TIE card in Spain: foreigner identity card, card number and fingerprint appointment

The TIE (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) is a plastic foreigner identity card that confirms your status in Spain. It is what people informally call the “residence permit card”: the residence authorisation is granted by the immigration authorities, and the card is the physical document you carry with you. Below: how the TIE differs from the NIE and the Spanish DNI, where the number is on the card, the deadline for getting it, which form to file (EX-17 or MI-TIE) and how to fill it in, how to book a fingerprinting appointment (cita previa), what to bring and what the card looks like.

DNI, NIE and TIE: what is the difference

The DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) is the identity card of Spanish citizens. Only Spaniards are entitled to it, and it is compulsory from the age of 14 (Article 2 of RD 1553/2005). Foreigners are not issued a DNI, even with a residence permit or permanent residence: instead, a foreigner has two documents, the NIE number and the TIE card.

The NIE is a foreigner’s personal identification number. It is assigned once, never changes and does not in itself give the right to live in Spain: it is an identifier for the tax authority, banks and contracts. The number is covered in detail in our article on getting an NIE in Spain.

The TIE is a card with your photo and fingerprints, printed with the same NIE, the type of authorisation and its validity. The regulation describes it as the document that certifies a foreigner’s identity and legal status in Spain (Article 209 of RD 1155/2024). The card is replaced at every renewal or change of grounds, while the NIE number stays the same.

What to enter on forms. Spanish forms often have a single field for all three documents: “DNI/NIE/PAS”. A foreigner with an NIE enters the NIE; without one, the passport number. When a website or bank asks for an “ID” or “documento de identidad”, for a foreigner this means the NIE or the TIE card.

Who needs the card and when

Everyone who has been granted an authorisation or visa for more than six months must obtain the card. You must apply for it in person within one month: from the date you entered Spain on a national visa, or from the date the authorisation was granted inside the country. For employees, the month runs from registration with the social security system. The deadlines are set by the regulation RD 1155/2024.

The exception is visas under Law 14/2013. A digital nomad, investor, highly qualified professional, startup or intra-company transfer visa itself gives the right to live in Spain while it is valid, so no card is issued for it (Article 75.4 of Law 14/2013). You will need the card once the UGE grants a residence authorisation for more than six months (Article 76.2).

How to book fingerprinting: cita previa

A “cita” (cita previa) is a prior appointment with a public authority. Fingerprinting appointments for the card are booked online on the appointment portal for immigration services:

1. choose the province where you live;
2. in the list of police procedures, choose “POLICÍA-TOMA DE HUELLAS (EXPEDICIÓN DE TARJETA) INICIAL, RENOVACIÓN, DUPLICADO Y LEY 14/2013”: fingerprinting for a first card, renewal, duplicate and cards under Law 14/2013;
3. enter your NIE or passport number, name and nationality;
4. choose an office and one of the available times.

In big cities free slots are snapped up quickly, so it is worth looking for an appointment in the very first days after approval or entry: the month to apply runs not from the appointment date but from entry or the granting of the authorisation.

Madrid and Barcelona also list a separate service, “POLICÍA-EXPEDICIÓN DE TARJETAS CUYA AUTORIZACIÓN RESUELVE LA DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE GESTIÓN MIGRATORIA”, for cards under authorisations decided by the Directorate-General for Migration Management, which the UGE belongs to. Madrid also has a separate service for collecting such a card, “POLICÍA-RECOGIDA DE LA TIE CUYA AUTORIZACIÓN RESUELVE LA DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE GESTIÓN MIGRATORIA”. As of 2 October 2026, Valencia has neither. The official text does not say exactly which authorisations the Directorate-General service accepts; the general fingerprinting service expressly covers Law 14/2013 cards. Each booking is made for one NIE or passport, so a family needs a separate appointment for each member, children included: every person applies for the card in person.

