As many members of this group are starting to arrive in Spain, I thought it would be a good idea to have a master post for TIE guidance and FAQs to avoid multiple threads on the same subject.

In this post, I will assume that this is your first visa and first TIE (not a renewal).

2024 EDIT: The guide below is still valid for this year. There is one main difference now: they have changed the appointment booking website to request a NIE in order to book a TIE appointment. So, if you don't have a NIE printed on your visa, you will have to obtain it in order to book the TIE appointment.

On the appointment-booking website ("cita previa", linked below), select your province and then "Toma de Huella". Usually, at this point, you will see a screen with some instructions. In most provinces now, there will be an email address in there where you can send a photo of your visa and they will reply with your NIE number.

Once you have your NIE, proceed with the guide as normal.

Do I need a TIE?

If you are staying longer than 6 months, you need a TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero). The TIE will show your residency status and NIE number, and you will use it in Spain as well as to travel in and out of the country.

Technically, you have to apply for your TIE within 30 days of entering Spain. Practically, this is not enforced, as authorities are aware that it takes people a long time to arrange all of the documents and book the necessary appointments.

The TIE is applied for at the CNP (Cuerpo de Policía Nacional).

What documents do I need?

When you go to your appointment, you need to take the following with you:

• Form EX-17
• Paid tax 790-012
• Passport sized photo
• Original passport and copy of your ID page and visa page
• Empadronamiento

Let’s break it down:

Form EX17:

Can be downloaded from the official website here. You need to fill in sections 1 and 4.

For the tick boxes, there are instructions on the final page of the form explaining what the letters stand for.

On the second page, you want to put in your name on the top, select “TARJETA INICIAL” in 4.1, and sign in the box at the bottom.

The date format is “[PLACE], a [DAY] de [MONTH] de [YEAR]”.

Paid tax 790-012:

This is a unique form that you must generate online and print. Visit this website and fill in the form. Select the option that says “TIE que documenta la primera concesión de la autorización de residencia temporal, de estancia o para trabajadores transfronterizos.”

The amount shown should be 16.08€. Select “en efectivo” so that you will pay that amount with cash.

Click “Descargar impreso rellenado” once you’re done and it will show you 4 pages. You need to print the first 3 and take all of them to a bank. Some banks only process tax payments on certain days/times, so give yourself time to sort it out as you need to pay this before your appointment.

You can pay any time; the payment doesn’t expire for years, so you can do this as soon as you’re able.

The bank will give you back two of the three pages; one is for you, and the other one is for the Police to keep. Sometimes they also give you a little slip “receipt” for your payment. Take everything with you for your appointment.

Passport sized photo:

Best to do this in Spain, as their “passport size” is not necessarily the same as your home country. Some Police stations are equipped with little machines that can cut photos to the right size, but some aren’t.

Original passport + photocopies:

Self explanatory!

Doesn’t have to be a colour copy, but don’t forget as many offices refuse to take photocopies these days.

Empadronamiento (also known as padrón):

Arguably this is the most time consuming thing to acquire. This is “proof of address” and is obtained from the town hall (Ayuntamiento) where you are living.

Small towns usually have small ayuntamientos where you can just show up without an appointment, but most larger towns and cities require you to have an appointment (“cita previa”).

Arrange this as soon as you can, as in large cities (like Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona…) the appointment might be weeks away.

To go on the padrón registry, you need to take your passport and proof of where you’re staying - most commonly, your rental contract.

Be aware - some places are rented illegally and the landlord doesn’t want you to go on the padrón. Sometimes they explicitly state this in the ad, sometimes only when you ask. This will be an issue for obtaining the TIE. So do try to ask if you’re allowed to padrón when you are looking for places to rent.

Once you have your appointment and submit your request for the empadronamiento, it can be anything from a couple of days to a few weeks before you can go back to the Ayuntamiento and receive your “volante/certificado de empadronamiento”. This document is what you need for your TIE.

