Residency – Exchanging to TIE

There are a lot of reasons why people aren’t exchanging their Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión for the new TIE, here are some points to consider:

No longer need to carry passports as ID
For those of you that already have the “green card” residencia document (either A4 size or credit card), it’s up to you whether you exchange to the TIE or not right away – it isn’t obligatory, but it is recommended. For us, the biggest plus is that the TIE is a recognized identity document, so no more carrying passports around.

It’s not obligatory, the Withdrawal Agreement will apply to me even if I don’t exchange
Very true, but it is recommended by the Police and the Immigration authorities that you do exchange it, sooner rather than later. 

There’ll always be appointments available, what’s the rush?
Yes, there are plenty of appointments available now – but this can always change as we know. The saying “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” was written for Spanish bureaucracy.

I don’t want to take an appointment slot away from new applicants 
You won’t – It’s a different type of appointment specifically to exchange, so doesn’t impact new applicants at all.

It’s a bit of a faff to get photos, pay tax etc 
Possibly, but it’s only €12 euros tax and more than likely you’ll need to do it at some point, why not now?

I like my green card, it says “European” on it
We know a lot of people are still very attached to the idea of being European, so you could always keep a copy of your little green card as a reminder!

My Spanish isn’t great. 
If this is the case, it’s advisable to get assistance from a specialist company or at the very minimum someone who speaks Spanish. Make a day of it and go out for lunch, shopping, sightseeing etc.

How Upsticks can help
If you do want to exchange but aren’t sure of the process, documents etc or simply want someone who knows the ropes to sort everything out for you, then just Book a Call and we will run you through the process.