First steps

NIE and TIE: what they are and how they differ

The NIE is the number that identifies foreigners in Spain. The police assign it to people with economic, professional or social interests in Spain who are not in an irregular situation, and the application must state the reasons. You apply with form EX-15 and the fee (modelo 790, code 012) at an immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) or police station or, from abroad, at the Spanish consulate. The NIE is not a residence permit.

The TIE (foreigner’s identity card) is the card that proves your legal status as a resident of Spain. You apply in person at the police station (form EX-17 and fee 790-012), with fingerprints and an appointment, once the residence authorisation has been granted: generally within one month of the notification or of your entry into Spain.

• The police must decide an NIE application within 5 days; if there is no answer, it is deemed refused.
• You need an NIE for tax and administrative purposes (buying a home, opening a bank account, setting up a company), but it does not entitle you to live in Spain.
• If it is refused, you can lodge an appeal for reconsideration within one month or go to the administrative courts within two months.

British nationals

Brexit: British residents in Tenerife

Since 1 January 2021 the United Kingdom is a third country. British nationals already living in Spain before that date, and their family members, keep their residence and work rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. Those who settle afterwards fall under the general immigration rules (non-lucrative residence, digital nomad, work…), and without a residence authorisation they can stay in Spain only 90 days in any 180.

The document that proves you are a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary is the TIE marked «Artículo 50 TUE». It is not compulsory but it is recommended: it exempts you from registration in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) and, once it is in operation, from the ETIAS travel authorisation.

• If you hold the green registration certificate: it remains valid but does not exempt you from the EES. You exchange it for the TIE in one step at the police station, by appointment (form EX-23, fee 790-012 and one photo).
• If you never registered: first the application at the immigration office (EX-20, also available online), with proof that you lived here before 31 December 2020, and then, within one month of the grant, the TIE at the police station.
• Renewal: from 30 days before to 90 days after the TIE expires. After five years of residence you can apply for the permanent card, valid for ten years.
• If your TIE has expired and the renewal is pending, you may need a return authorisation to travel.

Remote work

Digital nomads and the Startups Law

Law 28/2022 (the Startups Law) lets non-EU citizens live in Spain while working remotely for companies based outside Spain. The visa is requested at the consulate and lasts one year; the residence authorisation that follows, handled in Madrid by the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE), can last up to three years.

What is required, in short:

• A recognised degree or vocational training, or at least three years of professional experience.
• A working or professional relationship with the foreign company of at least three months, and a company with real and continuous activity.
• Work that can be done remotely. An employee may only work for companies outside Spain; a professional may work for a Spanish company for up to 20% of their activity.
• Funds: 200% of the monthly minimum wage for the holder, 75% for the first family member and 25% for each additional one.
• No criminal record, health insurance without co-payments or waiting periods and, in general, registration with Spanish Social Security.
• Your family can join you and work. Non-lucrative residence does not allow work, so it cannot prove earlier remote work: we assess your case before you apply.

Family

Family reunification: bringing your family to Tenerife

If you reside legally in Spain you can apply for your family to live with you. The application can be filed once you have lived in Spain for at least one year and have applied for authorisation to stay at least one more year (with some exceptions for long-term residents). You need regular and sufficient funds (150% of the monthly IPREM for two people and 50% more for each additional member, with special rules for minors), adequate housing, health insurance and, if you already have school-age children in Spain, they must be enrolled in school.

You apply at the immigration office of your province (form EX-02) or electronically; the authorities have two months and, if they do not answer, the application is deemed refused. Once granted, your relative has two months to apply for the visa at the consulate, one month to collect it and another to enter Spain, and one month after entry to apply for the TIE.

• Who can be reunited: your spouse or partner over 18 (for an unregistered partnership, at least twelve months of proven cohabitation, unless you have children together).
• Your children, or your partner’s, under 18, and adult children with a disability that requires support.
• Your parents or grandparents (first-degree ascendants) who depend on you, are over 65 and have reasons that justify their residence in Spain.
• A reunited spouse or partner and children of working age may work without further formalities.
• If the person living in Spain is a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, their family follows a different regime (family-member-of-a-Union-citizen card).

Deadlines

Renewals, administrative silence and appeals

Every authorisation has its own renewal deadlines, and they should not be missed. For example, non-lucrative residence is renewed between two months before and three months after expiry, and the «Article 50» TIE between 30 days before and 90 days after.

The authorities’ silence does not mean the same in every procedure. In the renewal of non-lucrative residence, if there is no answer within three months it is deemed granted; in contrast, for the NIE, arraigo, family reunification and the initial non-lucrative application, silence means refusal.

A negative decision is not the end. The notification states which appeal is available and by when; where it ends the administrative route you can lodge an appeal for reconsideration within one month or go to the administrative courts within two. Deadlines run from notification, so if you receive a refusal, contact us as soon as possible.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions