British Resident Refused Spain Entry For Not Having Residency Card
A Briton who is an officially registered Spanish resident had to fly back to the UK from Mallorca where he lives after being refused entry because he didn’t have his residency permit with him.
The incident that resulted in the man having to fly back from to the UK is part of a crackdown by authorities that means only Spanish nationals or residents of the island from other countries are being allowed to exit the airport. The tough new rules that apply to anybody trying to enter the country via sea or air came into force on 22nd December.
British residents in Spain are issued with the NIE paper certificate or new TIE card.
It is unclear if Spanish national police or airport authorities made any checks to confirm the Briton´s legal right to enter Spain.
The incident happened on Boxing Day in the airport of Son Sant Joan, in the city of Palma de Mallorca, in the eastern Spanish region of the Balearic Island. The restrictions will remain in place until 6pm on 5th January with officials warning they could be extended if the situation does not improve.
According to a local government statement, the man, whose name has not been revealed, had travelled from London Stansted on a plane with a total of 27 passengers, 10 of them Spanish nationality and 17 from other parts of the world.
All passengers were allowed to go into the Spanish territory except the British man who did not have any documentation proving his residency on the island.
The National Police informed him that without that, he would not be able to travel onto the island, and he was therefore refused entry.
In the end, realising he was otherwise stranded at the airport, the man was forced to fly back to the UK.
Another condition that the plane passengers need to meet is a PCR test or a TMA test with a negative result carried out no longer than 72 hours before the trip.
According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Spain has registered 1,854,951 cases of COVID-19 and 49,824 related deaths.