ONLINE APPLICATIONS TO REGISTER YOUR VOTE FOR THE SPANISH MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN MAY

 

Last month we provided information about voter registration for UK citizens in Spain for May's municipal elections. Here we look at how to make an online application after receiving your letter from the Oficina de Censo Electoral.

Steps to follow: 

1. Enter this website: https://sede.ine.gob.es

2. Place the cursor over the Trámites tab and a drop-down menu will appear.

3. Place the cursor over Trámites de Censo Electoral and a new drop-down menu will appear.

4. Inside the second drop-down menu, click on  Inscripción en el Censo Electoral de Extranjeros Residentes en España de ciudadanos nacionales de países con Acuerdos.

5. In the options show on the right-hand side of the page, click on Presentación de la solicitud.

6. In the options shown on the right-hand side, click on your preferred option (Access with your PIN if registered or simply with your NIF and the CTT code shown at the end of Point 1 in your letter).

7. Supply your PIN or NIF+CTT.

If you have not yet received a letter from the Oficina de Censo Electoral:

First: Follow steps 1-6 inclusive

Then:  Click on the link at the end of Si no posee certificado digital ni Cl@ve ni ha recibido la CTT, deberá descargar el impreso de solicitud y seguir sus instrucciones.  pulse aquí (found at the end of the first paragraph.)

A form will appear. Complete the form and follow the instructions.

Through the post

If you prefer not to apply online, you can also complete and sign the attached self-addressed form  and send it postage free by normal mail.

AN UPDATE ON REGISTERING TO VOTE IN NEXT MAY'S LOCAL ELECTIONS IN SPAIN

Here's an update on voting (or standing as a candidate) in Spanish local elections next May. 

The latest information is from the UK Embassy's Living In Spain page:

 

Local elections

You can vote and stand in local elections in Spain once you have been resident for 3 years. To do so, you must:

• be registered on the municipal register where you live (padrón municipal)
• confirm your registration on the electoral roll (censo electoral), within the dates set by the electoral authorities before each election

You cannot register on the electoral roll at other times. You must re-register on the electoral roll before each local election.

To stand as a local election candidate, read Spanish organic law 5/1985 (in Spanish) or consult with your local Oficina del Censo Electoral.

Voting and standing in the local elections in May 2023

If you wish to participate in the next local elections, check you are correctly registered on the municipal register (padrón).

The Electoral Census Office (Oficina del Censo Electoral) will write to UK nationals who, according to the relevant databases, have the right to vote. They are due to send these letters at the end of November 2022.

If you receive a letter, follow the instructions to complete your registration either by post or online. If you do not receive a letter but believe you meet the requirements to vote, contact your town hall. They can inform you of the local process to follow to register on the electoral roll.

To vote in the local elections in May 2023, you must register on the electoral roll between 1 December 2022 and 15 January 2023.

TRAVELLING TO OTHER EU COUNTRIES WITH YOUR "CERTIFICADO DE REGISTRO DE CIUDADANO DE LA UNIÓN EUROPEA (green A4 or card)

Here is some updated advice (10/11/22) on travelling to other countries in the European Union with your (still valid) "certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión Europea (green A4 or green card)

You will remember that while Spain, the UK and the EU all recommend swapping your Green registration certificate for the new TIE which identifies you as a beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement, this is not compulsory. The Green certificate remains in force for those who choose not to do so. Nevertheless, there have been some instances of British citizens not having their certificates recognised at the border of some EU states. We have approached the EU about this and have learned the following:

“…a specimen of the Spanish registration certificate of EU citizens is included in Annex 43 of the "Practical Handbook for Border Guards" (PHBG). This document being not published, we unfortunately cannot provide a link.

 

Spain has not notified the title of the document for its inclusion in Annex 22 of the PHBG, which lists all residence permits and documents with equivalent effect issued by the Member States. Inclusion in both Annexes 43 and 22 of the PHBG being necessary under Schengen rules, the Commission has pointed out to Spain that it should notify the title for inclusion in Annex 22 of the PHBG. However, this has not been done so far.

 

As a consequence, the Commission is aware that UK nationals who are Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries in Spain and who travel inside the Schengen area based on a previously issued free movement registration certificate may experience difficulties in other Schengen States.”

 

What this means in practice is that if a border guard checks both Annexes (22 and 43) they will find the certificate included under Annex 43 although not under 22. However, if the guard checks Annex 22 only, they will not find it mentioned. Consequently, if  you encounter problems, you should ask the border guard to check Annex 43 as well.

If you do have any problems when travelling with your green EU card, please write to us at eurocitizens2016@gmail.com and tell us all about it.

