# Tie(tarjeta de identidad de extranjero)



## njnj (Mar 31, 2018)

Hola , 

I will be in Spain soon , don't know exactly which city and I have to apply for TIE card . I am hearing different cities have different processing time to acquire TIE 3-4 weeks to 3-4 months ? I am also reading here and there that this process sometimes become complicated depends on from which city a person applies for TIE . 

Anybody has experience or knowledge or any suggestion in this regard ? Anybody can say which city or province is easier and faster to get your TIE card for a new comer to Spain ?

Thanks
nj


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Not sure what you mean by TIE? Sounds made up to me. Foreigners don't have identity cards with photos. You have a number NIE and you might have a green plastic card stating your residence. Nothing else. Might be wrong


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

kaipa said:


> Not sure what you mean by TIE? Sounds made up to me. Foreigners don't have identity cards with photos. You have a number NIE and you might have a green plastic card stating your residence. Nothing else. Might be wrong


Certainly NOT made up.


You may know a TIE as residencia - it's what a non-EU citizen must apply for to gain residency in Spain. It's an identity card with a photo and fingerprint just like the DNI for Spanish citizens.


What you are talking about is ONLY for EU citizens


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

njnj said:


> Hola ,
> 
> I will be in Spain soon , don't know exactly which city and I have to apply for TIE card . I am hearing different cities have different processing time to acquire TIE 3-4 weeks to 3-4 months ? I am also reading here and there that this process sometimes become complicated depends on from which city a person applies for TIE .
> 
> ...


You have to apply for your TIE at the foreigner's office that corresponds to your place of residence. You can't pick and choose which office you'll apply at.

But are you saying that you'd like to pick your place of residence based on which foreigner's office processes the application the fastest/is the easiest to deal with? The problem with that is that I don't think anyone can give you that information. It so often depends on who you speak to the day you go, and also on how much work they happen to have when you apply. My suggestion is that you should live where you want to live, and not worry about the foreigner's office.

The last time I applied was 7 years ago, too long ago for my experience to be of any help to you now.

If you arrive with your visa issued from a Spanish consulate, your TIE application should be pretty easy and straightforward. They wouldn't give you the visa if you didn't have everything you needed to get your residency (basically proof of means of support and health insurance). The one thing you will need to get once here is an empadronamiento, which is a certificate from the town hall that verifies that you live at a particular address in that town. To get the empadronamiento you will have to show the town hall a rental contract. You will need the empadronamiento when you apply for your TIE.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

kalohi said:


> To get the empadronamiento you will have to show the town hall a rental contract. You will need the empadronamiento when you apply for your TIE.


FYI - some places now require TIE / residency before you can go on the padron. That is, you need to prove that you are a permanent resident in Spain first.


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## Ifn (Jan 29, 2017)

njnj said:


> Hola ,
> 
> I will be in Spain soon , don't know exactly which city and I have to apply for TIE card . I am hearing different cities have different processing time to acquire TIE 3-4 weeks to 3-4 months ? I am also reading here and there that this process sometimes become complicated depends on from which city a person applies for TIE .
> 
> ...


I’m from the US. I got the tarjeta a month ago in Madrid. One hurdle in Madrid was that you had to make the appointment, the cita, online. It took a lot of time to do that but I did eventually get an appointment. 
I’ll back up: to get the tarjeta extranjera I had to have the padrón (also needs an online appointment scheduled but easier to get). To get the padrón, this is in Madrid, you have to bring your lease to show where you are living and other papers. You get the Padrón immediately.
Then when I finally made the tarjeta appointment, I arranged all the forms. There is a LOT of confusion since the number of the form (EX 18, EX 16, etc) seems to change constantly...although it is essentially the same form. I paid someone to help me with the forms because I didn’t understand some of the legalize. Expensive but I didn’t want to have to go through the procedure of getting an appointment all over again. You have to have the Padrón, passport, various forms, photos, maybe a copy of your plane ticket if you went through customs in a different country. I was fingerprinted and approved and had to come back in one week for the card in just one week. 
In most cities you’ll need to make an online appointment. Hopefully it isn’t as hard to do as in Madrid.
Some thoughts: you have to get the tarjeta within a certain period of time of arriving in Spain. At least US citizens do. 90 days from arrival. In Madrid, as I said, you need a residence to get the padrón and you need the padrón to get the tarjeta.
Hope this helps. Yes it was a wee bit nerve wracking but it did get done!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> FYI - some places now require TIE / residency before you can go on the padron. That is, you need to prove that you are a permanent resident in Spain first.


That's only EU citizens.

Non-EU have to register on the padron before they can get the TIE


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> That's only EU citizens.
> 
> Non-EU have to register on the padron before they can get the TIE


Not everywhere.


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## njnj (Mar 31, 2018)

*Tie(tarjeta de identidad de extrangero)*

Hello , 
I am learning a lot from all you good people replies and comments - Thank you

One question : Applying for TIE( RESIDENCIA) card for a new comer to Spain can be done from almost every city ? big or small ? if I reside in a say smaller city , then their local police stations will not deal with this issue and send me to the capital of each province or other nearby city to apply ? 
Is there any website to say which police stations? where ? in Spain accept application for NIE/TIE/residency and visa issues for expats ? 

Thanks if any body has any suggestion and advise . 

nj


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Here is a list of all the foreigner's offices in Spain. Not all foreigner's offices accept TIE applications. You can see what procedures can be done at each office by clicking on the link for for each region.


Extranjería en las Delegaciones del Gobierno:: Secretaría de Estado para las Administraciones Territoriales ::


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## njnj (Mar 31, 2018)

*Tie(tarjeta de identidad de extrangero)*

Hello , 

Anybody can answer :
TIE cards for expats do expire ? how often ? every year ?
In order to update and renew it , do you need to stay in Spain or prove that you were residing in Spain for that period of one year ? ( if it is yearly renewal ) 
Thanks
nj


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

njnj said:


> Hello ,
> 
> Anybody can answer :
> TIE cards for expats do expire ? how often ? every year ?
> ...


nj,

You keep opening new threads about the same subject!! Why don't you ask these questions in the thread you've already started??

Steve


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

njnj said:


> Hello ,
> 
> Anybody can answer :
> TIE cards for expats do expire ? how often ? every year ?
> ...


I believe that the first one is usually valid for a year - perhaps the second one is too. It might depend on the visa issued. I do know people with non-lucrative visas who had to renew after one year.

You don't have to stay for the entire year, in that you are allowed to take trips, but if you leave for more than 6 months it's invalid, so I imagine there are some kind of checks made when you renew.

I do know that when you renew you again have to prove that you fulfil financial & healthcare requirements.


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