Already resident before 2021
If you were already living in Spain when 2020 ended, and registered or can prove it, the Withdrawal Agreement protects you. Your status shows on a TIE that mentions the Agreement. Anyone still holding only the old green certificate can swap it for that card, which means fingerprints at a police office that issues cards.
Keep the proof of your life here before 2021 — padrón history, rental contracts, utility bills, tax returns. It is the evidence an exchange or a late application relies on.
New arrivals from the UK
A British citizen moving to the island today follows the rules for third-country nationals: a visa from the Spanish consulate in the UK before the move (non-lucrative, work, study, family or the international remote-work route), then the TIE after arrival. Without one, a stay is a visit under the Schengen rule of 90 days in any 180.
Buying property does not change that, and the golden visa that once linked the two ended in 2025.
Owning, not living
Owners who come for the winter and go home still need a NIE for the purchase, the bills and the non-resident tax return. They request it with form EX-15 as non-residents, either at a consulate in the UK or at a police office on the island with a cita previa.
On Tenerife
Many British residents of Tenerife live in the south, in Arona, Adeje and Los Cristianos, while TIE issue is listed at the Santa Cruz police office and not at the Comisaría Sur in Adeje. Exchanging a green certificate therefore often means two trips north, one for the fingerprints and one for the card. A NIE request for a non-resident owner, on the other hand, can be booked in Adeje.
Questions on this topic
My green certificate dates from before Brexit. Is it still valid?
Yes, it still proves your Agreement rights. The authorities nonetheless recommend the card, and airport staff and bank clerks recognise it far more readily.
Can I work on the island with a UK passport?
Only with an authorisation that allows it. Withdrawal Agreement residents can; newcomers need a visa or permit that includes work.
Does the 90-day rule apply if I own a house here?
Yes. Ownership is not residence. Without a visa or a TIE, the 90 days in any 180 apply to your time in the whole Schengen area.