REGISTERING TO VOTE IN NEXT YEAR'S SPANISH MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

At the AGM of EuroCitizens on 21 October, there was some discussion of the upcoming municipal elections (May 2023) in Spain. 

In line with the bi-lateral agreement between Spain and the UK these are the requirements for you to vote:

- to be a UK citizen formally resident in Spain and covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (either with a green EU card or the TIE with mention of the WA)

- to be registered on the municipal "Padrón" 

-to register with the Spanish electoral authority. We understand that the registration period will be from 1 December 2022 to 31 January 2023.

For the purposes of the elections, UK citizens with this entitlement are de facto EU citizens. 

See links to advice from the UK embassy and the Spanish government.

https://administracion.gob.es/pag_Home/en/Tu-espacio-europeo/derechos-obligaciones/ciudadanos/residencia/elecciones/municipales.html

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain#voting

'LOOKING BACK': EUROCITIZENS REPORT ON THE CITIZENS' RIGHTS OF BRITONS IN SPAIN

 John Carrivick, vice chair EuroCitizens

Six years ago we held our first public meeting in Madrid for UK citizens worried about their loss of rights after Brexit. In this blog post, John Carrivick analyses what we have achieved as an association and which EU citizens' rights have been retained by the Britons in Spain covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement. If you have any queries about the issues, please write to us at eurocitizens2016@gmail.com.  

 

Context

The 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union was followed by a sort of phoney war in which it was not clear if buyer’s remorse might set in or if getting the decision through Parliament might prove too complicated or damaging to implement. Nevertheless, worried Britons in Spain soon realised that, with some form of Brexit now inevitable, they needed to mobilise to salvage what we could from the wreck. This led to the formation of EuroCitizens and other, similarly concerned, British citizen groups in Spain and other EU countries with many of them gravitating towards a coalition under the banner of British in Europe.

In September 2019, EuroCitizens sent the British Embassy in Madrid a summary of our principal concerns now that negotiations were beginning to secure the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) that would enshrine our rights post-Brexit.

This document had two purposes. In the first place, it was intended to secure the place of EuroCitizens as an articulate and valid interlocutor with the UK government both directly and via the Embassy. We were equally keen to raise awareness of these same issues among the British resident community in Spain.

Secondly, we wanted to be sure that the main issues that concerned us were clearly identified to ensure they were taken into account in negotiations between the UK government and the European Union. We wanted to make a strong and comprehensive statement, particularly because at that stage, we did not have a full picture of what other associations existed or might be asking for. In the event, it turned out that there were several groups doing the same thing and, by and large, we identified the same principal issues across different EU member states. This was helped by our membership of the British in Europe (BIE) pan EU coalition. Respective EuroCitizens’ Presidents have served on the BiE steering committee.

The document only covered the rights of British residents in Spain and did not deal with the other consequences of Brexit ranging from damage to the British economy to the payment of customs duties on packages sent to and from the UK.

 How well did we do?

 continue reading...

21/10/22: EUROCITIZENS HOLDS ITS 'ASAMBLEA GENERAL' IN THE CENTRO GALLEGO

A EuroCitizens meeting back in 2018

We very much look forward to seeing lots of EuroCitizens at our AGM/Asemblea General in Madrid next week. The meeting will take place on Friday 21 October at 18.00 at our old haunt, the Centro Gallego, C. de Carretas, 14, 28012 Madrid. This time we will be in the (spanking new) library. We need to conclude the formal meeting by 19.15. but can continue with informal discussion in the bar, as well as catching up on everyone's news.

The agenda (subject to Item 1) is as follows:

1. Adoption of Agenda
2. Acceptance of minutes of the last AGM held on Wednesday 20 October 2021 (attached in link)
3. Financial statement
4. Issue update - particularly Votes for Life and ongoing border issues
5. Achievements of EuroCitizens (John Carrivick's document will be posted next Monday)
6. Committee election (if applicable).
7. AoB - no items have yet been advised

The present committee is prepared to stand again "en bloc" for a further year, holding their current positions. Any alternate bloc can be proposed and seconded under item 6 of the proposed agenda and then voted on.  Please note that any alternate must comprise the legal officers of the organisation (President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and at least two "vocales"

See the  minutes from last year: AGM 2021
 

UPDATE FROM THE EMBASSY ON UK NATIONALS' VOTING RIGHTS IN SPAIN

EuroCitizens has received an update from the British Embassy in Madrid about local voting rights of UK nationals in Spain to clear up some of the confusion caused by recent articles in the press.

