Spain scraps residence cards for EU citizens

April 02, 2007

Expats’ main bureaucratic headache, the residence card procedure, has been scrapped in Spain.

Hundreds of thousands of EU residents in Spain will no longer have to queue up for hours to obtain or renew their ‘residencia’ cards thanks to Royal Decree.

The decree states that EU citizens who wish to live in Spain more than three months must personally register on the Registro Central de Extranjeros – a procedure that can be carried out at a National Police station.

Residents must present a valid passport or national identity card to sign on the register and a certificate will be issued on the spot indicating the person’s name, nationality, address, NIE number and registration date.

EU citizens in Spain who already have residence cards will not need to re-register until their residence card expires, upon which they will be issued with a certificate.

Despite the non-obligation of carrying a residence card, residents are advised to carry existing non-expired residence cards or a passport when approaching certain local administrations or purchasing items with credit cards – as formal ID should be requested. A press release on this subject from the British Embassy in Madrid recommends British citizens in Spain always carry with them some proof of identity.

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