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Couldn’t see any thing that looked like a chip on mine, there is a clear window which from some angles looks like a chip and about the right size.
I was in an early cohort to get my TIE in Huelva before Christmas only only once had fingerprints taken and for collection just showed my passport.

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The bio chip can be as small as 2mm x 2mm and less than 0.1mm thick.
Its not holding much data.

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Barriej, so you just confirmed you know Sweet Fanny Adams about technology!!!

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John I don't know about the chip. However if you look at the front of the TIE card top left corner is a small green symbol, I believe that is the symbol indicating the card contains a biometric chip? I am no expert but from what I have read I believe this is correct. Whether the chip is there or embedded somehow in the card I do not know. I haven't collected my card yet. However my wife said when she collected hers the lady issuing it checked her fingerprints and was doing something with the card? That's as much as I can add to the discussion., hopefully I will collect my card in around 3 weeks so may know better then.

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It does not have the usual gold chip on the card. It does, however contain a non contact RFID chip which makes it machine readable.

The green symbol is the ICAO symbol for non-contact microchip machine readable travel documents (e-MRTD symbol),

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Thanks Fred, I was on the right track then.

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I flew back to Spain on Friday. We used the non EU queue, my UK passport was not stamped but the other half had her Mexican passport stamped. I was asked for the PCR result, she wasn’t

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Which airport was that ?. So they are not treating British passport holders the same as third country nationals.

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I flew to Madrid on the 23rd with nothing more than a quick glance at my passport, this looked to be the case for everyone else on the flight from London. Yet, leaving from Malaga the week prior, it seemed everyone's passport was getting stamped out (mine was not as I am a Spanish resident). Perhaps the rules are being interpreted region-by-region? This wouldn't be the first time I've observed something similar in Spain!

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Not all British passport holders will be treated the same. If they are Spanish resident no passport stamp if not passport is stamped. So it all depends on the status of the person. Covid test requirements etc vary for different countries also but whether that is country flown from or country of citizenship I don't know.
​​

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Give them time!

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a few months ago they were stamping uk passports regardless of TIE cards. Now they have seemed to have changed tactics. It’s interesting how they didn’t stamp his UK passport but went on to stamp the Mexican passport.

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Both people clearly say that UK passports were not being stamped.

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Yes but one states they are a Spanish resident and the other states they came through non EU gate but doesn't say if they are resident. You are missing the point I am making that as far as I understand, if Spanish resident then passport checked but not stamped to enter your country of residence i.e. Spain non Spanish then passport is stamped due to Schengen rules? So there are different rules even though we all hold British passports.

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I returned to UK in late January.My British passport was stamped by Border Force on entry to UK.So British Nationals passports ARE stamped when arriving in our own country as well as arrival in Spain.

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Yes I have read before of it happening but if resident it shouldn't. Why they stamp a UK citizens passport to enter the UK is beyond me but nothing surprises me. Some people think because we have Spanish residency we are somehow not British anymore. Beyond belief but as they say they walk amongst us.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-b...-divorce-deal/

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yep they were definitely stamping earlier on in the year regardless but people gave said end of last month and this month that Spanish border control have looked at the British passports and NOT put an entry stamp in them.

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Spanish border control shouldn't stamp the passport if they are residents (have a TIE or a green certificate/card).

When you get a TIE I guess your passport number is stored on the system and I guess when they swipe the passport the computer will tell them you're a resident so they know not to stamp.

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The problem with that is in the future at some point the passport number will change. Surely better to simply show TIE or green card along with the passport.

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There's an option on form EX20 & friends to update the passport number. I think it might even have been there on form EX18 for EU citizens but we might have to start taking it seriously now.

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The problem I see is say you got your new TIE December 2020 and you were a permanent resident your TIE would be valid for 10 years if temporary resident your TIE would be valid 5 years. It could be that in 18 months your UK passport runs out when you renew it you will get a new passport number. Are you suggesting that when we renew our passport we then need to renew or update our TIE?

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Yes, it was Madrid airport. We are both residents and we presented passports along with residency cards. My understanding is that all non EU passports should be stamped. Certainly the other half has had hers stamped every time we travel outside of the Schengen zone. My son has flown from the UK to Madrid twice since Brexit and has not had his stamped on either occasion.

Regarding the PCR, I believe it's a random check but they were checking every passenger for the FCS health control form/QR code.

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I don't think they would issue a new card, they would just note the new passport number.

This says we have 30 days to tell them about a change in circumstances and cites the law.

But even though they do know, I still wouldn't try entering without showing my card.

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Thanks that's interesting and something I wasn't aware of, as you say it was no doubt the same with green card.

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I renewed my old cuidadano de la Union resident certificate when I got a new passport - used the option "cambio de documento de identidad" option on the EX23 form.

