Hi all.. just to share in case you don’t already know…

Our local town hall offers a great service of providing their official stamp on a photocopy of any important documents -
NIE, Certificate of Residency. Passport etc… To save you the worry of carrying around originals and possibly having the hassle (as we all know how long we qued/hoops we had to jump through to get these originals)..
So for the past 12 months we have been carrying ‘Official Copies’ of all our docs - Including Driving Licence and the log book/Permisso de Circulacion of our Sp reg car. 

I have just been advised by our Motor Gestor - that these latter docs (relating to our car) - are NOT ACCEPTABLE TO TRAFFICO/GUARDIA should one be stopped and asked for docs (as we know happens from time to time - although thankfully not since we had these copies done).  It seems that the only Govt body who can give CERTIFIED COPIES relating to our car/driving licences is Traffico themselves.
I did ask our Gestor if he would do this for us on his visit to Traffico, but he politely declined as when he had done it beofore - they lost the original documents - and it caused no end of problems.
He advised that if I were to be stopped with these unofficial copies - then I would be subject to a Euro 10 fine (per document?) - and also would have to report to Traffico with original within the time frame given.

We are thinking it is better to pay the fine than to run the risk of having to replace all our documents should we be unlucky to loose them/have them stolen.

Something new to learn everyday! 😉
sj

We ‘think’ the passport/residency cert copies are ok.. and so far, have not received any fines/serious negative reactions (although a friend did a while back as he only had a copy of his Residency card).
We are seriously thinking of pushing for an original Residency card (we were told we could not have one and had to accept the new green/paper certificate.. as which most of you will know is not good for nowt). We know we are ENTITLED to have one.. just how many hoops to jump thru again ...

Where have you read you are entitled to one? (Card)

Robi…
I was only told verbally by one of the nice interpretuers that work at our local (Nacional) police station (where residency applications are handled?)...That at the last ‘Dia de Andalucia’ (excuse my ignorance - Oct?)  that it was decreed that as foreign EU citizens living in Spain.. we will still be able to have the Tarjeta de Residencia that we had before.

I am about to make an appointment with the Policia Nacional (thankfully we have finally joined a civilized system where one does not have to que at 5am any more!!!)... and as I will be changing residential address, will get said interpretuer to come with me and to request a residency card. (I have been advised it can take anything from 6 months - 2yrs.. but I would prefer the card to the bit of paper that is hardly worth anything as you still have to carry ‘proof of id’ (i.e passport).

regards, sj

Hi - OK interesting - as far as I know (I had mine stolen and my Spanish wife insisted it was replaced but in Alicante they will NOT issue any more cards only the certs.) the cards have finished for good as part of an EU decree.

A Spanish driving licence is normally accepted as ID.

Keep us posted…......thanks.

The spanish residencia card is obsolete since about a year, i carry the same problem (I’m resident for more than 30 years!), right now i take a simply copy, as it’s the same “i”-legal paper as being stamped by townhall or any other oficial place. But i find cheaper in case the police complain to pay the fine than to loose the papers and have to take ages at gobierno civil again. With the car only take cure and take your original papers of the car, insurance and driver id, the residencia/personal id they don’t look too much at it if the rest of the papers are correct (Normally they check you have driver licence and car is insured).

Pieter.. you are 100% correct on the car documents (see my post somewhere about Traffico being the only people authorized to make legal copies of the car docs).

Update on Residency Card - old type.
Sad to say, that even if I go back and take up my original application - (It had to have been in before April 1st this year?)...
(I was given the bit of paper instead of the card)... I could demand a card.. BUT it will only be valid for 5 years from the original application date.  As it is already a year since I had the bit of paper, and nearly a year before that that I put in the application - then I don’t really want all the aggro of ques/demanding something that is only going to be valid for 2 or 3 years when I get it in my hand.
My source tells me that once these cards have expired (so latest anyone will ever have one is March 2012) - there will never been any again.  I see the UK are toying with the idea of ID cards.. if so.. roll on the day.. + I hope they would be vaild here like the other (more sensible) EU countires are where citizens have a national ID card.  (Sorry if I am sounding a bit ‘non PC’ in UK terms here- But really, what is the problem with carryng an ID card?!).

sj 😊