Legal Status While in Spain

Students who arrive in Spain with long-term visas (permanent students or those who are studying abroad for one year) are required to start the process of getting their first TIE within 30 days. The first part of this process is making an appointment to submit your documents and get your fingerprints taken. The second part is a second appointment for about 40 days after you do your fingerprints to pick up your TIE.

You can make an appointment to submit your documents and have your fingerprints taken here. Select Madrid as your province and for the process ("trámite"), select "Policía-Toma de huellas (expedición de tarjeta) inicial, renovación, duplicado y Ley 14/2013."

For that appointment, you will need the following documents:

• Form EX-17 (PDF): This document asks the police to convert your 90-day visa into a residency card.
  • Fill out box number 1 with your personal data. The address should be the one you will use in Spain.
  • In box number 4, select "tarjeta inicial."
  • You do not need to complete boxes 2-3.
  • Also, never select the box consenting to digital notifications as you do not have access to those.
• Form MOD 790 012: This document is a fee/tax that you have to pay ahead of your appointment. First, you should fill out your personal information at the top of the form and then select "TIE que documenta la primera concesión de la autorización de residencia temporal, de estancia o para trabajadores transfronterizos." Then, you generate a PDF document that you can print and take to almost any bank in Spain with cash and pay the fee. As of the last edit to this website, the fee is €16.08. 
• Proof of enrollment: This document proves that you are enrolled in the University as a full-time student. New students should be able to use the Spanish version of their admissions letter. If you do not have that, you can request a proof-of-enrollment document from the Office of the Registrar at registrar-madrid@slu.edu.
• Proof of insurance: You will need a letter from Sanitas, the Spanish health insurance company, showing you have insurance through the University. If you are a new student, you should have access to this letter from your visa process. If not, you can request it from finance-madrid@slu.edu.
• Passport: A copy of every page of your passport, including the visa page; also bring the original.
• Photo: You will need a passport-style photo that the government can use to add an image of yourself to your TIE. Many metro stations have photo booths where you can get these taken and printed. The closest metro station with a photo booth is Moncloa, but larger stations like Sol and Gran Via in the center also have them.

Picking up your card: You will need to make a second appointment to pick up your card using the same website where you made your fingerprint appointment. Be sure you select the same office where you had your fingerprint appointment. The process ("tramite") you should select from the dropdown menu is "recogida la tarjeta." You should make this appointment no earlier than 40 days after your fingerprint appointment.

Once you have your TIE, always carry it with you. Police can ask you for identification at any time.

The empadronamiento ("padrón") is a document that certifies you live in a regulated home, and it's a required document to have to renew your TIE. It's best practice to get a padrón when you get your first TIE. You should get a new padrón every time you move to a new apartment.

To make an appointment, you can visit this government website and select "acceso sin identificar." Under the category ("categoría") dropdown menu, select "padrón y censo," and then for trámite you should select "altas, bajas y cambio de domicilio en padrón." For this appointment, you should bring the following documents:

• Hoja padronal form: This document will provide the staff member with all the information required for the process, your personal information and your new address. We recommend bringing a blank version of the document with you to the appointment so you can correct any mistake. 
• Rental contract: Your house contract from your landlord, renting agency or dorm
  • Please note that your contract must be valid for at least six months after the date of your appointment in order for it to be valid.
• Passport: A copy of every page of your passport; also bring the original

If you're living with a host family, your process of getting a padrón is going to look a little different. You should contact housing-madrid@slu.edu and the housing coordinator can share more about what you will do instead of providing a rental contract.

You receive your padrón during your appointment. Be sure to save a copy of it immediately in case something happens to the piece of paper.

Students are responsible for keeping their legal status up to date. When your TIE is expiring, you have a window of time during which you need to apply with the government to get permission to renew it. That window is 60 days before expiration or 90 days after. We have some students whose cards expire in May, others in July, and the rest in August. Please be mindful of your expiration date.

The government recently changed its laws so that all students should potentially be able to receive a TIE that is valid until their expected date of graduation. For those of you renewing, our hope is that this could be your final renewal. The following renewal information was updated in April 2025 to reflect the most recent guidance from SLU-Madrid's immigration advisors.

