NIE Girona NIE, TIE and padró on the Onyar

House 6 · Other passports, the UK included

British in Girona since Brexit: three situations, three answers

That turns on the year Girona became home. Resident before 2021: a TIE under the Withdrawal Agreement. Arriving now: a visa first, then a TIE. Owning from the UK: a NIE alone. Since Brexit, a British passport counts as non-EU on every Spanish form.

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Resident before the end of 2020

The Withdrawal Agreement covers British nationals who were already living in Spain at the close of 2020, when the transition period ran out. Spain documents them with a TIE that states their status under the Agreement.

If you registered as a European before Brexit and still keep the green certificate, it remains evidence of your rights. The TIE, however, is the document designed for your situation, and it is easier to show at a border or a bank. The exchange starts with a fingerprint appointment.

Moving here now

A newcomer from the UK follows the rules for non-EU citizens: they apply at a Spanish consulate for a visa, non-lucrative, work or student among others, before moving, then give fingerprints for a TIE after arrival. Spain ended its golden visa in 2025, so buying a home no longer leads to residence.

An owner who lives in the UK

An owner whose home is in the UK needs a NIE, not a card. Form EX-15 is the request, made either in Spain or through a Spanish consulate. Visits fall under the Schengen rules on short stays, which cap the time a non-EU visitor may spend in Spain.

Booking it in Girona

For an Agreement TIE, choose the fingerprint procedure on the booking system with Girona as the province. policia.es lists the issue of the TIE at C/ Santa Eugènia 145 in the city, and at several units of the province, Figueres, Lloret de Mar and Sant Feliu de Guíxols among them. A stand-alone NIE for an owner is listed only at C/ Cristobal Grober 12. Your confirmation gives the address for your booking.

For the exchange appointment

  • Form EX-17, signed
  • Your British passport
  • The green certificate from before Brexit, if you kept it
  • A recent colour photograph
  • The Modelo 790 código 012, paid
  • Without a certificate, proof of life here before 2021: a padró volant, a lease, a work contract

In Girona

British residents across the province, from the villages of the Empordà to Girona city, book the Agreement TIE like any other card: Girona as the province, fingerprints as the trámite. In the city policia.es lists card issue at C/ Santa Eugènia 145; owners who only need the number look to C/ Cristobal Grober 12.

Questions

Does my old green certificate still count?

Yes: it still records your residence under the Agreement. The TIE is advised because it is a card with your photograph that names your status.

I moved to Girona in 2023. Does the Agreement cover me?

No. People who settled after 2020 follow the general rules for non-EU citizens: a visa first, then a TIE.

I own a house near Cadaqués and live in Bristol. Do I need a TIE?

No. A NIE is enough to own, pay taxes and sign contracts. The TIE is for residents.

Do the Mossos d’Esquadra issue the Agreement TIE?

No. Whatever your nationality, the TIE is a Policía Nacional document.

The official pages behind this guide

Read again against these pages on .

Which door is yours?

Tell us which passport you hold, where in the province you live or will live, and any date already fixed: a contract, a signing, the start of term. We write back with the procedure, the form and the street.

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