British ambassador to Spain and Alicante Consul call on expats to get residency

BRITAIN’S ambassador to Spain and the Alicante Consul have called the roughly 76,000 British expatriates living in the Valencia Region to get their residency ahead of Brexit after meeting Spanish officials.

Simon Manley and Sarah-Jane Morris took part in an outreach event with some 200 expatriates in Valencia. They were joined by Juan Carlos Fulgencio Tejedor, the Spanish government delegate in the region.

All three officials called on British expatriates to stay calm in the run up to Brexit on Friday March 29.

Fulgencio Tejedor said the Valencia Region’s resources were being boosted to help expatriates get their residency documents on time.

Expatriates should rely on official resources and not the rumour mill, the Spanish official added.

Sarah-Jane Morris said it was now more important than ever that British and Spanish officials work together to ease the impact of Brexit on expatriates and local authorities.

“Both I and Valencian colleagues urge all British nationals living in Valencia to ensure they are correctly registered with the authorities and making the necessary preparations for when Britain leaves the EU, so that they can continue to enjoy living in this beautiful part of Spain,” Morris said.

The meeting comes after the Spanish government announced no-deal Brexit back-up measures including on residencies and healthcare on Friday.

Manley said he was “pleased” with the announcement.

“The plans offer important assurances on issues like residency and healthcare for the more than 300,000 British nationals who have chosen to make Spain their home and for the many millions more British tourists who visit Spain each year,” Manley said.