Expired Residencia - new EU Cert

[Gasman]

Just thought I would pass on our recent experience for any members in similar situation. Our nice plastic coated Tarjetas de Residencia - new in 2007 with photos and thumbprints on the back - were going out of date and we knew from the forum here that we had to go and get ourselves registered as EU citizen with right of residence here in Spain. The cards were up in January so we queued up at the Immigration Office (which is no longer at the Port Offices but moved to opposite the Casa Colon in a dingy back street atmosphere on the edge of Huelva city centre) with all our necessary documents and copies thereof, to be told that we could not be dealt with then, that we would have to make an appointment, that they could not make an appointment and that the ONLY way to make an appointment was online. We pointed out the imminence of the cards going out of date to be met with a "no pasa nada" and insistance that they were incapable of doing anything - to make an appointment online.

After some battles with the website, finally got appointments - for 3 APRIL this from 3 January Turned up yesterday, clutching all necessary documents and copies in nice time for 10.00 appointment, no queues, great ..... We waited with the crowds of folk ebbing and flowing, growing and going, and were finally seen at 10.55 . Documents checked - all OK - BUT then we discover we have only got to first-base. Given forms to sign and toddle off to nearest bank to pay 10.20 euros EACH, and then come back. Now we realised why so many people seemed to be "jumping the queue" and sneaking in out of turn - they weren't, they were just coming back with payment proof to go on the second base. So after a hike round the centre of the city to find a bank, queue up to pay, and hike back again, it was 12 o'clock gone. We returned to do our own appologetic sneak-in passing the assembled hoards, and got our new cards there and then. So at least we are spared another trip in to get the new cards. One poor soul who had arrived before us, was still waiting to be seen as we left goodness knows what he was in there for!

Some points then
Don't bother previewing at the office - go straight online
http://extranjeros.mtin.es/ModelosSolicitudes for the EX-18 form to fill in and
www.mpt.es - click on Extranjeria - click on Cita Previa Extranjeria (province) for Certificados UE - for nationals of the EU - for the appointment.
Expect to have to find a bank nearby and cough-up 10.20 euros each
Expect to have to wait a while even if there is no queue when you get there
Don't be shy about pushing your way in when you get back with your proof of payment - its expected!
Unfortunately the man took our nice shiny Residencia cards and did not return them - noone had been in the least bit bothered between January and now that they had gone out of date and we had come to rely on them as ID cards - we will try to use the driving licences instead of carrying our passports about with us as ID now.

Finally - we had filled in the form online and got it ticked for "permanent" since we have done our 5 years probationary with the Residencia - the new card (without photo and only plastified paper rather than card-proper) has no expiry date but the man said as he handed it over: "you'll have to renew it in 5 years time" - WHY? - no response .....

Perhaps it will all have changed again by then - who knows.
Next job is the Driving Licences renewal at the end of the year!!
Cheers , Gasman

[Enrique]

Hi Gasman,
Great write up............the link to the Form Ex18 is not working

http://extranjeros.meyss.es/es/ModelosS ... itaria.pdf

[oliveview01]

I think we should all petition the EU to allow us to carry Spanish ID cards, who do we write to?

[janda_grant2]

There is a date on the certificate - it's written in words near the bottom of the text. The nice (/) lady in Sevilla who did ours said we would also have to renew in 5 years.Not that we will now we're back in the UK!

[katy]

I used an out of date residencia for about 4 years before we left Spain, never queried except on our last day when I went to change ownership of my car. The funcionario threw a bit of a wobbly but we sorted him out

[markwilding]

I think it depends where you go to get your certificate if you'll need to make an appointment or not.
I wasn't able to because the system was to turn up and wait and if you couldn't be seen, you would have to return another day.

Spanish nationals also need to make an appointment but they too can just turn up and hope they'll be seen so they need to be at the office pretty early to make sure.
As far as the certificate is concerned, the whole point of the change in the law was that The Spanish government couldn't insist that EU nationals need to go back every five years to renew the residence.
All we need to do is register once and that's it.

Our own government documents depending which country you're from, an ID card or passport, should be used for ID and these days many services offer the passport option. However, it has been pointed out that passport numbers change,which can cause confusion with some Spanish administration departments

[El Cid]

Yes it does depend on the local office.

Our office in Motril are happy to allow you in without an appointment. Whole thing sorted in 10 minutes plus the time to get to the bank.

The certificates do not expire - they are talking rubbish - again!

Sid

[El Cid]

All we need to do is register once and that's it.

The exception to that rule is if any of your personal details change such as a change of address - then you have to update the records and pay the fee again.

Sid

[masterob]

Gasman wrote:-

Unfortunately the man took our nice shiny Residencia cards and did not return them - noone had been in the least bit bothered between January and now that they had gone out of date and we had come to rely on them as ID cards - we will try to use the driving licences instead of carrying our passports about with us as ID now.

As others have said, each Office seems to do it's own thing because in Málaga they cut off a corner of the expired card and give it back so you can still use it as proof of identity. A very helpful gesture on their part.

[annfoto]

Gasman wrote:-

Unfortunately the man took our nice shiny Residencia cards and did not return them - noone had been in the least bit bothered between January and now that they had gone out of date and we had come to rely on them as ID cards - we will try to use the driving licences instead of carrying our passports about with us as ID now.

As others have said, each Office seems to do it's own thing because in Málaga they cut off a corner of the expired card and give it back so you can still use it as proof of identity. A very helpful gesture on their part.

Didn't cut ours off as we were warned not to hand them over for that reason, we just gave them photocopies which they were quite happy with

[masterob]

That's even better although we've had no problems showing the cards with cut off corners, they seem to be accepted whenever we need ID.

[Campo Steve]

I thought they had done away with cards for extranjeros, or is this thread about something else?

[El Cid]

I thought they had done away with cards for extranjeros, or is this thread about something else?

Yes they have - but we are talking about the new certificates which are now available in "card" format and equally useless.

Sid

[Campo Steve]

That's what I thought but the original post seemed to read as if it was a residence card, as opposed to the laminated green sheet.

[markwilding]

There can't be many cards left that haven't expired yet. We must be coming to the end of them now.

[oliveview01]

Perhaps we should all write to the EU demanding our right to have a Spanish ID card

[scampicat]

I used an out of date residencia for about 4 years before we left Spain, never queried except on our last day when I went to change ownership of my car. The funcionario threw a bit of a wobbly but we sorted him out

We used our out of date ones for over a year and only changed them when we came to sell the house. Neither our lawyer (English) nor the Notario (Spanish) had seen the small plasticised one (our lawyer had the A4 size one and was very envious of ours!). They were passed round the Notario's office with great interest!

We wer able to get them there and then, similar experience to OP.

We're back in the UK now, but were told they were 'permanente', so we didn't think we would have had to renew them had we stayed in Spain.

[olive]

We changed ours at Granada. Got the forms, went to the bank and it was too late on return.

Back another day and the concierge/security guy pointed us straight to a nice room on the right. The packed large room to the left looked decidedly seedy and was maybe for non EU peoples.

As soon as he had seen our originals we pocketed them and continue to use them even though out of date for photo ID. Never had anyone actually check the date!

I suspect that we can't have a Spanish one unless you become a Spanish citizen. Is it 10 years before you can apply for citizenship?

olive

[masterob]

A big decision to become a Spanish national just for the sake of a convenient ID document methinks. I think I'm right in understanding that Spanish nationals can't have dual nationality so you would have to give up British nationality.

[scampicat]

People seem to want to change their nationality because passports and other documents are cheaper. Don't understand it myself.