🇪🇸 Spain

Spain's three retail incumbents each shape the same procedure differently. Santander offers a digital onramp with a pasaporte path for 26 named non-resident countries; CaixaBank routes through 11,000+ cajeros and the HolaBank international segment; Bankinter publishes a Cuenta Digital with no income-domiciliation requirement. Compare before opening.

Padrón is the municipal residence register held by your Ayuntamiento. It records that you live in the municipality, gives you vecino status, and is a prerequisite for residence cards, healthcare, school enrollment, and many other services.

The NIE is your permanent foreigner identification number in Spain — a letter, seven digits, and a letter, used in every administrative procedure. It is a number, not a card. The TIE is the physical residence card issued separately after a residence permit is granted.

The TIE is the physical foreigner identity card issued by the Policía Nacional after a residence authorization over six months is granted. Apply within one month.

DGT classifies foreign licences into three tiers. EU/EEA exchange is voluntary; países con convenio holders have 6 months to canjear before they may no longer drive on the foreign licence; países sin convenio holders must obtain a Spanish licence by examination at an autoescuela. The original foreign licence is retained by DGT at submission and not returned.