Get Your Spanish TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) After Residence Authorization

Step-by-Step

1. 1

   Confirm you need a TIE

   1. TIE is mandatory for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who hold a residence authorization or recognized right to stay in Spain for more than six months
   2. Per the Policía Nacional: 'Todos los extranjeros a los que se haya expedido un visado o una autorización para permanecer en España por un período superior a seis meses tienen el derecho y la obligación de obtener la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero'
   3. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens are not in scope — they are issued a Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión via form EX-18 instead
   4. Stays of 90 days or less, and any estancia not exceeding six months, do not require a TIE

   💡 Tip: If you only need the foreigner identification number — for example to sign a contract or open a bank account — that is the NIE, not the TIE. See the separate NIE guide. The NIE number is permanent and is what appears printed on every TIE card.

   Policía Nacional — Ciudadanos extranjeros (TIE procedure) (policia.es ↗)
2. 2

   Have your residence authorization in hand

   New Arrival Expat
   1. The TIE is issued only after the residence authorization itself has been granted by the Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, working through the Delegación or Subdelegación del Gobierno and the Oficinas de Extranjería
   2. Without the resolution of grant ('la resolución gubernativa previa de concesión de la correspondiente autorización administrativa'), the Policía Nacional cannot expedite a TIE
   3. Keep the resolution document — you will present it at the appointment

   💡 Tip: Visa-class differences flow through to the TIE class. The TIE itself is the same physical card; the back records the underlying authorization category (work, studies, family reunification, residencia de larga duración, and so on).

3. 3

   Pay the tasa modelo 790 código 012 in advance

   1. Complete the autoliquidación for tasa modelo 790 código 012 — the same form code is used for NIE and TIE procedures
   2. Pay at a participating bank, or online through the Sede Electrónica de la Dirección General de la Policía at sede.policia.gob.es
   3. Keep the bank-stamped or printable justificante del abono — the Comisaría requires it at the appointment

   💡 Tip: Fee amounts are set by ministerial order separately from Real Decreto 1155/2024 — they are revised periodically. Confirm the current figure at sede.policia.gob.es or with your local Oficina de Extranjeros before paying. Familia numerosa applicants should ask whether the reduced fee applies before completing the form.

4. 4

   Book the cita previa online

   Cita previa

   1. Open the citizen-appointment system at icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es
   2. Select the province where you have your domicile, then the TIE expedition procedure (régimen general; or régimen comunitario for non-EU family members of EU citizens)
   3. Pick a slot at the Comisaría de Policía or Oficina de Extranjeros that handles TIE in your province
   4. Save the cita previa confirmation — print or screenshot the date, time, location, and reference

   💡 Tip: Spain's administration runs almost entirely on cita previa — there is no walk-in option for TIE. If no slots are visible, refresh during the morning when provinces commonly release new appointments.

   Citizen-appointment portal — Administración Electrónica (icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es ↗) Sede de Administraciones Públicas — extranjería procedures (sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es ↗)
5. 5

   Attend the appointment in person and give fingerprints

   Huellas dactilares — poner huella

   1. Go in person to the Unidad de Documentación de Policía Nacional at the Oficina de Extranjeros or Comisaría you booked — minors must be accompanied by their legal representative with valid identity documentation
   2. Bring the original passport AND a photocopy of the photo page; the Unidad de Documentación checks the original against the copy on the spot, hands the original back, and keeps the copy in the file — without both, the appointment cannot proceed
   3. Hand in the modelo oficial application (original and copy), the recent colour photo, the visa where applicable, the resolution granting your authorization, and the justificante del abono
   4. Fingerprints — huellas dactilares — are taken at the desk; this biometric capture is the operative purpose of the appointment

   💡 Tip: The cotejo-de-copias step is universal across Spanish extranjería trámites — bring an original and a photocopy of every document on your checklist, not just the passport. Originals leave with you; copies stay with the file.

   💬 Say:

   Vengo a la cita para la expedición de la TIE.

   "I am here for the appointment to issue the TIE."

   📋 Use when: Arriving at the Unidad de Documentación counter

   💬 Say:

   Aquí tiene mi justificante del abono de la tasa.

   "Here is my proof of fee payment."

   📋 Use when: Handing the justificante to the officer

6. 6

   Collect your TIE in person at the same office

   1. The card is produced centrally and shipped back to the same Comisaría or Oficina de Extranjeros where you gave fingerprints
   2. Pickup is location-bound — per the Policía Nacional FAQ, you cannot pick up in a different province from where you applied
   3. At pickup, you accredit that you are the destinatario and that the fee was paid: 'acreditar... ser el destinatario del documento y haber realizado el pago de las tasas legalmente establecidas'
   4. Production and pickup readiness depend on the local Comisaría — there is no published nationwide service standard, so check with your office at booking

   💡 Tip: Once issued, you are obligated to carry the TIE and present it on request by authority — Article 13.1 of Ley Orgánica 4/2015. When the underlying authorization expires or otherwise ends, the card must be surrendered at the Comisaría or Oficina de Extranjeros.