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| Spanish Foreign Ministry in Madrid |
The Foreign Ministry officials took note of our queries and said that they would get back to us with specific answers. The Spanish Government is currently working on a detailed guide for Britons in Spanish and English and has proposed that an inter-ministerial committee should be set up to coordinate the implementation of registration. On the issue of previously unregistered Britons, they stressed the importance of getting an appointment to apply for residence before the end of this year, as this would help citizens establish their right to be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement.
The Ministry officials also stressed that, while everyone who is already registered has had the right as from 6 July to apply for the new TIE (third-country-national ID card), their current documents confirming residence (green cards, A4 sheets, etc.) will remain valid. Thus everyone is free to decide when to apply and there will be no imminent deadline requiring an immediate application. We mentioned the need, in these circumstances, for the Spanish authorities to ensure that other EU Member States also were aware of this.
The Spanish Ministry and EuroCitizens agreed on the importance of proactive communication, both to British citizens and relevant Spanish authorities and administrative bodies, as a key factor of smooth implementation. EuroCitizens will inform the Spanish administration of further doubts or issues and both sides agreed on the need to maintain the current dialogue on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, in the same way as was done for the no-deal preparations throughout 2019.
Our next meeting to discuss these issues will be held in September or October.
