TIE after your visa is approved

Approval is not the finish line. The single most useful document now is the one you already have: the visa and the approval resolution. It tells you three things that govern everything that follows: the route (study, work, family, telework and so on differ), the effective date your deadlines count from, and often explicit next-step instructions.

For a full explanation of how the TIE, NIE and your authorization relate to each other, see our TIE guide.

As a general rule, yes, where your visa or authorization permits remaining in Spain for more than six months. Short authorized stays generally do not lead to a TIE, and EU/EEA/Swiss citizens follow the EU registration route instead. The authorization type stated in your resolution is what decides it.

The application is normally made in person by the holder. The general rule is a period of one month, counted depending on the case from entry into Spain, from the grant of the authorization, or from the date it takes effect.

Where the route involves employment, registration with Social Security is typically part of the sequence and may need to have happened before the card application, with evidence produced at the appointment.

Minors, cases handled through a representative and certain specific routes have their own arrangements. Where you cannot attend personally, check the applicable rule for your case rather than assuming a representative is accepted.

1. Approval. The authorization is granted. Nothing physical exists yet.
2. Entry. You travel to Spain with the visa. For many routes this is where the deadline starts running.
3. Padrón. Registration of your habitual address in the municipality. Some police units request the padrón certificate; requirements vary locally.
4. Appointment. A cita previa for fingerprinting ("toma de huellas") at the competent police unit — look for it as soon as your deadline starts, since availability varies by province and no date can be guaranteed.
5. Fingerprints. You attend in person with the document pack and the paid fee, and the card is requested.
6. Collection. The card is produced and collected, generally in person, as instructed at the fingerprint appointment. If your route allows travel before collection, check whether you need an Autorización de Regreso to re-enter without your card.

Confusing stage 1 with stage 6 is the classic mistake: people assume approval already gave them a card, and only discover otherwise when a bank, employer or landlord asks for it.

The exact list depends on the route and on the police unit, but a core pack is common:

• The relevant official application form, completed and signed.
• A valid passport or travel document, plus copies.
• Evidence of the visa or of the approved authorization, where applicable.
• A recent passport-format photograph meeting the stated specification.
• Proof of payment of the corresponding fee.
• Evidence of Social Security registration, where the route requires it.
• Any route-specific document named in your resolution or in the appointment instructions.

Details on the card are wrong. Report the error to the issuing unit as soon as you notice it, with your documents. Do not wait for a renewal to correct name, date or authorization data.

The deadline is close and there is no appointment. Keep evidence of your search attempts and continue looking; explain the situation at the unit where you are directed. Letting the period lapse silently is worse than documenting the difficulty.

The card is lost, stolen or damaged. There is a separate procedure for replacement, generally with a report and a new fee. The underlying authorization is unaffected by losing the plastic.

Your authorization changes. Changing route, employer type or status can require a modification of the authorization first. The card follows the authorization, never the other way round.

• Ministry of the Interior — Foreign National Identity Card (TIE)
• Ministry of the Interior — immigration application forms

Official requirements and appointment procedures can change. Check with the competent authority before filing.