Resident discount

[willie5094]

Has anyone travelled to mainland Spain recently using the residents discount of 75% of travel either with or without the certificate. I am under the impression you need to get a certificate from your town hall which I have done pre Brexit. I tried getting the certificate at the town hall in Caleta and in Antigua to be told you need 5 years residency.

I have been on both Iberia and Vueling websites and all they ask that you have a Residence Certificate, could this be the Empadron.

I am intrigued as to who sets this 5 year residency rule.

[Johnrgby]

Has anyone travelled to mainland Spain recently using the residents discount of 75% of travel either with or without the certificate. I am under the impression you need to get a certificate from your town hall which I have done pre Brexit. I tried getting the certificate at the town hall in Caleta and in Antigua to be told you need 5 years residency.

I have been on both Iberia and Vueling websites and all they ask that you have a Residence Certificate, could this be the Empadron.

I am intrigued as to who sets this 5 year residency rule.

Hi Willie, I think it is something to do with the new T.I.A. if you have been here less than 5 years it says on it clearly temporary, and I have heard this discussed previously with no one having a definitive answer,previosly all you needed as you are probably aware was a travel empadron, but I believe that has now changed.

[Cotillo_Tom]

The Empadron and the Travel Voucher are two different certificates.  Previously they were issued to residents (ie Green Card  holders) but since the TIA arrived, only those with permanent residency (over 5 years) will get them, unfortunately.  

I understood that this had been raised with the British Consulate and that they were making representations to the Spanish authorities, but I've heard no more about the outcome. 

Unfortunately, yet another effect of Brexit. 

Tom.

[willie5094]

I wonder who actually made the ruling in the first place, would love to see a copy of it.

There is nothing on either Iberia or Vueling website asking for a travel doc only NIE number and Municipality, so if your aren't aware of this so called travel doc that I have just been refused twice you would be none the wiser and just tick Resident Discount thinking your T.I.E would be sufficient for travel, it was only word of mouth 3 years ago that I heard of so called Travel Doc, incidentaly we have had one in the past 2 years ago whilst travelling to Madrid and we weren't even asked to produce it.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

My understanding is that nothing has changed at a national level - resident's discount is still available to residents who are registered on their local Padron. However, different Ayuntamientos are applying their own ideas - what's new? 🤣 - when you apply for your Travel Empadron. When they grant it the info is recorded on a database called SARA.

When you go to book travel and are asked the Resident question, if you say Yes, your travel provider checks the SARA database. If it finds a match (NIE and full name) it approves the Resident discount and you don't have to produce the paper Travel Empadron. If it doesn't match (quite common because of the way British names are made up differently to Spanish ones, in general) the travel system will tell you that you need to present your paper Travel Empadron along with your proof of Residency (TIE or Green thing) when you go to travel. Failure to do this means your fare resorts to full price.


Just found this on Janet Anscombe:

 Following several questions lately about the rights of British Nationals to a travel discount certificate from local councils after Brexit, it’s best to post about the situation, which is one of some confusion. Since the Empadronamiento para Viajar certificate (viaje), which provides travel and other discounts, is governed by EU regulation, it is covered by EU law. As such it is for legal residents within the EU.
Some councils seem to understand this and are issuing viajes to those on the padrón who can provide a Registro or TIE to show that they’ve registered with the Police, which is the only confirmation of legal residence. Others are requiring the registration document to be permanent, showing someone has been here more than five years and so with permanencia. Others are saying they’ll give viajes to anyone on the padrón whether or not they’ve registered with the Police. Yet others are saying that the system does not cover British nationals because the UK has left the EU. One council is saying yes to British nationals with an old Registro but not to those with a new TIE because that’s a third-country nationals’ document!
It is therefore a rather chaotic situation and currently something of a postcode lottery. Legally, anyone who can show residence that has been registered with the Police should be entitled – even if their registration is only five minutes old, and as both UK and Spanish Governments have previously confirmed, legal registration documents are either the old Registro or the new TIE. It is a different matter, however, getting that entitlement when faced with a council gatekeeper’s refusal. We’ll post any information that becomes available as the situation becomes clearer.

[windermeregolfer]

When we first used the Armas / FRS ferry to get from the mainland to Fuerteventura in September '18 we booked at the office in Corralejo producing the paper document obtained at the Town Hall in Caleta and got our discount.  For the return Journey in the following March we had got our Green Cards and showed those and got the discount no problem.  Since then I have booked online, including this last March '21, giving my NIE and got the discount so we are obviously in the system.  It will be interesting to see what happens when we book for this coming September / October.