Arriving in Spain: TIE within a month, NIE, empadronamiento

Information checked on 25 October 2026.

You are arriving in Spain on a national visa of more than six months (studies, family reunification): you must apply in person for your TIE, the foreigner identity card, at the police station within one month of entry. In the same period, register on your town hall's padrón, keep your health insurance active and note your NIE, which is often already printed on the visa. The rest follows: a bank account, work capped at 30 hours a week for students, then annual enrolment and the prórroga.

This guide follows the immigration regulation in force since 20 May 2025 (Real Decreto 1155/2024). It complements our entry page on arrival formalities in Europe with a long-stay visa, country by country. For the procedure before departure (admission, visa, proof of funds), first read studying in Europe from Africa.

The timeline from arrival

Study visa or family reunification visa: what changes

The study visa includes an authorisation for a « long-duration stay » (estancia de larga duración). For full-time higher education at a recognised institution, this authorisation covers the official length of the programme, no longer just one year. For other courses (secondary school, courses, volunteering), it is limited to the length of the activity, up to one year.

The family reunification visa (reagrupación familiar) is a residence visa. It follows an authorisation obtained in Spain by the family member bringing you over. Once there, the main step is the same: the TIE within one month.

In both cases, the rule comes from article 209 of the regulation: anyone holding a visa or authorisation for more than six months must apply in person for their TIE within one month of entering Spain. A study stay of six months or less does not require a TIE: the visa is enough.

NIE and TIE: two different things

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a personal number. You use it for the bank, taxes, an employment contract and social security. It is usually printed on the visa sticker issued by the consulate. Check it as soon as you arrive: if it is missing, request it before the fingerprint appointment (the fee for assigning an NIE is €9.84).

The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the physical card, with a photo and fingerprints. It proves your legal status in Spain and has the same validity as your authorisation. It carries the same NIE.

Applying for the TIE within one month

Getting an appointment (cita previa)

The application is made in person, at the police station responsible for your address, and by appointment. You book on the government's cita previa extranjería portal: choose your province, then the Police procedure called « toma de huellas (expedición de tarjeta) ».

This is often the hardest step. In large cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia), slots go fast and new ones open in waves. Three practical tips:

• book in the first days, without waiting until you have every document;
• check the portal at different times of day;
• ask your university's international office: some help students get a slot.

Keep a record of your attempts (dated screenshots). If the month passes with no slot available, they show that the delay is not your fault.

Fingerprint day

Bring:

• the EX-17 form (TIE application), completed and signed, original and copy;
• the proof of fee payment, form 790 code 012, generated on the National Police website and paid at a bank or online before the appointment: €16.08 for a first TIE;
• your valid passport, with the visa;
• a recent passport photo on a white background;
• the appointment confirmation.

Some police stations also ask for the padrón certificate: one more reason to register at the town hall first. Requirements vary from one station to another; check the local list before you go.

The officer takes your fingerprints and gives you a receipt. Keep it: you need it to collect the card.

Collecting the card

The TIE is usually ready a few weeks later. Depending on the city, you collect it with a new appointment or during the hours set by the police station. You collect it in person, with the receipt and your passport.

Failing to apply for your TIE within the deadline exposes you to the penalties set by Organic Law 4/2000 on foreigners.

Registering on the padrón (empadronamiento)

Spain's local government law requires everyone living in Spain to register on the padrón of the municipality where they usually live. This registration, called empadronamiento, is done at the town hall (ayuntamiento), often by appointment.

The padrón certificate is needed almost everywhere: health card, enrolling children at school, some police stations, local benefits, and later residence applications. Bring your passport, the visa and proof of housing: a rental contract, or written authorisation from the occupant if you are staying with someone. The exact documents depend on each town hall.

If you move, register in the new municipality: the registration follows your actual address.

Health insurance

Students: the study visa requires health insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, with benefits comparable to the basic package of the national health system, valid for the whole stay. It must stay active throughout: the regulation requires you to keep meeting the conditions of your authorisation, and the insurance is checked again at a prórroga.

If you work, your employer registers you with social security (alta). Registration gives access to the public health system and to your autonomous community's health card, which you request at the health centre with the padrón certificate.

Reunited family members: a spouse who works is registered the same way. In other cases, ask at your local health centre, since access depends on each person's situation.

Opening a bank account

A Spanish account makes rent, salary and bills easier. Banks ask for your passport and your NIE, then an address. Before the TIE, some open a non-resident account; others wait for the card. Compare fees: they vary a lot from one bank to another.

Working while studying: 30 hours a week

Since 20 May 2025, the stay authorisation for higher education allows you to work automatically, with no further step, as an employee or self-employed, provided the work remains compatible with your studies. The limit is 30 hours a week (article 57 of the regulation). Exceeding it can end the authorisation.

Internships that are part of the programme (prácticas curriculares) are covered by the study authorisation, with no other step.

For other courses (secondary school, language courses, volunteering, other training), a separate work authorisation is needed. The fee is €122.30.

Staying the following year: annual enrolment and prórroga

For higher education authorised over several years, you must prove each year, at the start of the academic year, your enrolment or payment of fees. This proof is a condition for keeping the authorisation.

The prórroga applies when your authorisation is ending while you continue (another programme, an extended course):

• apply within the 2 months before expiry;
• file it electronically, with the immigration office of the province that granted the authorisation (the ministry's Mercurio platform);
• the prórroga fee is €17.49;
• an application filed on time extends your status until the decision; with no answer after one month, it counts as refused;
• an application filed within 3 months after expiry is still accepted, but a penalty is possible.

After a prórroga is granted, a new TIE is issued: the fee is then €19.30.

Family reunification: the TIE and what follows

A spouse, partner or child arriving through family reunification follows the same basic timeline: padrón, then the TIE within one month of entry, with the EX-17 and the €16.08 fee.

• Duration: the reunited family member's authorisation runs until the same date as that of the person who brought them over, with a minimum of one year.
• Work: the spouse, partner and children of working age can work with no further step, as employees or self-employed, anywhere in Spain.
• Renewal: apply within the 2 months before expiry, or within 3 months after (possible penalty). The renewed authorisation lasts four years, linked to that of the person who brought the family over.
• Independence: after at least one year, the spouse or partner can obtain their own residence and work authorisation if they meet certain conditions (own resources or employment).

Family of a student: the spouse and children of a higher-education student can obtain a stay visa linked to theirs, if at least 90 days of authorisation remain. They follow the student's dates and must also apply for a TIE if the stay exceeds six months. Important: they are not allowed to work under this status.

To compare with the other countries in the series, see also arriving in Germany: Anmeldung and residence permit and arriving in Italy: permesso di soggiorno.

Finding your compatriots in Spain

The first weeks go better with someone who already knows the same police station and the same town hall. On Compatri, join your community in the cities of Spain, for example in Madrid or Barcelona. The large diasporas have their own page: Moroccans in Spain, Senegalese in Spain, Algerians in Spain. To get started before departure, read joining your community before you leave and mutual help between compatriots.

Compatri does not carry out any formality for you: decisions belong to the Police and the immigration offices. The sources below are authoritative.

Official sources

• BOE: Real Decreto 1155/2024, regulation of Organic Law 4/2000 on foreigners (consolidated text)
• BOE: Orden PJC/617/2025, amount of immigration fees
• BOE: Law 7/1985 on the bases of local government, article 15 (padrón)
• Ministry of Inclusion: EX-17 form, TIE application
• National Police: modelo 790 code 012 fee
• National Police: information for foreign citizens
• Public administrations e-office: cita previa extranjería