If you are a Non European citizen moving to the Spanish capital, you will need to apply for your TIE in Madrid. Keep reading below and know all about this important document, who needs it and a step by step guide to apply for it.

We would like to clarify that there are many potential scenarios of the process to get the TIE in Madrid (e.g. families, married couples, children, etc.). In this article we will focus on first time applicants such as students, interns, young professionals.

There are two main legal documents for foreigners and these are NIE card and TIE card. The NIE card in Spain is for EU citizens, while the TIE in Spain is for Non-European citizens. Both of these are required for almost every foreigner that plans to settle in Spain (not for the ones coming just on holidays!). Moreover, there also are other documents like Social Security Number in order to work here and Empadronamiento that you need to get as soon as you arrive in Spain.

IMPORTANT: *The information below has been collected by the helpHousing team. Please, keep in mind that we are not directly related to any legal or government office and the information may change. 

Here also is another great source of information: Step by Step Guide to Apply for a NIE or TIE in Madrid

NIE vs TIE card in Madrid: what is the difference?

The NIE number aka Número de Identificación de Extranjeros (which is not the NIE green paper itself) is an identity number given to all the foreigners that move to Spain and stay for more than 90 days (application is compulsory). It consist of one letter at the beginning, seven numbers and one letter at the end (eg. X0000000-X).

The European citizens have their NIE number printed on their NIE card (a simple green paper). Click here to read more about the NIE in Madrid for EU citizens.

For Non-EU citizens who require a NIE number, there are two types of application:

- Who stay in Spain for longer than 6 months needs to apply for their NIE number - which is going to be printed on the TIE card - within the first 30 days from their arrival in Spain.

- Who stay in Spain for less than 6 months (or 6 months max.) needs to apply for it as a part of their Visa application. We suggest doing it at the consulate in your home country, way before your arrival. And this NIE number will be printed in the Visa within your passport.

More about the TIE in Spain (for Non-Eu Citizens)

So, as we said, the TIE card, known as “Tarjeta de Identificación de Extranjero” is the document that Non-Europeans staying longer than 6 months in Spain need to apply for.

The card is different depending on the type of Visa (if the applicant is a student, a freelance professional, etc.).

In order to be qualified for the TIE in Spain you need to fit the following criterias:

• Show proof of the approval of your Visa application. 
• If you are a student, proof of acceptance signed by the Spanish host university (or any educational institution) + proof that you have enough economic capacity to fund yourself during your stay.
• If you are hired from a company, you need to show proof of a valid job contract with a Spanish employer
• Or if you are a freelance professional, proof that you obtained the “autónomo” status

Remember: You need to be physically in Spain to get your TIE card, but you can also book the appointment online (“cita”) and start collecting the documents you need when you’re still in your home country.

Which documents do you need to apply for your TIE in Madrid?

• Confirmation code of your appointment (printed page or mobile version).
• The original and the copy of the EX-17 form, already filled, printed and signed.
• Passport (original and copies of all the pages inside).
• Proof of payment of the tax “Tasa Modelo 790 código 012” (which has to be already paid, printed and with the stamp of the bank).
• Photo of your face, that has to be recent and passport sized (32mmx26mm).
• Your Empadronamiento certificate (original and copy) with a valid address of your accommodation in Madrid (it has to be the same address you indicate on the EX-17.
• Valid Visa document (original and copy) that approves your stay in Spain. 
• Proof of your private health insurance in Spain (original and copy) and covering you along your entire stay in the country.
• Document proving the reason for your stay in Spain: e.g. acceptance letter of the host university, job contract, internship agreement, etc. 

TIE in Madrid - “Cita Previa” online appointment

When you apply for TIE in Madrid (and most of the other legal documents) you need to book an online appointment - called “Cita previa” - in one of the offices of the Spanish city you are living in. Remember that you need to apply within the first 30 days upon arrival in Spain.

Now, how to proceed with the Cita Previa for your TIE in Madrid?

1. Click here and select “Madrid” among the available “Provincias” and accept. Then, in the next dropdown “Trámites”, when applying for a TIE card in Spain, you have to select “Policía – Toma de Huellas (Expedición de Tarjeta) y Renovación de Tarjeta de Larga Duración”.

You can also choose an office of your preference, but it’s not mandatory, so you can leave if blank (actually, by selecting an office the available appointments may be limited. It would be better to keep all the possibilities).

