The TIE, Tarjeta de Indentidad de Extranjero, is the Spanish identification card for citizens from third countries (non-EU) who reside in Spain.  The Withdrawal Agreement TIE is a special version of this card, issued to British UK nationals who have retained EU rights under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

The qualifying requirements for applicants e.g. for proof of means remain the same as they were when the UK was in the EU.  British UK nationals living in Spain who had not obtained a residency certificate, had until the 31st December 2020 to apply for the the Withdrawal Agreement TIE.

You can now apply for the Withdrawal Agreement TIE in these circumstances:

There are two main healthcare requirements for the Non-Lucrative Visa.   Firstly you must be free from any of the diseases listed under the International Health Regulations 2005, and secondly you need to have unrestricted access to healthcare in Spain.

Doctors Letter or Medical Certificate for a Non-Lucrative Visa Application

The first requirement is satisfied by obtaining a Doctors letter or medical certificate.  The Doctors letter or medical certificate can be provided by your own GP, or a private Doctor either in the UK or Spain.  The letter or certificate has to be signed by the issuing doctor, have their medical practice stamp, and their registration number.  In the UK this is known as a GMC (General Medical Council) number.

Spain’s Golden Visa offers residency to individuals who make a real estate investment in Spain of €500,000 or more.  The Golden Visa scheme has been in existence since September 2013 when legislation for the ‘residency by investment scheme’ was passed.  The aim being to attract foreign investors at a time when the economy of Spain was not in a very good place.  Since it’s inception, over 25,000 foreign investors have benefited from the scheme.

The scheme is open to nationals from non-EU or third countries, and has so far been most popular with investors from China, Russia and the USA.

What does Spain’s Golden Visa Offer Property Investors?

The TIE, Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, or foreigners ID card, is the Spanish identification card foreign nationals from third countries (non-EU) who reside in Spain.

Once you have arrived in Spain with the relevant residency visa or otherwise meeting the eligibility for a residency permit that is applied for in Spain, you can begin the process to get your foreigners ID card – TIE ,’tarjeta de identidad de extranjero‘.

Applying for the TIE ‘Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero’ Foreigners ID Card

Before you can get your TIE you must have a valid residency visa or residency permission.  Residency visas are applied for and issued through the Spanish Consulate in your home country, and residency permits are handled by the immigration office in the province where you live in Spain.  How and where you apply depends on you situation and the type of residency you qualify for and are applying for.

Once your have your visa or residency permission granted by immigration, you apply for your TIE a National Police Station within the province where you live.  The card takes a few weeks to arrive and is collected from the police station when ready.

You can apply in person or appoint a representative or give someone Power of Attorney to apply for a residency permit on your behalf, however with the exception of the ‘Golden Visa’, residency visas have to be applied for in person.  The application for the TIE itself, also has to be made in person.  You provide your fingerprints and a photograph for your biometric ID card.  The whole process can take anything from 3 to 9 months depending on what type of residency you have applied for.

TIE – Spanish Visa & Residency Application Requirements General Info

Visa applications are applied for in person through the Spanish consulate.  Applications for residency permission can be done in person or can be submitted online.

The online submission system is works well, and the Spain’s immigration office encourages the use of this system.  To submit your application you need to have a digital certificate in place.  The digital certificate is and online ID and signature. If you don’t have one, you can authorise someone else or a company to complete the online submission on your behalf.

Official translations of documents that are not in Spanish must be provided.

Additional documents to support your application

The the consulate and immigration when reviewing applications apart from checking qualification and eligibility, may also request further information validating your arrival and situation in Spain.

When your application is received, a receipt will be issued confirming that it has been presented.  It will then be reviewed accordingly at the provincial foreigners office.  If for any reason your application is not immediately accepted and further information is requested, you have 10 working days to supply the additional information that has been asked for.  Applications are archived or rejected if additional information requested is not supplied in within the given time.

Notification of the approval of your application will usually be sent within 3 months, and you have one month to make an appointment and complete the your TIE application at the National Police Station.

You can read more about the different types of Spanish visas and residency here.

TIE Tarjeta de Indentidad de Extranjero Application – Getting Your Card

The second stage of the TIE application process is relatively straight forward, and appointments are readily available in most areas at the Foreigners Offices and National Police Stations.

For your second stage application you need to have a pre-booked appointment.

You can make an appointment through the following link:

https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/icpplus

For your appointment you will need:

*EX application form (as with the first stage the form number varies depending on type of visa or residency you have)
*Your visa or residency permit approval notice
*Passport and a copy ( a copy of your passport and the application is acceptable if you are in the process of renewing it)
*Small (carnet size) passport  photo 32mmx28mm
*Proof of your Spanish address (padron)
*Modelo 790 form with €12 tax paid and stamped by the bank, or with payment receipt attached

When you present your application at the Police station your fingerprints will be taken electronically and if everything else is in order, you will be given confirmation of your processed application and told to make an appointment to come back and collect your card in 5 to 6 weeks.  Some Police stations operate collection without appointment, and just have allocated days or times for collection of TIE cards.

Link to all EX residency / TIE application forms: https://extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es/es/modelossolicitudes/mod_solicitudes2/

Nationals of non-EU countries require a visa to enter Spain, if the stay is intended to be more than 90 days.  The Schengen visa in most cases cannot be used to apply for residency in Spain.

There is an exception when an immediate family member is joining a family member who already lives in Spain and holds Spanish residency.   In all other circumstances a citizen of a non-EU country must apply for, and obtain a long stay visa through the Spanish Embassy in their home country.

Since UK has now left the EU, UK citizens / British nationals also have to apply for a visa if they want to live or work in Spain.

Once the visa has been issued, the applicant can travel to Spain and apply for residency and get their TIE, ‘tarjeta de identidad de extranjero‘.

The following is a summary of the main types of long stay visas that citizens of non-EU countries can apply for.

The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero), meaning –  Foreigners Identification Number, is the identification number issued to people who are not a Spanish nationals.

The National Police, (Cuerpo Nacional de Policia), handle the issue of NIE’s, and any one planning to carry out a transaction in Spain, e.g. buying a car, holiday home, or various other interests, needs to have one.

The NIE identifies you whenever you do something official, or which involves the authorities.  For example paying taxes, buying a property; signing a document at Notary; starting a business; or becoming a director of a Spanish company.

The NIE is not a fiscal (tax) residency identification – you can have a NIE and be fiscal resident in another country, however it is used to link payments to you that may be due, including tax amongst others. Both EU citizens and non-EU citizens are issued with NIE’s, and if you become resident, you keep the same NIE when you apply for your residence certificate or card.

The TIE, Tarjeta de Indentidad de Extranjero, is the Spanish identification card for citizens from third countries (non-EU) who reside in Spain.  Since July 2020 British UK nationals moving to Spain have also had to apply for this card, as the UK is no longer in the EU.

If you already have a Spanish residency certificate, you do not have to apply for the TIE, but you can voluntarily exchange your certificate for the card.

Both the Spanish and UK Government websites and their Consulate pages confirm that the green residency certificate, A4 and credit card sized, remain valid for UK nationals and prove the holders residency and retained rights under the withdrawal agreement, having settled in Spain before the UK left the EU.  However considering the issues some have encountered during the recent Covid19 travel restrictions, e.g. multiple incidences of authorities and airlines not understanding the rules and denying certificate holders entry to Spain, it is advisable to get the TIE.

Aside from this the card is a full bio-metric national ID card, therefore so much more useful than the paper certificate.  The card also has the words ARTICULO 50 TUE, a reference to note that the holder was resident in Spain before the end of the transition period and has retained rights.