2 Feb, 2024 @ 14:04
1 min read

Warning: British residents are STILL having their passports stamped upon returning to Spain despite having the necessary documents – while TIE appointments remain scarce

Have you had airport issues or problems with booking a TIE appointment? Contact tips@theolivepress.es

BRITISH residents arriving at Malaga airport are still having their passports stamped despite showing the necessary documents, the Olive Press can reveal. 

A reporter from this newspaper arrived at the Costa del Sol travel hub on Friday morning, having spent a few days at home in London to visit family. 

On their way out of the country on Monday, passport officials did not even open their passport after seeing that they were carrying a green residency card and a Spanish driving licence. 

However upon returning this morning, a policia nacional official claimed neither documents were valid enough proof. 

The stamp received by a British resident today (COPYRIGHT OLIVE PRESS SPAIN)

She insisted that a photo ID proving residency, i.e. a TIE card, was required to avoid being stamped. 

READ MORE: Is my green residency card enough to live and work in Spain? British Embassy releases new guidance

This is categorically false, with the British Embassy in Madrid last year issuing guidance confirming that the green residency card is in fact acceptable. 

The embassy even prepared a letter for British residents of Spain to show passport officials who refuse to acknowledge the law. 

However this morning, our reporter was simply ignored when they tried to protest the stamp and told to pass on through. 

AENA, which manages Malaga airport and most airports through Spain, refused to comment, saying it was a question for Policia Nacional.

The force has been contacted for comment. 

Long passport queues at Malaga airport on Friday (COPYRIGHT OLIVE PRESS SPAIN)

In its guidance last year, the British Embassy warned that many officials across Spain are not properly informed of how the green residency card remains valid for residents entering the country. 

It advised Brits to get their TIE as soon as possible. However, there have been very few appointments available.

This week, for example, Marbella had zero TIE appointments for the coming weeks, with the online booking platform telling users to check back at a later date.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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