Does Torrevieja council not want UK residents?

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August 29

Some weeks ago, I attended a meeting with the Councillor for International Residents and Babelia, an association who have a grant from the UK Government to provide support to UK Nationals to help them gain residency. The meeting was to discuss the process for applying for residency, the documentation needed and the income needs etc., and the free help available from Babelia.

For some months the British Consulate, and even Torrevieja council, have been advising UK Nationals to get residency before the end of the year.

But at this meeting, it was forcefully raised that there was a lot of difficulty in getting an appointment for a new or updated padrón, needed to make a residency application.

We were just advised that there are delays in getting appointments (but only in Torrevieja apparently), which can only be made through the new digital certificate appointments system and not in person.

Apart from the fact that a number of my members do not have internet access, don’t know about the process or don’t know how to get or operate a digital certificate, those that have managed to get one still cannot get an appointment.

The situation has not changed since that meeting and one person this week was advised that an appointment was not available for at least 6 weeks. Even after getting the new padrón, they then have to hope they can get a residency appointment before the deadline.

It seems to my members and many others who have contacted me that Torrevieja seems to have no interest in helping people obtain a new or renew their padrón and to then gain residency. Are the British no longer welcome in Torrevieja? Surely, the council appreciate that as one of the largest ex-pat communities in Torrevieja, it is in their interest to help us become legal residents.

With the changes due to come in after the withdrawal agreement ends in December, it will be more difficult for UK Nationals to get residency, so help is needed now.

So, come on Torrevieja, help us become legal now or you will see an exodus of UK nationals forced to leave or to not return.

Doug Allen
President
Torrevieja West Neighbourhood Crime Watch & Residents Association.

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1 COMMENT

  1. I understand you completely, I am from Germany and the same thing happens to me. Anyway, I do not think it is a specific issue with British people, but rather a problem of inefficiency in Spain, I have lived in Barcelona and the bureaucracy is the same in every order of things, bank, paperwork, health, etc. I think it is a system problem + poor efficiency.

    Best wishes!

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