To make an appointment to submit your documents for renewal, you can go to this government website and select "solicitar cita." These appointments are not hard to get like the fingerprints. You have multiple options, but here are the offices students have most commonly used in the past: 

• Oficinas de Registro y de Atención al Ciudadano: 09 Consejería de Cultura, Turismo y Deporte
  • Calle Caballero de Gracia, 32
• Oficinas de Registro y de Atención al Ciudadano: Consejería de Presidencia, Justicia y Administración local
  • Calle Carrera de San Jerónimo, 13

The documents you need for this appointment include:

• Form EX-00: This document will start your renewal process and helps Spanish authorities check that you meet the criteria for renewal.
  • Fill out box 1 with your personal data.
  • You do not need to fill out box 2.
  • Fill out box 3 with your name, but with the university's address so your approval letter comes to campus (especially if you're not actively living at the same address you're using in box 1).
  • In box 4 check "prórroga" and "titular de autorización estancia por estudios, intercambio de alumnos, investigación/formación, prácticas no laborales o voluntariado (art. 40)."
  • Never select the box consenting to digital notifications as you do not have access to those.
• Form MOD 790 052: This document is a fee/tax that you have to pay ahead of your appointment. First, you should fill out your personal information at the top of the form and then select "1.3 "prórroga de la autorización de estancia por estudios, movilidad de alumnos, prácticas no laborales o servicios de voluntariado (titular principal y sus familiares)." Then you generate a PDF document that you can print and take to almost any bank in Spain with cash and pay the fee. As of the last edit to this website, the fee is €17.49. 
• Proof of enrollment: This document proves that you are enrolled as a full-time student. You can request this letter by emailing the Office of the Registrar (registrar-madrid@slu.edu). Be sure to include your Banner ID and that you need the document in Spanish for your TIE renewal.
• Proof of health insurance: You will need a letter from Sanitas, the Spanish health insurance company, showing you have insurance through the University. You can request from finance-madrid@slu.edu. Please know that the finance team has to request the letter from Sanitas, so it takes several days for them to receive the letter. 
• Proof of funds: The government requires proof that you have sufficient money to take care of yourself while living in Spain. Please see the details below this list for more information about what you are required to show.
• Passport: A copy of every page of your passport; also bring the original
• TIE: A copy of your TIE; also bring the original

After the government worker scans your documents, you will receive a receipt showing you submitted your documents for renewal. Save that paper! You can use that information to check the status of your renewal request. The wait for approval is generally a months-long process. The Spanish authorities will send you a letter with the result of your application, and if you use the University's address, we will email you when the letter arrives.

When you have your approval letter, you can move on to the second step: fingerprints. Pay attention to whether there is an expiration date on that approval letter! The government has started adding expiration dates to letters. 

Proof of Funds

In previous years, students were required to show only a single year’s worth of IPREM, which is an amount of money that the government deems reasonable to show to confirm you can support yourself. That number changes annually. It is our understanding that you will need to show IPREM necessary for the rest of your stay (one year if you only have one more year left, two if you have two more years left, etc.). However, if that is not possible for you and your family, our lawyers recommend showing at least two years if possible.

Someone would need to show 6-12 months of bank statements, showing at least 600 euros (or equivalent in another currency) coming in each month to meet IPREM requirements for 2025. Alternatively, you could show that you have at least 7,200 euros (or equivalent in another currency) in a single statement. This is one year of IPREM. If you wanted to show two years, as recommended by lawyers, you should double these amounts, for example:

• A current first-year student wanting to receive a three-year TIE should show either 21,600 euros in a single bank statement or 1,800 euros coming in each month for 6-12 months
• A current second-year student wanting to receive a two-year TIE should show either 14,400 euros in a single bank statement or 1,200 euros coming in each month for 6-12 months
• A current third-year student or first-year graduate student planning to graduate next year would only show a single year of IPREM, as outlined above.

If you can only provide one year of IPREM, please know there is a chance the government will only renew your TIE for a single year. This is one of the many unknowns we are hoping to get more clarity on as time passes with this new law.

The government is indicating that each student is allowed to renew two times during a four-year degree, effective this year. We do not yet know if and how this will be enforced. That being said, the maximum IPREM you can show would benefit your odds of not having any issues. 

