British Expats - Do NOT leave Spain without your Resident card

I cannot stress this enough and it might be a bit late but if it helps anyone it will be worth it.

I was on holiday with my family outside Spain. Our flight from Gatwick to Madrid on the 17th was cancelled, we couldn't catch the last Easyjet emergency flight to Madrid as it took off 30 minutes after we landed from America. We were booked onto an emergency flight from Gatwick to Alicante on the 18th. The evening before we went to Easyjet and after an initial panic because the gent there couldn't find us on his (wrong) printout we were located and assured our flight was going the next day. We went to bed in our hotel happy that somehow or another we would be home in Madrid the next night.

We checked in our bags early on Wednesday morning as the gent from the previous evening had said our flight was full. At the boarding time we went to the gate, I was a bit behind my husband and arrived to hear the Easyjet rep tell him "she can't travel, you'll have to decide NOW if you and your daughter will go without her"..and then a *BEEP* from her machine and she told him she had unboarded him. She then whipped her wee barrier across to stop anyone (us) from crossing the line.

When I joined them, I was told the same. I wasn't permitted to board, my family had to choose to board or not. (while not exactly relevant I have to say, this woman was rude, obnoxious and completely without compassion for our situation). We explained that I have residency, I have a green Resident cert, NIE etc. I pulled out bank cards, private insurance card, digital copies of my rental agreement...she wasn't accepting anything. I explained that when I got my resident card I was told by the agent NOT to carry it incase I lost it and I had left Spain three weeks ago and never thought to bring it, something I accepted as being my error. My family DID think to bring theirs when they left Spain a week after me.

We asked for a supervisor, by this point my daughter and I were in tears. We went through it all again with him, the lady still demanding my husband and daughter make a decision about travel NOW. Another couple came, they didn't have their green Resident card either. They too were refused boarding. I hugged my daughter, told her she HAD to go to Spain with her dad because then they could get my card sent to me and I can come home. I looked at the supervisor and said "I feel like I'm in a bad disaster movie" He asked me something which I won't share here incase it breaches some security issue, I answered and he went to the barrier, unlocked it and said "Board the family". Our relief lasted less than a second....

"NO!...Call upstairs" said the lady as she grabbed it from him and locked it again. Meantime the couple who were refused were also trying to argue their case. Our supervisor called whoever he needed to call upstairs, answered a few questions and....."Board the family!" We were on. Him and some other guy were so apologetic for my experience, I explained that when I left Spain it wasn't a requirement to have my card. The female snapped "Well it is now!" she even told my daughter who was in bits that if it had been up to her, I wouldn't be allowed to travel. The ruling came into play on the day we flew to Alicante, it wouldn't have been relevant to me the day before. I could barely talk but thanked the gents and then the other couple joined us, having also been allowed to board. The lady refused their photographs of their Resident Cards but was over ruled on this one as well. Our dispatcher came and said "Let's get you out of here, folks" and swept us onto the plane. At this point I discovered there were ten people flying. Out of the ten, this lady did everything she could to prevent three of us from getting home on the LAST emergency flight to mainland Spain.

We couldn't really enjoy the flight as we weren't sure what would happen when we landed in Spain but suffice to say, I breezed through Passport control. On the flight we discovered that two other people had been denied boarding because they either didn't have their card or they don't actually have residency. The airline don't mention this requirement until you're ready to board.

Please, please, don't leave Spain without your resident card, I came home and took mine out of the drawer where it sat in solitary glory in a small compartment. (why my husband didn't think to bring it with him since he had his own is now a matter of domestic dispute!) It's in my wallet as I understand I need to carry it always. I came so close to being stuck away from home for weeks or months, with or without my family depending on the decision we might have had to make.

Sorry for rambling, I think I needed to get this out of my system and here seemed as good a place as any since I wanted to warn my fellow residents. If you are out of the country without your Resident card they did accept a photo of it from the couple so you could get a photo sent to you and hope you don't get the same woman I got. That said, maybe everyone else isn't the numpty that I was and didn't even think to bring it in the first place.

Stay safe!