The Spanish Immigration Observatory has printed new information which sheds mild on British residency traits in Spain this 12 months, from a slight inhabitants drop to the continued reluctance to swap the previous inexperienced certificates for post-Brexit TIE residence playing cards.
207,234 UK nationals have a Withdrawal Agreement TIE residency card in 2025
Around half of UK nationals in Spain now have TIE residency playing cards. According to authorities information, a 12 months in the past there have been barely extra Brits with Withdrawal Agreement (WA) TIEs – 210,538 – reflecting how some Britons have left Spain or have since handed away.
The WA TIE is biometric card which began to be issued to Brits in July 2020. It’s much like the Spanish residency card of different non-EU nationals however it’s particular to Brits and their non-EU members of the family. It proves that they had been residents in Spain earlier than Brexit got here into power, clearly stating their Withdrawal Agreement rights, that are roughly the identical ones that they had as EU nationals.
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130,546 Brits have everlasting Withdrawal Agreement TIEs
Spanish migration stats present that round 63 % of Brits have everlasting Withdrawal Agreement TIE playing cards, whereas 36 % have momentary ones (75,572). As it’s been 5 years since Spanish authorities began issuing momentary WA TIEs, and momentary card holders can renew and transfer onto a everlasting WA TIE after 5 years, we will anticipate the variety of momentary WA TIEs to maintain getting decrease.
READ MORE: How Brits in Spain can renew their momentary residency TIE card
187,813 UK nationals nonetheless have their inexperienced EU certificates
Despite quite a few calls over the previous years by British and Spanish authorities for Brits to change their previous inexperienced certificates (the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión) for TIEs, an enormous variety of UK nationals have opted to maintain the Spanish residency doc from once they had been EU residents. Even the truth that the EU’s new EES entry system will reportedly make journey troublesome for these individuals has not managed to persuade them.
A 12 months in the past there have been 193,352 UK residents with inexperienced certificates, so the quantity has dropped by 5,539, however nonetheless stays very excessive .
The newest determine from Spain’s Permanent Immigration Observatory – 187,813 – clashes with the Spanish Interior Ministry’s estimate final July that there have been “some 50,000” Brits who hadn’t performed the swap.
The change stays non-compulsory however strongly suggested.
READ MORE: UK Embassy insists Brits in Spain get TIEs or threat being ‘handled as overstayers’
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24,037 UK nationals produce other post-Brexit residency authorisations
Brits who weren’t dwelling in Spain earlier than Brexit have to use for a residency visa in the event that they need to stay in Spain, similar to every other non-EU citizen. Spanish authorities information reveals that as of September 2025, simply over 24,000 Britons maintain Spanish residency by visas such because the non-lucrative visa or the digital nomad visa. In September 2024, the determine stood at 17,104, reflecting how Brits are nonetheless discovering methods to maneuver to Spain, albeit far much less simply.
READ MORE: Demand for Spanish residency nonetheless sturdy post-Brexit
A complete of 419,084 Brits are actually Spanish residents
Based on the newest stats by Spain’s Permanent Immigration Observatory, there are barely over 419,000 Britons who’ve Spanish residency paperwork in 2025 (September). That makes them the largest European non-EU residents’ group dwelling within the nation forward of Russians and Ukrainians. A 12 months earlier in September 2024, that determine stood at 420,357, so Spain’s British inhabitants has dropped by simply over 1,000 in a 12 months.
172,895 Brits residing in Spain are over 65
Over-65s make up a big chunk of Spain’s British inhabitants, about 41 % of the full. Unfortunately, Spain’s Permanent Immigration Observatory doesn’t break down the 16 to 65 12 months previous age group into smaller classes, however over-65s clearly make up a substantial quantity of inexperienced certificates and WA TIE holders, a lot much less so for the usual non-EU residency authorisations. The figures showcase simply how in style continues to be amongst British retirees, and extra pensioners are arriving in comparison with final 12 months, when over-65s totalled 169,001.
Alicante and Málaga the favorite locations for Brits in Spain
It’s no shock however the newest immigration information highlights how Alicante continues to be the favorite Spanish province for Brits to stay in Spain, as 98,714 UK nationals reside there as of September 2025.
Málaga follows in second place with 73,677 British residents.
Barcelona, Madrid, the Balearics, the Canaries and different elements of coastal Andalusia and Murcia have appreciable British populations, however nowhere close to as huge because the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol.
READ ALSO: UK Embassy singles out Brits in Alicante and Málaga for not getting TIEs
