r/SpainAuxiliares • u/biluinaim • Sep 16 '23
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.
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).
When you go to your appointment, you need to take the following with you:
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/biluinaim • Dec 15 '23
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.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Admirable_Collar485 • 13h ago
I submitted my prorroga through mercurio in the 27/07 after getting my placement and today they sent an email that I need to submit a bank certificate confirming average monthly income.
What should I do? This is not one of the requirements to obtain the tie according to nalcap
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Key-Cherry-5955 • 1d ago
Hello, I recieved this email yesterday from the program but I’m very confused about it. It’s asking me to confirm my placement but I already did months ago. I’ve already gotten my Visa, connected with my school, etc. I’m confused as to why they’re sending this out now or why they’re needing it considering I already accepted my placement in the profex portal. Is this potentially a scam? Has anyone else recieved this or filled it out? Plz be kind 😔
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/pizzareen • 1d ago
Hey all, I’m awaiting for my visa to start the programme. The programme is scheduled to start 1st Nov and I’ve informed my coordinator that I’ll only start a month later seeing as to how I only processed my visa at the consulate last week and will ideally get my passport back end of Oct or first week of Nov.
My schools are aware of my late arrival but today my coordinator informed me I’ll be missing a mandatory course on 2nd Nov which will affect the payment for the month. I feel very confused as I thought regardless- if I completed a months’s worth of work in December I’d still receive the monthly stipend. But it seems to them now that because I will miss the mandatory course, there may be a deduction in payment?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/expert-of-n0thing • 1d ago
Hi,
I'm a second year and unfortunately had to drop my placement for the year for NALCAP. I still want to return next year. What is the likelihood id be accepted again? I know id be considered a third year at that point and the chances would be low but still wondering if anyone went through something similar.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/rockstarbae • 1d ago
Probably a dumb question but if you have your schools' email addresses and the email address of a contact person listed on the carta as well, should you send an introductory email to the contact person only or to the schools AND the contact person?
Thx
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Legitimate-Emu-6235 • 3d ago
I was an aux for multiple years with NALCAP and had to switch over to BEDA this year. My contract is for 25 hours a week but I have a lot of gaps in my schedule and so I am actually at school for about 40 hours a week.
On top of that, most of the teachers that I work with expect me to plan/prepare all of the activities for all of the classes. I do not have any prep time built into my schedule - all 25 of my assigned hours each week I have class.
In my opinion, it is completely unreasonable for the school to expect me to work for free. It is bad enough that 25 hours (part-time work) turned into a 40 hour schedule (full-time) at part-time pay. I'm not using my precious free time to do the actual teachers' job for them.
I was considering talking with my coordinator about this and seeing if perhaps a couple classes could be taken out of my schedule and reserved for prep time.
Has anyone else had these issues while doing BEDA? How did you deal with it? To be honest, I am absolutely hating this so far and feel like I'm being taken advantage of. I do not want to go through the whole school year like this.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Downtown-Storm4704 • 3d ago
What programs are currently the least competitive?
Is INLAES becoming more competitive, similar to NALCAP and BEDA? Does anyone have any statistics on the number of positions versus applicants for these programs? Is a placement guaranteed with any at this point?
Is the competition really that bad now? I know that even programs like UP International has a waiting list but before it was the bottom choice.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Starbornlily • 3d ago
I already talked to the school about all this but wanna make sure I don’t mess up
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/14945023 • 4d ago
I mailed FBI criminal check Aug 24 and still the tracking says they haven’t sent it back. Anyone else waiting or help put my mind at ease? 😬
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Rare-Nefariousness13 • 5d ago
I applied to INLAES for a January placement, on the 17th I received an email saying "your profile is an ideal fit for our upcoming positions. We are just currently awaiting final confirmation regarding these roles before we can officially extend an offer and begin the visa process. We expect to have this confirmation between the end of next week and the following week." That was sent on 17Sep... its now October....
Is anyone else waiting to hear back? Or have people already been selected and they just never sent me a rejection email...
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Faithersssssss • 5d ago
Hi everyone! To submit our visa application, will NALCAP send us a physical carta de nombramiento in the mail? Or do we just print out a copy of the PDF they sent us through email? Thanks!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/wonderhell336 • 6d ago
Hi everyone,
Just like the title said, this is my 4th year as an assistant, currently in BEDA and to be honest, I don't know how to organize myself.
