Spain confirms 21-month grace period to Britons in event of no-deal Brexit

BRITONS in Spain have been guaranteed a 21-month grace period in which they will be classed as legally resident in the event of a no-deal Brexit, an update on La Moncloa has revealed.

The nearly two-year spell will provide time for Britons who moved to Spain before a hard-Brexit date to obtain new documentation allowing them to stay.

After leaving the EU, all British citizens will be classed as third-country nationals and will need a Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) to prove their right to residence.

But the new update, confirmed by Congress last week, will allow Britons to obtain a TIE without abiding by the same rules imposed upon other third-country nationals.

British expats will however need to prove that they arrived in Spain before a no-deal Brexit departure, for example by registering on their local padron.

The procedure to obtain such documentation is not yet known.

Theresa May’s draft withdrawal deal would also establish a grace period up until December 31 2020, during which time citizens in Spain would similarly need to obtain a new TIE.

But with May’s deal already defeated three times in the House of Commons this update provides reassurance to the nearly 300,000 British expats residing in Spain—the most in any EU country, excluding Ireland.