Residency was one of the key areas covered in Tuesday’s Q&A with the British Ambassador and his team. Read on for clarification on two of the main questions:

Being correctly registered as resident: this currently means having the green A4 or credit card-sized certificate “certificado de registro”, which you get from extranjeria or the national police. The NIE on a white piece of paper is not the same thing. There is no difference in validity between the A4 certificate and the smaller one. It just reflects when you received it. If you are living in Spain but don’t yet have a green certificate, you need to register as a resident – before the UK leaves the EU if you can (appointments are available in many places) or during the transition or grace period of 21 months if you cannot.

Permanent residence: Some people have the phrase “residente comunitario desde x date” on their certificate, while others have “residente permanente desde x date”. Both mean that you are registered in Spain as a resident and able to live and work here. The “permanente” means that after living here for five years you have exchanged your previous certificate for a permanent one. This is not obligatory, but it authorises indefinite residence and work in Spain, under the same conditions as Spaniards. Whether your certificate says permanente or not you will be able to remain in Spain after Brexit.