# Green residency card



## Katenbill (Jun 11, 2018)

Hello
We obtained our flimsy green residency cards today.
Are we required to carry them with us at all times? They don’t look like they’re robust enough to last five years!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Katenbill said:


> Hello
> We obtained our flimsy green residency cards today.
> Are we required to carry them with us at all times? They don’t look like they’re robust enough to last five years!


 No, because they don't serve any purpose which will need you to carry them at all times. As they don't have a photo they cannot be used as ID. You are supposed to carry your passport as this is the only official ID people from the UK have. I live in the Madrid area and never carry my passport with me. It is needed if I stay in a hotel or something though. Other than that my driving license will usually suffice (I have a Spanish one).
However, if you have a card sized one it might be an idea to tuck it away in your wallet. I have the old A4 size and there's no way I can carry that around with me.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I agree with PW. But bear in mind that the green certificate is possibly the only place that you have the NIE number documented.

I had an odd experience once in the post office, when the lady handing over my delivery asked for my ID, so I went to give my driving license, as always, and she refused it, saying that she needed my national ID.

I explained that my national ID was my passport (which luckily, I had with me) so she said OK. She looked at the passport and said "the passport number doesn't match the NIF on the parcel". (Well of course not, the passport has my British passport number, not my NIE, which was printed on the parcel). She then wanted a document with my NIE on it, so I gave her the green cert. With this she looked at me and said "but this isn't an ID, I need a document which serves as ID AND has your NIE on it"... I explained as calmly as I could that the Spanish state does not issue me such a document unless the driving licence counted as such, and pointed out that the Guardia Civil accept the driving licence as ID.
Eventually she relented and gave me the parcel, but sometimes it is worth carrying every document you have for when you meet a jobsworth.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Katenbill said:


> Hello
> We obtained our flimsy green residency cards today.
> Are we required to carry them with us at all times? They don’t look like they’re robust enough to last five years!


Why only 5 years - they are valid forever (potentially).

I have had my green A4 sheet for 13 years.


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## Katenbill (Jun 11, 2018)

Thanks for your replies all.
Very helpful. We have applied for our Spanish driving licences. 
I still feel uneasy carrying my passport everywhere.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Katenbill said:


> Thanks for your replies all.
> Very helpful. We have applied for our Spanish driving licences.
> I still feel uneasy carrying my passport everywhere.


Then (IMHO) don't. Once you have your Spanish d/l you'll be able to show that which is accepted for 90% of the time.

I haven't carried my passport since moving here.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Overandout said:


> I agree with PW. But bear in mind that the green certificate is possibly the only place that you have the NIE number documented.
> 
> I had an odd experience once in the post office, when the lady handing over my delivery asked for my ID, so I went to give my driving license, as always, and she refused it, saying that she needed my national ID.
> 
> ...


Had the same issue when we first arrived, tried to get a contract with a mobile phone, point blankly refused Green card or passport or any other ID


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I don't carry my passport or residencia certificate with me. My driving licence has a photo and my NIE, and the tarjeta sanetaria has the NIE and social security nunber. But if I'm going somewhere to enact some form of legal transaction, e.g. to rent a mobile phone, I take absolutely everything.


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## Beach buddy (Jul 7, 2018)

I have got a copy of the green tarjeta and laminated it and I carry that i have also a copy(reduced size ) of my passport, laminated it and carry that leaving all the originals at home but available if needed. At least all originals are safe. I should also say that when I renewed and got the green card I retained my original Tarjeta de Residencia which I use if asked for proof of identity.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Beach buddy said:


> I have got a copy of the green tarjeta and laminated it and I carry that i have also a copy(reduced size ) of my passport, laminated it and carry that leaving all the originals at home but available if needed. At least all originals are safe. I should also say that when I renewed and got the green card I retained my original Tarjeta de Residencia which I use if asked for proof of identity.


 Have you ever tried using the laminated copy of your passport for anything? I can't think where they would accept it as proof of identity.


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## Beach buddy (Jul 7, 2018)

Funnily enough in England I used it once but not here in Spain. However my expired Residencia card I have used quite a lot with no problems.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Have you ever tried using the laminated copy of your passport for anything? I can't think where they would accept it as proof of identity.


I've got a laminated, credit card sized copy of my passport. I produced it once when I went to the Comisaria de Policia to sign a denuncia, and got a stern telling off and instruction to carry my passport in future.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> I've got a laminated, credit card sized copy of my passport. I produced it once when I went to the Comisaria de Policia to sign a denuncia, and got a stern telling off and instruction to carry my passport in future.


I can imagine that they'd accept a card sized laminated copy in say, a supermarket, where unknowing cashiers would think it were just a British version of the DNI - but nowhere official would.

I too had a telling off at the Guardia when I turned up to do a translation & had left my passport at home.


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## Beach buddy (Jul 7, 2018)

If I know that I am going to need my passport I will take the real thing. However if it was something random I could produce(never used it)the copy with the promise of the real thing the next day say. I dont like carrying any official document certainly not my passport.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

We don't always know that we are going to need our passports for something official in advance, though. The daughter of some friends of ours broke her arm in a fall in our local park and had to be taken to hospital - they weren't carrying her passport or EHIC which resulted in a dash by us to their holiday accommodation to collect them and deliver them to the hospital.


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## Beach buddy (Jul 7, 2018)

slightly different, if I were a visitor here I would always have my passport. Completely different, we are talking about residents of Spain, not holidaymakers.


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## Juan C (Sep 4, 2017)

If one is going to an official place, a court, police station, notary, etc one should always take their official ID. For a Brit that is their original passport or a copy authorised by the British consul. Nothing else is legal ID. In those circumstance expect problems if trying to use anything else. 

That said, the police are now somewhat relaxed and will often allow a person to make a crime report (denuncia) without any ID. 

They do prefer having one's NIE as of course one's details are recorded and therefore they can use them straight from their records. 

Of course even when they insisted on ID if one has lost their PP one could report that without ID !!!!


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