How do I book an appointment?

Appointments for TIEs can only be booked online through the official “cita previa” website.

Unfortunately here the webpage can vary a bit depending on which province you select on the first page. Note that you must apply in the province you are residing in, and that this website is known not to work from outside of Spain.

For example, let’s pick Barcelona.

In the next page, it will have two drop-downs - other provinces may have three.

You can ignore “Selecciona oficina”.

See “TRÁMITES POLICÍA NACIONAL” and open the drop down. The appointment you want to book is “POLICIA-TOMA DE HUELLA (EXPEDICIÓN DE TARJETA)”.

Go forward on the page with instructions.

It will then ask you for your NIE or Passport number, full name and country of nationality.

Go forward and click the red button “Solicitar cita”.

Now you will have the drop-down with the various offices again. You can select the one that suits you best, but be aware that that one might not have available appointments and other ones will. So, be ready to get very comfortable on this webpage as you’ll likely have to do this many times before you find an available appointment!

To book the appointment, you’ll have to have a Spanish phone number where they can text you a confirmation code that you then put into the website to confirm the booking.

Note: in some places it’s very hard to get an appointment. It’s a bit like you probably did for your consulate/visa appointment - you have to keep trying on different days, at different times. Similarly, some places will offer appointments for the same week, some will give you a date weeks in advance. Trial and error, but don’t give up: it’s really important to get your TIE done.

What’s the appointment like?

In my region, usually there’s an officer at the door confirming you have an appointment. They then give you a number and you wait to be called.

At the little desk, you give all your documents and the officer/person will scan your fingerprints and ask for a signature to go with your photograph.

You are then given a “Resguardo de solicitud” which is your proof that you have applied.

How long will it take?

Generally, you can go back to collect your TIE in 30-40 days. They usually let you know at the appointment.

Your “Resguardo de solicitud” will have a LOTE number for your card; some CNP offices are well organised and they make the current available LOTE number public. Most places will have it printed on an A4 taped to the front door.

To collect your TIE, you have to use the “cita previa” website again, only this time you need to select “POLICIA - RECOGIDA DE TARJETA DE IDENTIDAD DE EXTRANJERO (TIE)”. Usually these appointments are super easy to come by.

The police will keep your card longer than 40 days if you don’t collect it, but they won’t keep it forever. So do remember to go and pick it up!

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FAQ:

1. My visa doesn’t have a NIE on it. What do I do?

You don’t have to do anything special; if you were not assigned a NIE with your visa, they will give you one on your TIE. In the EX17 form, just fill in the Passport section and leave the NIE blank.

1. Do I NEED an empadronamiento for the TIE?

Yes. The TIE will have your address on it, your EX17 will have your address on it, and they confirm this by looking at your empadronamiento.

Some people have said that they managed to do it without, but that is a fluke. Don’t risk wasting your CNP appointment because you don’t have all the papers: get your padrón first.

1. My visa is only valid for 90 days! Will my TIE be valid for the whole year?

Yes. It is quite common for the visa in your passport to be only for 90 days/3 months, when actually you’re expected to stay for the whole school year. Don’t worry. The TIE will show the correct dates.

1. I can’t find a Toma de Huella appointment to save my life and it’s been almost a month since I got here. Will I get in trouble?

No, don’t worry. This is totally normal. Just keep trying and do it as soon as you are able. It might be helpful sometimes to go in person to the police station to ask the guard; they sometimes give you good tips on how to book an appointment (for example, they might tell you that appointments for that office come out only on Thursdays at 1pm).

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Hopefully this helps many of you that are going to get their first TIE this year. If you have any more questions or doubts, please leave a comment on this post!

As the holidays approach and people want to leave Spain to go home or visit Europe, we're getting an incredible amount of posts about Regresos/TIEs etc. In order not to have 500 posts asking the exact same question, I invite everyone to please use the search function as it's very likely that it's already been asked and answered unless it's a very special situation.

Thank you.