Are there changes to the Certificado de Registro?

[poker]

A lot of south americans still here who came to work mostly in construction,  years ago and are still in the systhem and they want to get them out .

[Janet]

As I've insisted previously, whilst it appeared that the southern comisaría in Playa de Las Américas was informing resident expats that their permanent Certificados de Registro had, in fact, to be renewed every five years, they were not actually able to do this. I was aware of one particular case of renewal where the police were being unhelpful in its processing, but reports were widespread that the police themselves were telling people that they must renew certificates even if those certificates bore no expiry date, and indeed were "permanente". Now, it is clear: they have either been doing something they are not allowed to do, or their stance has been misunderstood.

Regardless of where this confusion has arisen, the situation is now perfectly simple: no-one has to renew their Certificado de Registro. The only legislative change in the last year or so has been for new applicants who, since March last year, have to prove they can afford to live in Spain and have cover for healthcare. Existing Certificados de Registro, however, are permanent once an EU-national holder has been in Spain for five years. Those certificates which have an expiry date will have been issued to applicants who had not been in Spain for five years at the point of application: these may be exchanged for ones that state they are permanent if the holder wishes, hence the police being prepared to issue renewals, but no-one is required to do so because EU nationals are allowed permanent residence in another member state once they have legally resided there for five years.

I have been discussing the matter with investigative journalist Karl McLoughlin, who has recently been seeking formal clarification from the department of the Interior Ministry responsible for every extranjeria in Spain. Madrid confirms not only that there is no requirement to renew, but that no instruction or communication in this respect has been sent to any comisaría in the country. Karl has now written an article for Island Connections (see pp2-3 of THIS edn), and tells me that the queries were addressed to the Ministry of the Interior, with the reply from the Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras, i.e. the highest authority of the police stations that have Extranjería sections for issuing residence cards, registration certificates etc.

He has given me the original of the official response he has translated for the Island Connections article. It is HERE (it's a word doc to download and I can't upload it to the forum so please click through to my website for the active link) ... so if you would like Madrid's confirmation in writing that you do not need to renew your Registro, please click to download and print it off to carry with your Registro. The only document that needs to be renewed every five years is a resident card of a non-EU national spouse of an EU-national resident, a status that very few British expats need to be concerned about. For the rest, whether your Registro says it is permanent or not, it does not need to be renewed. JA

[cinnamon]

so how many times has the government now taken 10.40 euros per renewal? aaah... this is how the new road signs have been funded!

[Janet]

They are obliged to renew someone's registro if the person turns up requesting it. The whole issue is one of people being informed that they must renew. It is still unclear where this misinformation originated.

(and no connection between Madrid's ministerio de interior and the Tenerife Cabildo roads department .... )

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Wouldn't you know, page 2 of the Island Connections edition does not display correctly, for me at any rate.  Groan. 

[El Profesor]

  JANET   

[Janet]

 

Turtle, page 2 is HERE, p3 HERE .... hope they display correctly from these links, but essentially, the article is just a slightly more discursive version of what I've posted on my own site, and the content is to all intents and purposes the same.

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Page 3 is fine but 2 still comes up with a black background.  No matter, I've already printed the Word document for addition to the file.  Pity it has no date or author, but it certainly will form the basis for a good offense should it ever be required.

[Janet]

I think the doc is as it is because Karl got the response by email. So if necessary, that's a legal document in its own right.

[Nova]

Just wondering why you couldn't attach the Word document 

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