As some of you might have read, the European Court of Justice recently ruled on the case of a UK national, living in France, who contested that she should be able to vote in local elections in France. She lost the case, on the basis that UK nationals are no longer EU citizens. The ruling set out that UK nationals no longer have the right to stand and vote in local elections on the basis of EU law. Some media articles have picked up the ruling and suggested it affects UK nationals across the EU.

It is important to highlight that the judgement does not affect UK nationals’ right to vote and stand in local elections in Spain. That is because these are provided by the bilateral agreement between the UK and Spain, which allows UK nationals who have lived in Spain for more than 3 years to vote and stand in local elections

More information on voting rights in Spain (and the treaty) is available on our Living in Spain guide.  As the guide highlights, UK nationals who wish to vote in next year’s local elections will need to register on the electoral roll at their town hall within the dates specified by the electoral authorities (we expect these to be between December 2022 and January 2023). There is therefore no action that UK nationals need to take now.

It is, of course, important to ensure that there is a good understanding of the process for standing and registering to vote in local elections. The Embassy is already working on these issues and will be formally following up with the relevant Spanish authorities during the course of June.

03/05/22: EUROCITIZENS UPDATE - VOTING IN THE UK AND DRIVING LICENCES

Some important news for our members:

1. Elections Bill 2021

 

The Bill completed its Parliamentary passage last week and has now received Royal assent. This gives all UK citizens born in the UK and living abroad the right to vote in general elections and referendums, irrespective of how long they have lived outside the UK. The mechanics of registration and voting will be the subject of secondary legislation and we will press for this to be introduced as soon as possible, in case the PM calls a snap election.

 

We have to say that this welcome development is somewhat tarnished by other elements of the Bill that appear to undermine democracy. These include ID requirements that may effectively prevent many of the most disadvantaged members of society from exercising the vote, removal of the independence of the electoral commission and restrictions on campaigning, amongst others.

 

2. Driving licences

 

From 1 May it will be illegal for holders of UK driving licences who have more than 6 months residency in Spain to drive with such licences. We understand that the British Embassy remains in discussions with Spanish officials to secure a regime where UK licences can easily be exchanged for Spanish ones. 

 

However, for the time being, application for a Spanish licence must be undertaken as for a first time applicant, ie by taking a driving test. We cannot imagine that many, if any, of the EuroCitizens group find themselves impacted by this, however, you can obtain more information through the following link

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain#driving-in-spain

EUROPEAN COMISSION GUIDANCE ON PASSPORT STAMPING

 

Stamp in a British passport. Source The Telegraph (a reader expressing the pleasure he felt at getting stamps on his visits to EU countries. No comment!)

Since the end of the Brexit transition period, EuroCitizens has been monitoring the passsport stamping of British residents in Spain in the Schengen free movement area. There was a big response to our request for information about TIEs (third-country residence cards covered by the Withdrawal Agreement) and people mentioned passport stamping when travelling.The general conclusion was that there was little rhyme or reason to stamping. 

The European Commssion has provided clarification on the matter (see below). Basically, the EC says that there is little point in British WA beneficiaries having their passports stamped, but that the Comission cannot actually prevent stamping. The most important thing is that it has no impact whatsoever on rights of entry/exit, stays in other EU countries of less than three months and residence rights in our Host Country. They do recommend however that Britons get the appropriate resident document; in Spain this means the TIE covered by the WA. 

Here the old green EU certificates do remain valid, but both the Spanish government and the UK Embassy advise changing them to a TIE WA. Doing that will make your life easier both within Spain and when travelling. Another useful recommendation from some EuroCitizens committee members is to keep your electronic or paper boarding cards until your trip is finished - just in case there are complications. 

 

 

EUROCITIZENS INFORMATION REQUEST FOR UK HOLDERS OF TEMPORARY RESIDENCE CARDS (TIEs)

 

This is an example of a permanent card, but you can see the reference to article 50.

Do you have one of the new 'tarjetas de identidad para extranjeros' (TIE) issued for Britons, and is your card temporary (temporal - for those with less than five years residence)? 

 

If so, could you please check the front of your card to see if there is a reference to Article 50 (see the photo above).  It would also be interesting to know if on the reverse side of your card it states "EMITIDO BAJO ART. 18.4 ACUERDO RETIRADA". This information is what certifies that you are a citizen protected by the Withdrawal Agreement between the UE and the UK.

 

Please then write to us at eurocitizens2016@gmail.com and tell us if your card has the references or not. We do not need photos of the card or your NIE.

We are looking into the issue of the passport stamping of Britons at borders and the inclusion of this information seems to be making a difference.