A few other important things:

• Translating bank statements: If your bank statements are from another country, you are required to have them translated by an official sworn translator. Here is the government’s website to look for official sworn translators if you'd like to identify someone who can help you. We also maintain a list of a few English-to-Spanish sworn translators whom students tell us they like. Email studentlife-madrid@slu.edu if you'd like those names and contact numbers.
• Using parent bank statements: If the bank account belongs to a parent and you share the same last name as that parent, the bank statement(s) alone should be sufficient. They could ask for more documentation, like a letter from your parents saying they agree to support you financially.
  • If your last name is different than your parent's, additional documentation is required, including a birth certificate and a translated document signed by the parent saying they agree to support you financially.

Once you receive the approval to renew, your next step is to get your fingerprints taken. Again, pay attention to whether there is an expiration date on that approval letter! The government has started adding expiration dates to letters.

This process is similar to when you got your first TIE, though the documents are a little different. You can make the fingerprint appointment. Select Madrid as your province and for the process ("trámite"), select "Policía-Toma de huellas (expedición de tarjeta) inicial, renovación, duplicado y Ley 14/2013."

• Empadronamiento: Bring a copy of your padrón verifying your address.
• Form EX-17:
  • Fill out box 1 with your personal information. Remember the address should match the one on your padrón.
  • You do not need to fill out boxes 2-3.
  • In box 4, select "Renovación de Tarjeta."
  • Never select the box consenting to digital notifications as you do not have access to those.
• Form MOD 790 012: This document is a fee/tax that you have to pay ahead of your appointment. First, you should fill out your personal information at the top of the form and then select "TIE que documenta la renovación de la autorización de residencia temporal o la prórroga de la estancia o de la autorización para trabajadores transfronterizos." Then you generate a PDF document which you can print and take to almost any bank in Spain with cash and pay the fee. As of the last edit to this website, the fee is €19.30.
• Passport: A copy of every page of your passport (also bring the original)
• TIE: A copy of your TIE (also bring the original)
• Approval letter: Bring the letter showing that your renewal has been accepted. The printed version of the "resulte favorable" notification online is sufficient, too.
• Photo: You will need a passport-style photo that the government can use to add an image of yourself to your TIE. Many metro stations have photo booths where you can get these taken and printed.

Picking up your card: You will need to make a second appointment to pick up your card using the same website where you made your fingerprint appointment. Be sure you select the same office where you had your fingerprint appointment. The process ("tramite") you should select from the dropdown menu is "recogida la tarjeta." You should make this appointment no earlier than 40 days after your fingerprint appointment.

Please tell us via studentlife-madrid@slu.edu what the new expiration date is on your TIE. Because of the changes with the multi-year renewal, we want to know what each student's experience is and when their new cards expire.

Any time you don't have a valid TIE and you need to leave Spain, you should get an autorización de regreso ("regreso"). This document allows you to travel outside and re-enter Spain. The regreso is only valid for 90 days, starting the day it's issued at your appointment, so be mindful of those dates. For example, some students get a regreso before leaving for summer break, but summer is longer than 90 days.

You can make an appointment, and select Madrid as your province and for the process (or trámite) that you are doing, you will select "Autorización de regreso." More often than not, you will not see any available appointments. Please check the website for appointments on a constant basis, as the government releases them at random times or you could find an appointment that someone else canceled. Also, do not limit yourself to a particular office as that will make it harder to find an available appointment. 

For your regreso appointment, you need the following documents:

• Form EX-13: This is the document that will provide an autorización de regreso. Fill out box 1 and box 4. If you are renewing your card, select the first option, "Titular de autorización de residencia en período de renovación o prórroga (art. 5)." If you are in the process of obtaining your first residency card, select the fourth option, "Titular de autorización de residencia inicial en trámite de expedición de Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, concurriendo razones excepcionales (art. 5)."
• Form MOD 790 012: This document is a fee/tax that you have to pay ahead of your appointment. First, you should fill out your personal information at the top of the form and then select "Autorización de regreso." Then you generate a PDF document that you can print and take to almost any bank in Spain with cash and pay the fee. As of the last edit to this website, the fee is €10.72.
• Renewal receipt: The document that proves your residency card or TIE is being renewed
• Passport: Copy of every page of your passport; also bring the original
• TIE: Copy of your TIE; also bring the original
• Flight tickets

Any time you don't have a valid TIE and you need to travel with a regreso, we recommend flying directly into Spain, rather than connecting through another country.