat number in this field
- Teléfono – enter your telephone number
- Municipio - enter the name of the town where you live
- Provincia - enter the name of the province where you live
- Código Postal - enter your 5-digit post code
- In the section “Autoliquidacion”, under the heading,Tarjetas de identidad de extranjeros (TIE) y certificados de registro de residentes comunitarios' click in the box to the right of “Certificado de registro de residente comunitario…”
- The amount of the fee (€12.00) autofills into the field “Ingreso” at the bottom of the form.
- Localidad - enter the name of your home town
- Forma de pago - you can pay either by cash or from your bank account – I opted for cash (En efectivo), as it seemed the simplest way of doing it. (If you want to pay from your bank account, select E.C. Adeudo en cuenta and enter your full IBAN number in the field: 'Código IBAN de la cuenta. However, please note that whichever option you choose, you have to obtain a bank receipt from the bank where you pay cash, or from your own bank if you pay from your account.)
Once complete, add the characters shown into the CAPTCHA field, then click on 'Descargar impreso rellenado', which will launch a PDF of your completed form. If you want to save a copy, right-click on it; alternatively, you can just print a copy.
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The completed form prints in triplicate - you need to sign all 3 pages in the box at the foot of each page, marked “Firma”. Take the forms to your bank (with your payment as necessary). The bank will receipt the pages and give you the top 2 copies, retaining the third copy for themselves.
This is proof that you’ve paid the required fee and it needs to be included with the documentation you take to your appointment at the Foreigners’ office.
ATTENDING YOUR APPOINTMENT
I booked appointments for 9am and when we arrived, there was plenty of roadside parking at the Foreigners’ office:
Oficina de Extranjeria, Calle Ebanisteria 4-6, Alicante 03071
We were at the front of the queue and noticed a sign in Spanish saying if you have a Cita (appointment) you can enter the building 15 mins before your appointment. At 8.45am a policeman opened the office and ushered us in. As soon as you go in through the door, there’s a conveyer scanner for baggage and a body scanner you walk through, very much like the ones at airports. Once through the scanner, you turn immediately left and mounted on the wall in front of you, you’ll see a hand sanitiser dispenser. From there, head to the far left of the foyer where the ticket machine is located near the corner. On the screen, the top box displayed says, “Cita Previa”, press the box below it and enter your NIE number when prompted, the machine will then display confirmation of your appointment time and prompt you to confirm; it will then print out a ticket for you to take. Turn around and through a set of double doors you’ll see a large waiting room with green chairs: head to the back of that room and take a (socially distanced!) seat. There’s a TV screen at the top of the opposite wall – look out for your ticket number appearing, alongside the desk (“mesa”) number you need to go to. When your number appears, follow the arrows on the floor through the right hand door into “Sala 3”.
Each staff member is sat at a numbered desk with a perspex screen and an open slot at the bottom. There is a chair in front of the desk at which you sit – the required distance of the chair from the desk is marked with tape on the floor, so don’t be tempted to pull the chair closer to the desk. It can be hard to hear what is being said, so I simply past all my documentation through the slot and the attendant sifted through it, separating what he needed.
My photo was attached to a template card, which I was asked to sign.
Then my fingerprints were taken on an electronic scanner mounted on the front of the desk. Scans are taken of both left and right index fingers – follow the instructions given to you by the staff member.
Your passport is then returned to you, along with a “resguardo” (receipt). A slip of paper was stapled to the top of my receipt, detailing the location from where to collect my TIE - I was advised I could do this in 3 weeks’ time and no appointment is needed (note: the current wait time is around 7 weeks). Also on your receipt is a “Lote” number – if you have to travel a long distance, you may prefer to check that your TIE is available before you go to the office.
COLLECTING YOUR TIE
After you've
waited the advised time at your initial EX-23 appointment,
you can then go and collect your TIE. If
you want to check first whether your card is ready, you can call (00 34) 965 125 531.
In Alicante province, you go to a different police station to collect your TIE (it’s about 2km from the first office you went to) and there’s a large car park alongside it:
Calle Campo de Mirra 6
The office is open from 9.00 - 14.00, Monday to Friday, and an appointment isn’t needed. Take your green Residency certificate, passport and resguardo (receipt).
When you're almost there, you’ll see Aldi on the right, move to the right-hand lane and immediately after Aldi, turn right into the car park; if you miss that entrance, then turn right immediately afterwards and look for the sign to the main car park entrance. It’s worth noting that this car park is used for the market on Thursdays, so it’s probably easier to go on a different day. Drive to the bottom right of the car park, where the Extranjería building is located.
Walk out from the car park onto the pavement alongside the main road and turn right. Walk down the slope for a few metres, where you’ll find a pedestrian gate on the right, in front of the building. We arrived at 8.40am and there was already a queue at this gate, so we just joined the end of it.
At 9am, a police officer opened the gate and set out barriers to control admission. Show your ‘resguardo’ and you’ll be directed to join one of two queues; then you’ll be allowed into through the gate, a couple at a time.
The entrance to the collection office is at the bottom left of the covered terrace, to the left of the security scanner, which you don't go through (it’s for the people in the other queue).
As one person comes out, another goes in. At the back of the little room there are two tables where you sit in front of the available staff member issuing the TIEs. Hand over your ‘resguardo’ and passport; you will then be asked to scan your fingerprints again, in order to check your identity, and will then be given your TIE.
There are a couple of things you need to be aware of when checking your TIE:
- At the bottom on the front of your TIE, it should say RESIDENCE PERMIT - TITRE DE SEJOUR (a batch of cards were incorrectly produced with the description ‘family member’ – people who received them are waiting to be advised how this will be corrected, although the Spanish authorities have said they are still valid).
- Form EX-23 uses the codes M (Mujer) for female and H (Hombre) for male. The TIE card uses the codes F (Feminina) and M (Masculino).
It's a simple procedure, you don’t need an interpreter and we were in and out in about 5 minutes.
For people swapping their temporary Residencia, i.e. held for less than 5 years, your first TIE will be valid for 5 years and states on it that it is temporary. If you’ve had Residencia for 5 years or more, your TIE will say that it’s permanent and is valid for 10 years. If you receive a temporary TIE and achieve 5 years’ permanent residency before it expires, you can, if you wish, change it for a permanent TIE as soon as you’ve been permanently resident for 5 years.
Please note:
This guide is based on my own experience of making the swap. The experiences of others may vary, but the process should be consistent. Since applying, there has been a change to the website for making a “Cita Previa” (appointment) and I have included that change in this guide. Last but not least, I’d like to acknowledge and thank other members who provided specific information and feedback, in order for me to complete this guide: Lancelot, Cfell63, Helen48, Peter3473 and Longjob. If members using this guide become aware of further changes to the system, I’d be grateful if you could let me know, so that I can make any updates necessary - along with any other feedback of your own experience. Good luck!
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