I sorted mine in Valencia very recently.
Straight in, Straight out, absolutely No waiting at all, No problem.

Having said that, I did expect problems due to my previous residencia having been issued with the wrong number, however I had enough documentation with me to satisfy them.

I had actually been dreading it, as previously it had been necessary to queue all day, but it seems now that the Non EU applicants have to go to a different location, making life so much easier for the rest of us.

hello Dick - Thank you for your very useful comment.

Our solicitor yesterday wondered whether we could go to Valencia but then he is short staffed so he maybe won't have time to find out today and we might as well be useful in the queue just in case we get a ticket.

We might have to go to our "local" office. I might come back to you, if you don't mind, if we are not successful today.

Thanks again

When we went, we were with neighbours who's residencia card had run out. So they actually spent 3 hours waiting to find that they had to have more photos ... the answer I think is to take absolutely anything you can think of ... and in triplicate.

The alternative, as is done a lot (and if the standing is a problem), is to pay someone to do the leg work and to ring you when your number is almost being called.

Know about the paying someone, every man and his dog had done that yesterday. We are just off now.....

Yes done everything with photo copies etc. etc. thanks.

Wondering if this Valencian visit is an option. Looked on the British Embassy site and I take it is, but would be grateful if you could have a look and see how you interpret it.

Let you know whether we have been successful today

I thought you had to register at your local offices, but I may be wrong.
Fact of the matter is that by the time you have caught the train to Valencia, got to the office, and possibly stood in a similar queue, its probably just as easy to go early to Gandia and do it that way

We did ours in the Gandia office and were told that it should have been done at Alzira as that is local to us.

Rosemary

I live about 3 mins from Fuengirola but had to go to Torremolinos 15 mins to register.

We all know interpretation by officials varies, but in Fuengirola they will only deal with people living in their area, although 'living in' includes staying even briefly in an hotel.

Erm, 3 mins from the police station should equate as in the area.
They asked our address and gave us the paperwork to fill in and the bank payment form and made the appointment for a month later.
Everything went fine until he went to print out the green sheet and said he couldn`t do it as we came under Torre area.
Trip to Torre with all the paperwork including what he had done, have you got an appointment ?, erm yes at Fuengirola, the girl laughed and said why didn`t he just print it there, funny be we had the same thoughts we said.

Benalmadena ends at the boundary with Carvajal and this coincides with the (Fuengirola) National Police Boundary and the area policed by (Torremolinos) National Police.

I am surprised though that you able to make the appointment with Fuengirola as normally they would ask where you live and when you said Benalmadena they should have advised you to go the Torremolinos.

That is where I used to live, up the mountain from Carvajal beach/roundabout and I showed them my padron.

Got them, ticket numbers 38 and 39 so only just. A maximum number of tickets issued for interviews are 40 so it could have been worse. There were still one or two snitched into the queue but the lady in front who happened to be from American soon put em right lol

Mitzyboy, Jose Perez (Solicitor in Gandia) has just emailed to me to say that we couldn't have gone to Valencia anyway, only for NIE. Thanks for your help

Yes, thats what I thought
Well done, another nightmare job done and dusted

That is the dividing line. I guess you must pay your IBI etc to Benalmadena. In which case that is Torremolimos National Police Area.

Only just begun, chuck.

You know the underground car park near the big roundabout on the paseo in Gandia - there is an office (I think set up for foreigners) called Amigos - if you take all the paperwork to their office, they check to see if all the paperwork is in order and if its OK then you can go to the bank and pay for your residencia. Then with the receipt for your payment when you keep your appointment at the Police Station, you can show you have already paid.

If you do it the other way, have your interview, then get a receipt from the bank that you have paid, you have to then go back in the queue again to get another ticket for an appointment. Hope you understand this.

A girl we met who came from the Ukraine and has lived in Gandia for 10 years) told us to do this.

I forgot to tell you this.

Victor Tome in Gandia is going to do the Social Security bit for us, maybe have to pay but so what its less hassle. Then...... 6 weeks after the doctor has issued a request for an X Ray I can go to the hospital for it. Serves me right eh for not doing it before now.