What to bring to the appointment

• the application form: MI-TIE if the authorisation was granted by the UGE under Law 14/2013 (digital nomad, startup, highly qualified professional, investor, intra-company transfer and their families), or EX-17 for general-regime authorisations; the original and a copy;
• your passport and a copy of it; for a first card, with the entry stamp;
• the decision granting the authorisation (resolución): the police expressly require it for Law 14/2013 authorisations; if you entered on a national visa, the visa in your passport as well;
• a colour passport-size photo on a white background;
• the paid receipt for the fee on form 790, code 012, the copies for the administration and for the applicant: €16.08 for a first temporary residence card, €19.30 for a card on renewal (police tariff as of 1 October 2026);
• your previous TIE card, if you had one: on renewal or change of grounds, the old card is handed in to the police;
• a certificate of municipal registration (empadronamiento): the police do not list it for a first card; it is required for renewals and duplicates after a change of address and must be under three months old. In practice, the office decides. According to people who gave their fingerprints themselves in 2023–2026, for authorisations under Law 14/2013 (digital nomad, start-up visa, highly qualified professional) the provinces of Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and Alicante usually issue the card without a municipal registration if the address on the application is in the same province. In Reus since summer 2025, and in Alzira and Gandía, it is asked for, and under the general regime (non-lucrative, study, arraigo) almost everywhere. If you are registered, bring the certificate; if not, bring your rental contract, the appointment or receipt for your registration request, and a printout of the document list on the Ministry of the Interior website. Apply in the province of the address on your application and your entry declaration: applying in another province without a registration is the most common reason for being turned away.

Official MI-TIE form on the Ministry of Inclusion website ↗

Official EX-17 form on the Ministry of Inclusion website ↗

Which form you need: EX-17 or MI-TIE

The form depends on who granted your authorisation. For general-regime authorisations (régimen general) — employment, non-lucrative residence, family reunification, arraigo and renewals of these authorisations — you file EX-17. If the authorisation was granted by the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE) under Law 14/2013 — to digital nomads, startup founders, highly qualified professionals, investors, intra-company transferees, researchers and their families — you file MI-TIE.

Both forms are free and published by the Ministry of Inclusion, and both are submitted only in person at the police together with the receipt for fee 790-012: what the card costs and how to complete the receipt is covered in the article fees 790-012 and 790-052.

Official EX-17 form on the Ministry of Inclusion website ↗

Official MI-TIE form on the Ministry of Inclusion website ↗

How the appointment works and when the card is ready

At the appointment your documents are checked, your fingerprints are scanned and you are given a paper receipt (resguardo): until the card is issued, it confirms together with your passport that you have applied. No production time is set by law: the card is usually ready 30–40 days after the appointment. It is handed over at the office that processed it, in person to the holder, who must show that the document is theirs. Minors apply together with their legal representative, a parent with their original ID; in practice the representative also collects a child’s card. Where and how to collect the card is stated on the receipt: in some provinces you come without an appointment, in others you need one, and the cita previa portal has a service for it, “POLICIA – RECOGIDA DE TARJETA DE IDENTIDAD DE EXTRANJERO (TIE)”, for example in Barcelona and Málaga.

What a Spanish residence permit card looks like

The TIE is a plastic card the size of a bank card. It shows your photo, name, NIE, nationality, date of birth, type of authorisation and validity. The type of authorisation shows exactly what is permitted: for example, residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena means residence and employment. On forms that ask for a “residence permit number”, people usually give the NIE printed on the card.

Where the NIE and the card number are: the “series and number” of a residence permit

Since 19 May 2020 cards have been issued in the uniform European residence permit format (Regulation (EU) 2017/1954), produced by the FNMT (Spanish Royal Mint). A Spanish card has no separate “series”. It carries two different numbers:

• NIE: your personal number, the letter X, Y or Z, seven digits and a check letter. It appears on the front in the “NIE / PERSONAL NUMBER” field and does not change on renewal.
• Card number (número de soporte): the letter E and eight digits, for example E12345678. It is printed large in the top right corner of the front. This is the number of that particular piece of plastic: a new card issued after renewal will have a different one.

The card number is requested when registering for Cl@ve and when verifying your identity on the tax agency website: the error “Introduzca soporte válido” means it was entered incorrectly. On Russian forms that ask for the “series and number of the document”, people usually give the card number, and the NIE as the personal number. On the green registration certificate of an EU citizen, the card number is on the back and is entered with the letter C in front.

The card is valid for as long as the authorisation it was issued under and ceases to be valid together with it (Article 209 of RD 1155/2024).