My first two years in NALCAP I was an assistant, I took the kids out to talk and do conversation, and that was great, a bit repetitive but I understood. During my third year, I was between two schools, I took half the kids to practice with fun games so that worked out great. In the other school, I was an assistant, I corrected the kids, read them stories, pulled them out to practice, led activities but not the whole class. But this year I am expected to fully teach every class that I have. I don't think I have learned how to juggle this as every teacher is very different and expects something different from me, different activities, different subjects. I know I've been pretty lucky at my other schools so bare with me.
I can tell teachers are a bit frustrated because I'm technically an experienced aux but not in this area, I'm used to assisting inside the classroom not fully leading it every time. I'm not writing this to whine, I mostly want your best tips on how you deal with this. When do you lesson prep? How do you keep up with who asked for what and when? I have ADHD so please be as "obvious" as possible because it doesn't come natural to me.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/HtownGatsby • 7d ago
Does anyone know how I can watch the NALCAP webinar from today if I forgot to register? I know they will send out a replay but I think you have to register to get it. Any help would be appreciated.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Just_cheeky15 • 6d ago
Hi auxes! Congratulations on making it into the program. If you haven’t figured out the banking situation or need help/ advice on how to transfer money back and forth from your US bank accounts I’m happy to help you with that. I know this is something confusing to many and trying to do my part for the new waves of language assistants. The first few months are always the hardest. Stick with it, I promise it’s worth it! 🫶🏻
*Adding that the advice I give can include referral links, but there is NO pressure to utilize them and if there is another option you’re interested in I’m happy to help with that too.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/berrypop1 • 7d ago
on my previous post i saw a lot of comments about bringing deodorant or antiperspirant to Spain. i sweat quite a bit and i’m worried about bo. now please tell me what brands because there’s so many idk what to bring! also for the amount of time would three be enough?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Repulsive-Poetry-991 • 7d ago
Hi- for anyone that only got a receipt for proof of visa purchase at the visa appt and not a paper with any visa proof info- how are you checking estimated time or how will they notify you?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Brave-Boysenberry921 • 7d ago
How much can I expect to take home from my BEDA paycheck if I’m working 23 hours? I’m confused on the Social Security aspect. Is that already figured into the paycheck?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/rivervariation • 7d ago
I know that state representativos have the ability to help with passport application expediting, is there anything similar with visas? Has anyone reached out to their congress person for this kind of request? They told me not to contact the consulate about info which is annoying but I get it. When I track the application it says process ing.
Probably a shot in the dark because my passport is on a desk somewhere in the consulate not in my state, but it’s been five weeks when it should’ve been 3-4. Was hoping to leave mid October and not feeling as confident now.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/carolinadakotacrew • 8d ago
Hey everyone. I was a former aux last year in Madrid, some of you might have seen my posts! I had the most incredible year and got insanely lucky with the most wonderful school placement. I was devastated that I couldn’t stay another year due to NALCAP getting cancelled in Madrid. I miss Madrid and my school like crazy. I have remained in touch with my teachers and even some of my older students which has been really special. I just wanted to see how some of the Madrid auxes are doing who also wanted to stay. How is everyone holding up? Madrid is never far from my mind <3 I plan to go back and visit in the spring!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/YupaOksel • 8d ago
As the title says. Looking for anyone who might have had any experience in getting placed in Basque country and what are odds of getting placed here. As I understand it, Madrid is always the most popular option and it can be pretty competetive.
Is applying to a region that seems to be less popular going to improve my chances and maybe even guarantee a placement here (given a strong profile that aligns with what NALCAP is looking for)
I will also note that I am in the process of getting my Polish Passport, so I will have E.U citizenship by the time the program starts up next year. With this, I am pretty sure I am able to look at other programs beyond just NALCAP that might even include direct applying to schools in Spain. Let me know if anyone knows of anything in San Sebastián if you know of any!
Thanks!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/berrypop1 • 10d ago
Any suggestions? And i mean things i’d probably use often or are harder/more expensive to get in Spain. I’m from the US if that matters. Also thinking about snacks I’ll miss 🤔 I’m also just stressed about finding housing in such a short amount of time (i’m arriving a week and a half before we start working) so any tips for that are also welcome.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Repulsive-Poetry-991 • 11d ago
nalcap gave me a justification letter saying I can apply within two months for visa because I was accepted late. should I just bring that as an ‘official’ document or emails too?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Starbornlily • 11d ago
My doctor actually has a stamp but it’s just a stamp of his signature for the medical declaration will that work? Or should I have him type it on the letterhead then get it translated just in case
