We attended the Open Day held in Puerto del Carmen on Wednesday. There were two important points raised during the discussion which residents should complete to help the local authorities and the British Consulate.....
1. Make sure that you have completed the emergency contact page in your passport. It's surprising how many people don't fill in this page with their next of kin details which leads to all sorts of delays in an emergency.
2. Register on the padrón if you live in Spain. The council are allocated funding according to the number of residents, so by registering as living in the area they can gain support to supply the necessary level of services required.
The following is a press release from the British Consulate.
The British Consulate and its partners present the most up to date information on the issues that matter most to British residents.
The “Open Day” events held on 30th and 31st January in Lanzarote and Tenerife were organised as part of a rolling programme to make Brits aware of their rights and obligations as residents in Spain.
British Consul General for the Southern European Network region of Consulates, Dave Thomas, was pleased to be present to open the events on each island. British Consul to the Canaries, Steve Jones, took the opportunity to explain how the Consulate can assist residents that find themselves in distressing circumstances and reiterated the Consulate’s role within the British community.
Department of Health representatives based in Madrid, Alexis Aguilera and Hannah Galloway, provided vital information regarding
recent Spanish healthcare reform and stressed the obligations of residents to always update both UK and Spanish authorities when their circumstances change. They also offered basic pension and benefit information on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
Mr. Jones said, “The community outreach events are an excellent way of ensuring our British residents get the right information from the right source. We continue to work closely with our local partners and authorities who have the knowledge and are able to deliver directly to British residents the most up to date information”
The panel of guest speakers in Los Cristianos included representatives from Tenerife South Citizen’s Information Office, legal firm De Cotta McKenna & Santafe and She Europe, while in Puerto del Carmen, presentations were given by the Mayor of Tías and the current Notary Public for Tías and Playa Blanca.
Alexis Aguilera said, “This was a great opportunity for us to reiterate important messages to the British community in the Canaries. In particular, registering correctly for healthcare and as soon as possible in order to avoid any delays in a medical emergency.”
Almost 42,000 British residents are registered with local authorities across the Canary Islands, however the Consulate estimate that figure to be closer to 80,000 with almost 50% of Brits not registering with their local town hall or foreigner’s office.
For all the most up to date information on the Consulate’s service, healthcare, pensions and benefits for residents, check out the quick links on ukinspain.gov.uk.