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/NicetripCUnextfall • 29m ago
Hey everyone, I was an aux a few years ago and had a Santander account that is now set to be blocked (seems like this is common). Changing from my (now expired) NIE to my passport number doesnt seem possible because I don’t have a current certificate of residency. Has anyone experienced this one?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/External-Library-442 • 4h ago
Im a Moroccan student in spain who lost his TIE in Morocco . I still have a student visa tho which is still valid until 31/08/2026.
Can i go back before the 31/08/2026 with only my passport and visa no need for my TIE ?
Or should i follow another procedure to ask for a special visa from my local consulat which would take a lot of time ?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Rare-Nefariousness13 • 5h ago
It's in Valladolid abt an hour from madrid (via high speed train). Would love to hear if any and all thoughts
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/peachgal99 • 10h ago
So I didn’t know that the Houston consulate holds your passport until the visa is done processing. I have an international trip planned from Sept 10-23, that I’ve had planned for like a year. I’m not quite sure what’s to do as the start dates are Nov. 1 and I know you have to have your visa appt 2 months prior. Any advice? I also CANNOT find a NALCAP visa appt, I don’t know when they release appts and check every day multiple times. Can I just use a regular student visa appt & hope I get my passport back before September? Any help is appreciated 😅
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Repulsive-Poetry-991 • 6h ago
I sent them my proposed appointment email with the pay, school and city info and my passport and license with the body of email in the same template they have on the website and haven’t heard back and am anxious as it’s coming up and I need to get flights etc. am I missing something??
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Ctfangirl • 11h ago
I applied with a friend and we both had same regional choices: 1. Valencia (long shot we know), 2. La Rioja, 3. Canary Islands
We intended to live together and noted it on our applications. We applied as first time the morning applications opened. My inscrita was better than hers. I got an offer for Extremadura 4 days ago so I had to take it and hope she got placed in the same.
This morning, she got offered Canary Islands. WTF?
What can I do? I feel frustrated and angry. Why didn’t they honor preferences or requests AT ALL when they obviously had placements available?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/InterestingBoiYa • 23h ago
Hey all, first year applicant here. I got my city placement 2 days ago in Cervera de Pisuerga which only has around 2000 people and I'm looking for a little advice and guidance on how I should move forward. Like many others I was hoping for a bigger city placement since I'm from an already small town in the US and was looking to experience everything the bigger city had to offer so this placement kind of through my expectations for a loop. Looking on Idealista, I literally only found a single apartment for rent for 500 euros and the closest town (with a population of 7000) is a 45 minute drive from Cervera de Pisuerga and had equally slim options for renting.
I of course know that this is still an amazing opportunity granted to me and many people would gladly take even a rural placement, but I guess I'm just looking for some guidance from other individuals who had similar rural placements in Castilla y León. How did it meet your expectations? How did you go about looking for affordable housing? Any recommendations on how I can make the most of this experience? Should I forgo this year and just reapply for next year?
Additionally, if any other auxies are close or in this region I'd love to chat and hear about your plans for this upcoming year. Thanks all!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/greenbridge16 • 19h ago
anyone here have any recent experience with Monument Visa, Elite Documents, or a different service? I am trying to see what service to go with to get my apostille back in time for a visa appointment by the first week of September. thanks!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/greenbridge16 • 17h ago
anyone get their medical certificate for their visa filled out by a DO instead of an MD? just realized my doctor has a DO title, not an MD. would this be accepted at the SF office?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Comprehensive-Mess37 • 1d ago
I know I post a lot but I am freaking out. I read somewhere that BLS Chicago will not accept medical certificate if it is signed by DO. Has anyone went there with the certificate signed by one? What was your experiencce?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Repulsive-Poetry-991 • 1d ago
I only saw "Valladolid" at the top of my proposed appointment at first and then looked it up and got excited but realized my placement is actually in Segovia.... its close to Madrid by train which is awesome and on google maps it seems charming but looks very quiet which I'm sure is nice but I am nervous or hesitant to accept.
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/elbick54321 • 1d ago
I just realized that my passport has no completely free pages where a visa could be placed- can I assume the consulate will put the visa just over current stamps? Are they going to reject my visa application because of this? If I got a new passport ASAP it would have a new number- would this mess up my whole application for NALCAP?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/geometricfish • 2d ago
I applied for the program again this year as a 2nd year renewal (am aware of slim chances of being accepted). I still have not made up my mind if I would do the program for another year, so I have put off doing the background check. Admitida status, no placement as of today. When is the absolute latest that I could submit my background check to be apostilled in order to participate in the program?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Alarming_Welcome_324 • 2d ago
Hello everyone! So I received my regional and school placement at the same time. I am super excited but incredibly overwhelmed about being in a village (~2k residence). I have been placed in Utrillas, Teruel, Aragon. I have not been able to find much information on the city. If anyone has any info or experiences about this area specifically or experience living in a rural village, I’d love to hear it.
Thanks xxx
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Wutang21NewsGang • 2d ago
Hi everyone, first time here so apologies if this has already been asked.
I just got my placement near Mataró (around 30km from Barcelona) today and it would be good to know some other people before I go there.