Renewal, replacement and loss

When you renew your residence permit or change its grounds, a new card is issued: within a month of approval you book fingerprinting again and pay the 790-012 fee, €19.30 for a card on renewal. For holders of permanent (long-term) residence in Spain, the status itself is indefinite, but the card is renewed every five years. If the card is lost or stolen, you report it to the police and apply for a duplicate the same way: appointment, application, fee. While the card is being renewed or replaced, you can leave Spain on a return authorisation. All the grounds on which cards are issued are collected in our overview of all ways to get a Spanish residence permit.

How the other electronic offices work and how case notifications arrive is covered in sede electrónica in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

What is a cita in Spain?

A cita previa is a prior appointment with a public authority. For the TIE card, you book a police fingerprinting appointment online on the appointment portal for immigration services.

When do you need to apply for a TIE card?

Within a month of entering Spain on a national visa, or of the date the authorisation was granted inside the country; for employees, from registration with the social security system. The card is required for an authorisation of more than six months. With a Law 14/2013 visa (digital nomad, investor, startup, highly qualified professional, intra-company transfer) you do not need the card while the visa is valid; you apply for it after the UGE grants the authorisation.

How does the TIE differ from the NIE?

The NIE is a foreigner’s permanent number and does not give the right to live in Spain. The TIE is a plastic card with a photo and fingerprints that confirms your authorisation; it is printed with the same NIE.

What documents are needed for a TIE card?

Form MI-TIE if the authorisation was granted by the UGE under Law 14/2013, or EX-17 under the general regime; your passport, the decision granting the authorisation or the visa, a colour photo on a white background and the paid receipt for the fee on form 790, code 012 (€16.08 for a first card). The police list a certificate of municipal registration only for renewals and duplicates after a change of address.

Do you need a municipal registration (padrón) to give fingerprints for a TIE?

Legally, not for a first card: the Ministry of the Interior document list does not include it; it is required for renewals and duplicates after a change of address. In practice, for Law 14/2013 authorisations fingerprints are taken without a registration if you go in the province of the address on your application and the address has not changed: this has worked in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Alicante and Zaragoza. Reus and some Madrid offices require the registration, and it is also asked for under the general regime.

Which form do you need for the card after UGE approval?

Form MI-TIE (Movilidad internacional, Ley 14/2013), not EX-17. It is used by digital nomads, startup founders, highly qualified professionals, investors, intra-company transferees and their families. EX-17 is filed for general-regime authorisations.

What happens if you miss the one-month deadline for the TIE card?

The one-month deadline is set by law and regulation (Article 4.2 of Organic Law 4/2000, Article 209.1 of RD 1155/2024), and the regulation refers breaches of card obligations to the penalties of Law 4/2000. The law’s list of offences contains no specific fine for being late with the card. In practice, fingerprinting appointments are still given after the month, but it is unwise to wait: without the card it is harder to prove your status and to travel out of Spain.

What does a Spanish residence permit card look like?

It is a plastic card the size of a bank card, showing your photo, name, NIE, nationality, date of birth, type of authorisation and validity.

What is a DNI in Spain?

The identity card of Spanish citizens. Foreigners are not issued a DNI: instead they have an NIE number and a TIE card with that number printed on it.

Where is the card number on a TIE card?

In the top right corner of the front: the letter E and eight digits. This is the número de soporte; it changes with every new card, while the NIE in the “NIE / PERSONAL NUMBER” field stays the same.

What are the series and number of a Spanish residence permit?

The card has no separate series. The card number is the letter E and eight digits in the top right corner; the personal number is the NIE. On forms that ask for a document’s series and number, people usually give the card number.

Sources

• Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de extranjería (Regulation on Foreigners): deadlines for applying for the foreigner identity card. BOE-A-2024-24099.
• Real Decreto 1553/2005: the DNI is only for Spanish citizens. BOE-A-2005-21163.
• National Police: the new TIE card format (2020); Tax Agency: where the card number is.
• Appointment portal: Cita previa Extranjería.
• National Police: fee 790, code 012.
• Ministry of Inclusion: form MI-TIE and other Law 14/2013 application forms.
• Ministry of the Interior: foreigner identity card: documents and issue.
• Ley Orgánica 4/2000, Articles 4.2 and 52: deadline to apply for the card and the list of minor offences. BOE-A-2000-544.