TIE (non-EU residency card)
Please note: this article is only relevant for citizens of non-EU countries
The packages below also apply to British citizens who are
converting their NIE to TIE, or who need to replace a lost TIE.
For EU citizens, please see this page.
You have fallen in love with Barcelona and decided that you want to move here to come and live for 1 year on a non-lucrative visa, student visa, work permit, etc. Or you met someone special from an EU country and you are planning to get married and need to obtain permanent residency. The process of getting your legal residency, or TIE (non-EU residency card) can be quite tricky, as the different Spanish consulates in different countries/regions have varying requirements. Most of the information available online is either outdated or not relevant to the consulate where you will be applying for your visa. This is why our recommendation would be to avoid looking for information on the internet and instead making an appointment with the consulate closest to you. They can explain exactly what the requirements would be and can usually give you accurate, updated information.
What are the requirements?
In most cases, one of the requirements would be to show that you have medical insurance that fully covers you, as well as sufficient funds to cover you during your stay. In case you would like to open a Spanish bank account and obtain good, affordable insurance even before you apply for the visa, we can gladly recommend a very professional team of banking consultants who speak English and can assist you with everything you need.
What happens next?
Once you have submitted all your paperwork to the consulate, there is usually a waiting period of around 2-3 weeks until your visa is approved. Some of our clients from the West Coast in the USA have reported getting their visas approved within a week. Others from the East Coast had to wait close to a month. With this in mind, our advice would be to plan carefully and hope for the best but plan for the worst, especially since requirements change on a frequent basis and you might need to provide supporting documents for your visa to eventually be approved. Also keep in mind that you will have to leave your passport and the Spanish consulate during this time. Therefore, unless you have other means of identification that you are sure will be acceptable for travel, try to stay as close to home as possible – especially since there is always the small possibility that you might need to provide extra paperwork and would need to be nearby and available to do so.
When you get your visa, the NIE (foreigner’s ID number) will already be printed on your visa. This number will typically start with the letter Y, followed by a series of 7 numbers and another letter. This number will be used to identify you in Spain and will remain yours for life – regardless of what your residency status changes to in the future.
Most of our customers have reported that they were either told by the consulate, or given a paper explanation that they simply need to go to a “police station” to request the residency card. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.
Your visa is typically valid for 90 days, and you are expected to apply for the TIE (non-EU residency card) within the first 30 days. In our experience they are not too strict on the 30-day period, as long as you request the card before the 90 days are up.
How can we help?
We have assisted people from all over the world with obtaining the residency cards as easily and stress-free as possible. From the first appointment up until the confirmation of application for the card, we are there every step of the way to make sure you have the right paperwork and that you are fully prepared so that you don’t have to repeat the process or miss the deadline.
Please note that we can not guarantee specific dates for appointments, as they are determined electronically.
PLEASE NOTE: Depending on which office your appointment will be at, you may need another appointment to collect your residency card roughly 6 weeks after your appointment. In this case we can quote you separately for booking this appointment.
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* All prices exclude IVA (VAT) of 21%. With the exception of the “VIP Plan”, all cancelled appointments can be rescheduled (if required) at an additional cost of €60 (excl VAT). We do not offer refunds (full or partial) in case of cancellation. A separate tax for the NIE application is applicable for each applicant which is not included in the fee. We do however prepare the document for the applicant who can pay the tax at the bank before his/her appointment.