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As per the link I attached on an earlier post some officials have been stamping the passports of people who are resident which shouldn't happen.

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I got my TIE in early August so amongst the early traches.

It has a chip in the top LH corner just by the e-MRTD symbol.

It's readable on a mobile phone with NFC although the info revealed seems to relate only to the chip type and technology as apart from Card/Tag Serial no. (edited out) there is nothing which appears personal to me.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...9215921c91.jpg

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Regarding stamps.

According to the 2019 Schengen Handbook p.56

6.2.
No entry or exit stamp must be affixed in the following cases:
a) to the travel documents of nationals of the EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland;
b) to the travel documents of Heads of State and dignitaries whose arrival has been officially announced in advance through diplomatic channels;
c) to pilots' licences or the certificates of aircraft crew members;
d) to the travel documents of seamen who are present within the territory of a Schengen State only when their ship calls in and in the area of the port of call;
e) to the travel documents of crew and passengers of cruise ships who are not subject to border checks, in those cases provided for in point 2, Section IV;
f) to documents enabling nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino to cross the border;
g) to documents of border residents enjoying a local border traffic regime (point 3, Section II).
h) to the travel documents of crews of passengers and goods trains on international connections;
i) to the travel documents of nationals of third countries who present a residence card provided for in Directive 2004/38/EC.
The travel document of family members of EU, EEA and CH citizens who are third-country nationals must also be stamped, unless they present a residence card issued in
accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC as submitted in line with Article 39 of the Schengen Border Code or otherwise clearly indicating a family member of an EU citizen or
a family member of an EEA or CH citizen.

The last item j) is what relates to TIE holders.

It goes on to say: p.68

"There can be cases where a stamp that has already been affixed on a passport has to be
annulled (for example, if the wrong stamp was affixed by mistake by the border guard). In
such cases, the traveller bears no responsibility for it and therefore the stamp cannot be
cancelled in the same ways as when a person is refused entry. It is therefore recommended
to annul the stamp by running two parallel lines through the top left-hand corner of it like
in the example below:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...f1ebfa5b98.jpg

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Very wrong guess.
When passport is swiped, its checked for red flags on SIS II system for lost/stolen/wanted/banned flags. That's why you must present your residency card, which can be scanned against national registar database.
https://edps.europa.eu/data-protecti...tion-system_en

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We all know that what is written down is often not what actually occurs. There will be many conflicting stories of peoples experiences compared with what should happen.

Rosemary

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I do know that they can obtain the passport number by swiping the residency card (saw the screen when getting a green certificate ages ago) and they can obtain the NIE by swiping the passport (went to social security and asked for my Vida Laboral and gave them my passport and it came back with my NIE) so I assume this information is available to border police.

But I wouldn't leave Spain without my TIE now, unlike the green certificate which I never took with me.

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Agree with this.

But, can I ask with my Mr sensible hat on?

Does it actually matter if your passport gets stamped or not?
If you are legally resident here (TIE or green card) the stamp wont mean anything. (or shouldn't)
If you are a tourist it will (or should)

Unless someone is saying that, if I get a stamp when coming into Spain from the Uk even as a resident. The next time I leave its going to get me questioned as to why there is a stamp and why I overstayed??

I for one may start asking for the bloody thing to be stamped, its what it was made for after all. :)

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I Would guess (I don't know) it probably wouldn't be an issue really in Spain as you would have your TIE or Green card. However I think it may cause an issue if visiting other Schengen countries as they will see the stamp saying you arrived in Schengen zone as per the stamp?

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Always show your residency document whenever you travel in Schengen/EU together with your passport, so there will be no misunderstanding of your status as resident in a Schengen/EU state.

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EU is not a 'state', it is a 'union' of countries.

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Or a state belonging to the European Union.

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I think you make assumptions which not correct.

Friends who flew in from Birmingham recently simply presented their passports and were sent on their way without further ado from which I think we can reasonably deduce that scans of those brought up their details and residential status.

They hold green residencias but were not asked to produce them nor did they, they are of course not 'scanable' anyway.

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I get that which isn't the point I was making. Better that authorities in Spain follow the WA and don't stamp the passport of those UK people officially resident in Spain. That way there is no confusion entailing trying to convince another Schengen country official that you live legally in Spain and your time living there doesn't count towards Schengen time rules. I agree I would always carry both passport and TIE or Green Residencia if leaving Spain.

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I am sure we all agree on this.

However, this was probably down to teething problems and not a widespread coordinated witch hunt by Spanish border official against expats.

If anyone take the likes of the tripe that the Daily Express churns out, they are not to be taken seriously!

It's reporting is quite skewed and far from objective.

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I never thought any different like all new procedures mistakes are often made.