OPINION: Spain forcing British residents to use the Entry/Exit System would be a slap in the face 

The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is meant to modernise travel, streamline passport checks and make Europe’s borders more secure. 

In Spain, so far at least, the rollout has been mired by conflicting instructions and episodes of chaos – with travellers reporting hours-long queues at major airports during peak travel times.

And amid all the confusion, it’s British residents who live here legally, pay taxes and contribute to the economy who seem to be getting the shortest end of the stick.

This week, I have been trying to clarify one very simple question: Do British residents with TIE cards need to use the EES machines, or can they skip it by joining the EU queue at passport control? 

While the answer should be clear, consistent and nationwide, alas, it is not. 

Spain’s Interior Ministry told me that all British passport holders must use the EES machines, whether they hold a TIE or not. 

In their view, British nationals are third-country travellers, full stop. 

The Policia Nacional in Alicante agrees (on paper at least), telling me bluntly that Brits are ‘not EU citizens’ and therefore have no access to the EU line.

Yet down on the Costa del Sol, the Policia Nacional in Malaga is claiming the exact opposite.

The force told me that British residents with a TIE card can use the EU citizens’ queue.

It comes as dozens of British residents have contacted us to say they were directed into the EU queue at Alicante Airport last week – the same airport where such a practice is supposed to be forbidden.

For holidaymakers, the confusion is annoying, but for tax-paying British residents, it feels like a slap in the face. 

We live here legally, contribute to the system, own homes and businesses – yet we are funnelled into the same queues as tourists arriving for a long weekend.

And Lord knows we pay our fair dues in taxes.

If Spain insists on treating us exactly the same as short-term visitors or non-residents, then what exactly is the point of having a TIE card? 

It was sold as the document that proves legal residence and guarantees rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. 

Yet at the border, where such rights matter most, its value seems to depend entirely on the whims of the airport you’re flying through.

Making us use the EES is a lack of respect for those who have built their lives here and followed all the painful red tape rules that Spain has set for us. 

We deserve clarity, consistency and a fairer system that recognises our status.