Settled before the transition ended
British nationals who were living in Spain by the end of 2020 keep their residence under the Withdrawal Agreement, as do certain family members. Spain records it on a TIE, the foreigners’ identity card (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), which mentions the Agreement. The rights it records include living here and working, as an employee or for yourself.
The old green paper
Britons who registered before Brexit hold the certificate given to Europeans at the time. It remains evidence that your residence began in time. Exchanging it for the Agreement card gives you a photo document that border officers recognise at a glance; the exchange is a police step, booked through the cita previa (appointment) system as a fingerprint appointment.
Here before 2021, but never registered
If you lived here by the end of 2020 without registering, the Agreement may still cover you, but the date has to be proved: a padrón (municipal register) entry, a rental contract or deed, utility bills, a Spanish bank account, medical records. In the Región de Murcia, the Delegación del Gobierno’s instructions for first applications at the Oficina de Extranjería in Murcia include the Brexit residence forms, EX-20 for British nationals and EX-21 for their family members.
Gather the proofs before anything else. The authorities decide on them, not us, and a case like this deserves a careful look before you book.
Arriving from the UK now
A Briton moving here now follows the same path as any national of a non-EU country. Visits are limited to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Living here needs a visa from the Spanish consulate that covers your UK address, such as the non-lucrative visa for people with their own means, a work visa or a study visa, and then a TIE once you arrive. Buying a home changes none of this: the golden visa route closed in 2025.
Owners who live in the UK
Keeping your home in Britain and visiting your flat on La Manga? You need a NIE, no residence paper, and your stays count against the Schengen limit.
In Cartagena
British residents are part of everyday life from Cabo de Palos to Los Alcázares. policia.es lists the issue of TIE cards at the Comisaría de Cartagena on Menéndez y Pelayo and at the brigade in Murcia, without singling out the Agreement card; book for the province of Murcia and follow the office on your confirmation.
Questions
I am British and my wife is Irish. Which route is hers, and which is mine?
She registers as a European, on form EX-18, and is given the green certificate. If you lived here before 2021, yours is the Agreement TIE; if you came later, being her husband may open the EX-19 family card.
Will my NIE change with the new card?
No. The digits stay the same; only the document around them changes.
Where do British residents of Cartagena take their fingerprints?
policia.es lists TIE issue at Menéndez y Pelayo 6 and at the brigade in Murcia. Book for the province of Murcia; the confirmation names the office.
Can I spend the whole winter here on my passport?
Only within 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. A longer winter calls for a visa and residence.
Official sources
- policia.es: the Policía Nacional’s directory of foreigners’ units for the Región de Murcia (entry 30), Cartagena among them
- Delegación del Gobierno: the one Oficina de Extranjería of the region, at Cabezo Cortado, with its list of procedures and its appointment instructions
- sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es: the State’s online booking of foreigners’ appointments
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