Continue the process by clicking “Aceptar”.

2. The next page is an overview of the documents you need to obtain your TIE in Madrid (the ones we listed in the previous section). Then click on “Entrar” and a new page will open.

3. In this page you have to fill in your personal information: make sure that is the same as it’s shown on your passport! Then click “aceptar”.

4. In the next page click “Solicitar cita” among the different options.

5. Then, in this dropdown, you can choose the police office for your appointment (the most popular one is located in Avenida de los Poblados, but our advice is to choose the first available, no matter the location, because TIE appointments lately have been hard to get!). Now click “Siguiente” to continue.

6. On the next page you need to fill in your contact information: make sure you have a Spanish phone number, because later on they will send a code that you have to enter at the moment, in order to continue on the website. Then click “siguiente”.

7. Finally in this page you will find the available slots for appointment (usually 1-2 weeks later). In case there’s no availability at the moment, the website will tell you “En este momento no hay citas disponibles. En breve, la oficina pondrá a su disposición nuevas citas”.
We recommend trying again later (as soon as possible) and keep trying every bunch of minutes, because there always are new appointments, but lots of people are applying for the same thing!

8. Once you select your appointment, check carefully your personal information and the details of the appointment. Now you will receive the security code, sent to the Spanish phone number you entered before. Now click “Confirmar”. 

9. When the appointment is confirmed the page reloads and you’ll be able to see the code of your appointment on the top. Even though you will receive the confirmation email, we suggest having a screenshot of the webpage as well. 

How to fill the TIE in Madrid Application Form (EX-17 Form)

The EX-17 Form is a document that you need to complete in order to proceed with the application of your TIE in Madrid (or in Spain). Here we will briefly explain how to fill the sections.

Section 1. Applicant Data

1. Pasaporte / NIE: here you have to insert your passport number or the NIE number in case you already received it as part of your Visa permit.

2. 1er/2º Apellido: Surnames (one or two depending on how many you have).

3. Nombre: First name

4. Sexo H/M (hombre/mujer): Sex Male/Female

5. Fecha de nacimiento / Lugar / País: Date of birth (dd-mm-yyyy)  / City / Country

6. Nombre del padre/madre: Full names of father and mother

7. Domicilio en España / Nº / Piso / Localidad / C.P. / Provincia: your address in Spain / building number / floor and apartment door / City / postal code / province (this information has to match with the Empadronamiento certificate).

8. Teléfono móvil / Email: mobile phone number / email address

9. Representante legal en su caso / DNI/NIE/PAS / Título – To be filled only if you have a legal representative applying for you.

Section 2 (Applicant Representative Data) has to be left empty if you don’t have a legal representative and also Section 3 (Applicant Contact Info), if you would like to receive the government communications at the same address you indicated in the first section.

Section 4 (Additional data for the Application)

This is an example for students, interns, etc. 

1. Tipo de documento: Type of document

•  Tarjeta inicial: First time applying

2. Situación en España: Reason for coming to Spain

• Estancia por estudios, investigación-formación, intercambio, prácticas o voluntariado: Coming to study, do internship, an exchange or volunteer.

The day of your TIE appointment in Madrid 

First advice: go way before the time of your appointment. The line for these legal processes is always huge and if you arrive right on time or 10 minutes before your actual appointment, you will end up getting inside super late. 

Second: have your paperwork all in order and make sure you have all the documents (originals and copy) because they make no exceptions...you will have to start all over again!

This also goes with the fact that most of the people in the office staff do not speak English. Therefore you better go well organized (or if you have the chance, bring a friend that can help you translate in Spanish in case of need).

Once you are called to sit with a government representative you hand over your documents and he/she will analyze it. If you meet all the criteria, the representative will take your fingerprints - this process is called “Toma de huellas”. Then, they will give you a paper with your NIE number and your personal information but this is not a TIE and it doesn’t give you residence status yet! You have to wait around one month (more or less) to get your TIE card printed. You can book this appointment at the Spanish government website, clicking “Policía – Recogida de Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE)“ among the options.

Click here if you need professional support to obtain your TIE in Madrid, but also other legal documents such as Empadronamiento or Social Security Number (Seguridad Social).

You are now ready to apply for your TIE in Madrid and get your Spanish adventure started! We are looking forward to having you in our accommodations in Madrid.