British Residents With a TIE Can Skip EES Queues at Alicante Airport

When Spain activated the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) this autumn, many British expats flying through Alicante Airport braced themselves for long queues and confusion. Almost immediately, social media forums lit up with questions: Do British residents holding a Spanish TIE have to use the new biometric machines like tourists?

The reassuring answer is that they do not - as long as they travel with their TIE card. The TIE, or Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, is the key document proving legal residence in Spain. It tells border officers that the holder is not a short-stay visitor, and as such, EES procedures do not apply.

EES is designed to monitor non-EU travellers entering and leaving the Schengen area. Instead of stamping passports, the system stores a visitor’s passport information, a photograph, fingerprints, and entry and exit dates. For tourists and other short-term visitors, EES automatically tracks the 90-days-in-any-180 limit and flags overstays.

For residents, the system should not be a concern. Anyone presenting a TIE alongside their passport is meant to pass through the EU/residents lane, avoiding the biometric kiosks entirely. The residence card, not the passport, determines status at the border.

In practice, however, Alicante Airport has seen some confusion. Staff under pressure have directed some UK passport holders toward the EES machines regardless of residency status. Some TIE holders have been processed through the system or received unnecessary stamps.

Authorities stress that any accidental EES processing or stamping does not affect a person’s legal right to live in Spain. The TIE remains the definitive proof of residency. However, if you do use the EES by mistake or are forced to do so by border officers, make sure you keep your boarding pass in case of future confusion. 

British residents flying into or out of Alicante are advised to keep their TIE handy, present it clearly alongside their passport, and calmly explain that EES does not apply to residents if challenged. With a little preparation, crossing the border can be as smooth as it has always been for Costa Blanca residents.