& maybe not so long before we can get a European ID card

We followed Freds advice right at the beginning of this thread and registered for updates, that allows you to apply and we did immediately the Packs arrived at our UK correspondance address yesterday!

oh, so has MK now been included, or will they just issue your cards if/when it is?

I guess as a non-resident I can't register for updates - I know it gives the option of a 'no' but you still have to put in a postcode - which I can't

When can I use my card?

Your identity card offers a safe and convenient way to help prove your age or identity in a number of everyday situations:

• As a passport when you’re travelling within the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland (National Identity Card only)
• When you want to open a bank account or apply for a loan or mortgage
• When you’re signing a contract (for example, for a mobile phone or car hire)
• When you want to buy age-restricted items, such as alcohol, DVDs or video games
• When you want to go to clubs or watch films with age restrictions
• When you start a new job (by law, your new employer has to verify your identity)
• When you apply for government services, such as housing benefits, tax and National Insurance, and healthcare.

Just read this on the official UK ID site. Must sign off now the washing will be done and apoligies for any spelling goofs doing this in the Monte Gordo internet cafe in Hat Scarf and Gloves. It is unseasonally cold here!

As a resident of the UK, and a Spanish property owner, I am against the I.D. card.
As has been stated earlier in this post the initial proposed cost of the card was over £100. The cost of one of the new British Passports is quickly approaching £100. Both these forms of I.D. will soon have upon them your biometric details and other sensitive information. This information is what most of the UK population is agagainst As unfortunately we cannot and probably will never trust our Government, to keep the details private, or not sell them off the others.
As for I.D. most people carry I.D document all the time, (credit cards, debit cards etc.) Unfortunately these documents are not sufficient for use with official bodies, and are certainly not accepted in Spain.
I have for years wondered why we do not have our photos on the back of our credit cards, one bank used to years ago. As this would prevent a lot of CC fraud.(but then the banks would lose money on CC fraud protection)
Unfortunately the UK ID card will take a great many years to become commonly carried by the UK population as why should we pay £100 for the priprivilegeGranted they are only £30 now, but just like anything else once the UK Govt can state there is a need for the card the price will rise rapidly.
I used to carry my Passport with me when in Spain, now I only carry my UK drivers licence. I will in future carry a reduced sized copy of my passport, but like previous posters find it inconvenient to carry my passport.
What is the fine for not carrying an official ID card or Passport?
Would your vehicle be impounded by Police if you did not have your Passport with you?

Passport should always be carried as it might not be your vehicle that gets impounded, but you.
It could be tricky getting someone to get your passport from where it is stored to the police station before you are released.

I would like a European passport and a European ID card. Then I would be just like any other European with the same rights and obligations. I could live anywhere I wanted in Europe and receive equal treatment before the law. What is so hard about that?
My American wife could get a European passport as well (as things stand, she must get a British passport - living in the UK (!!) for seven years to do so) - or perhaps a Spanish passport.
This is because we (displaced Europeans) have no one to represent us, beyond the occasional likes of exceptional MEPs working beyond their purview like Michael Cashman, or Willy Meyer or Marta Andreasen (due to visit Andalucía soon to check into the thousands of 'illegal homes' here).

When I took this up with the British Embassy, Passport section, re the problem of not having your passport when you must send it when renewing, they accepted that a person could fund themselves in a police station without their only legal ID but that it would be 'no problem' because the police could call them and they would sort it.

It just so happened, that when they sent me that info it was a long weekend-puente. They did not give a satisfactory answer about what one would do then, or 'out of hours' other that sit in the cell and wait.

Lenox, I don't agree with you on the 7 years in UK, I think it is 3, and a Spanish one can be applied for by an American after 10 years here, but they are not, I believe, allowed to hold dual nationality not only by Spain but also USA.

Not having anyone to represent us, I am fully with you. It's appalling that almost any time I try to raise something with the UK Gov I get 'ignored' because I don't live in UK. When I try to get an MP to help, as I don't have a UK address, again they don't want to know.

Why are you surprised by that? An MP's job is to represent the people of his constituency in Parliament. It's not his job to spend time sorting out problems of disgruntled expats that have nothing to do with his constituency.

But we can vote in General elections can't we!

For a period of up to fifteen years after first registering for an overseas vote, I believe,so yes, you have as much of a UK voice as any UK resident.
This talk about 'displaced Europeans' --Bosnians? Albanians? ----or does the poster who wrote this mean British, German etc. immigrants to Spain -----is nonsensical. EU rules apply to all EU nationals who freely choose to reside in another EU state (aka immigrants).
Whether or not you feel that your opinion will be taken notice of by Governments of any political persuasion or nationality depends on your experience and degree of cynicism.

I'm British and have lived in Spain for (longer than 15 years). I'm European. But, I can't vote in national elections - anybody's national elections - or in regional elections.
Now, you might say 'boo hoo' to that, but it does mean that people like me have no political representation, and if there is no one to speak for us (there are, apparently, 13 million 'displaced Europeans' floating around in Europe by the way), then nobody will speak for us.
Certainly not our English language free-sheets (The Olive Press an honorable exception)...

No Taxation without representation

I pay taxes in UK so I don't think it unreasonable that the British Administration should have some interest in me and people like me. My taxes help pay the MPs.

I also pay taxes in Spain, where I am very important in my municipality, but only for a short time, in the run up to the local elections, in which I have a vote.

Can we please get back to the issue of UK ID cards in Spain.

I have already started a new thread about citizenship from posts on this thread.

If you wish to discuss matters such as the right to vote etc please start another thread or it will all get far too complicated.