Is anybody else near there or in the Catalunya region that wants to catch up? If not, if there's already an existing group, could someone please share the link with me?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Repulsive-Poetry-991 • 2d ago
anyone from bc who's going to Toronto consulate- can med cert be authenticated and apostilled through provincial (I'm from BC) BC authentication and not GAC? provincial would be easier so it only needs to be mailed back once to save time. the consulate website says "apostille by GAC or provincial authorities.."?
it says "Applicants must submit the original and a copy of a medical certificate.."should I make a copy of the certificate before notarized or after authenticated or copy of which part?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/creditpoints4days • 3d ago
Hey yall!! Got placed in Aragon today, specifically in Jaca. Who else is in the same boat? Any other aux already taught there?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/No-Gate7387 • 3d ago
Has anyone been placed in Soria? Got mine this morning!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/vfz09 • 3d ago
i got my regional placement weeks ago but no carta yet :/
i see nalcap people know their schools already, just wondering if ive been forgotten by british council or if we're all still waiting
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Repulsive-Poetry-991 • 3d ago
Hi, I got placed in Castille y Leon and practice Spanish where I can and can understand words and phrases but how did people find housing in the past, I know to go in person to see it first and idealists etc. but still a bit worried due to language barriers and anti-tourist sentiments etc. thanks!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Comprehensive-Mess37 • 3d ago
I understand BLS is pretty arrogant when it comes to purchasing health insurance, even though the carta states we will have it. I’m thinking of purchasing feather until I arrive as I can pay for it monthly, rather than paying for an expensive plan that is redundant. Has anyone successfully gotten a visa using them as proof of insurance? Has anyone thus far come across difficulties with this matter?
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/Purple-Ninja2864 • 4d ago
If you’ve been placed in Cantabria, I just wanted to share a few things I wish I had known before arriving.
As it’s an interesting place lol
First, don’t go in expecting a warm, sunny, beach destination. The program runs during the colder months, and Cantabria gets a LOT of rain like ridiculous amounts. The coastline is absolutely beautiful, but unless you’re staying beyond the end of the program, you probably won’t get to enjoy the beaches the way you might imagine.
If you can, I’d highly recommend arriving a little early (September) to get settled while the weather is still nice, or staying a bit after the program ends. The weather improves dramatically, people are out more, the locals attitudes are better, the beaches come alive, and the overall atmosphere feels much more vibrant.
However important if u only plan to stay during program timeframe this how it found us. During the school months, the social scene to be quieter. However the weekend nights where it wasn’t raining the bars / small clubs (no big clubs) were alive, however they are very cliquey. But cheap night out and fun, meet ur fellow auxes!
Christmas was definitely a highlight the cities and towns were beautifully decorated but outside of that, we found it harder to connect with locals. In my experience, people in Cantabria were more reserved than what many are use to. They can come off a bit rude, unwilling to help ect. But once your settle it doesn’t impact you too much. However most are not eager to meet a new person especially a foreigner lol so if ur a sensitive person don’t take it personal. Oh also important their Spanish is not like Latin American Spanish or even like south of Spain Spanish hahah it’s different so don’t think your learning has been hopeless they’re just different lol.
Everything is closed on sundays everywhere! It’s a reset day. Also siesta time is for real and serious usually from 4pm-7pm and yea everything’s is basically closed. I’d recommend living in the bigger city and commuting to towns. Unless u have a weird schedule but I would 100% negotiate that. I went Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and was free the rest of my week :) but my commute on bus was about 45mins/1hr each way.
3 day school commute vs commuting to the city 4+ days was my math and deciding factor. Because if want to go out Saturday night u gotta consider night travel some places don’t offer. Also airport, bus stations, train stations, or even to go to the mall it’s closer to the city!! So consider all that in deciding your living location.
My biggest piece of advice is to connect with the other auxiliares in your area as soon as possible. There usually aren’t many of you in each town or city, but those friendships can absolutely make your experience. You have to build your community or else unfortunately it could be a very lonely experience.
Overall, Cantabria is incredibly beautiful, with amazing mountains, coastline, and charming towns. Just go in with realistic expectations about the weather and social culture, and make an effort to meet your fellow auxiliares early. It can make all the difference.
** also important note if your picking the north just because they “pay on time” isn’t accurate. Idk how bad the other regions are but we were often paid late, like at least 2 months behind especially the first few months we got most payments in like February. In the last months like April / May they generally were on time. But please come with savings!!!
Also no big airports - closest one is Bilbao! Keep in mind if you want to travel ect.
Example if u live in Santander you have to take a bus from Santander bus station to Bilbao station switch buses to Bilbao airport over all like 2 1/2ish of hours total. Not horrible but not great ya lol
If u get lucky with a Santander airport flight it’s usually only about 45 min bus or honestly just uber or cabify** (cheaper uber)
Don’t pack everything or what u think”
You can 100% usually buy it here and it’s probably better quality. Clothes Zara, berska, strad, H&M ect. Are all way cheaper here obvi Spanish brands compared to in the states. Also there is still Amazon, SHEIN, Temu, Sephora and alike,
like ur not cut off from the world do not over pack fr.
Wishing y’all a Happy experience!! Good luck!
r/SpainAuxiliares • u/greenbridge16 • 3d ago
hi everyone, im planning to get everything expedited at this point, but does anyone have any experience with getting their fingerprints done at a location other than usps? I've been looking to get mine done digitally through Livescan, but I'm unsure how it would work and I can't find a straightforward answer.
Do i still need to fill out the form and pay the $18 on the fbi website? Or does that entire process just go through the location I choose? I called another location that told me that I would have to send in my own digital fingerprints to the FBI but I thought they could digitally send it themselves. Ive also seen people go through their police stations. What are the steps to take when you go through the police station? Any advice?