Legal Status While in Spain

If you have a 90-day visa, you are required to start the process of obtaining a residency card (TIE) within 30 days of your arrival. To do so, you are required to present the following documents:

• Form EX-17 (PDF): This document will ask the police to convert your 90-day visa into a residency card that will last for a year. Fill out box number 1 with your data. Remember, the address has to be the one you will use in Spain. In box number 4, select "tarjeta inicial."
• Form MOD 790 012: This document contains the fee you must pay before the appointment. This can be paid at any bank in Spain. You just need to fill out your information and select "TIE que documenta la primera concesión de la autorización de residencia temporal, de estancia o para trabajadores transfronterizos." Then go to the front desk of any bank with cash to pay the fee amount, and they will take care of the rest. 
• Certificate for the residency card: This document proves that you are enrolled in the university and pursuing the number of credits required to obtain a residency card. Our registrar's office will issue this document here at SLU-Madrid (registrar-madrid@slu.edu). 
• Originals and copy of passport.
• Originals and copy of the visa.
• A letter from Sanitas showing you have insurance through the university, which you can request from finance-madrid@slu.edu. (Historically, a copy of the front and back of your Sanitas insurance card was sufficient, but recent guidance from a lawyer indicated a letter was best practice.)
• Passport-style photo (many metro stations have photo booths where you could get this taken and printed).

Important Note: Once you have the residency card, always carry it with you. Police can ask you for identification at any time.

You can make an appointment to submit your documents and have your fingerprints taken on this government website where you will select Madrid as your province and for the process (or trámite) that you are doing, you will select "Policía-Toma de huella (expedición de tarjeta, renovación de tarjeta." 

If you plan to stay in Spain for more than a year, you must renew your residency card annually. You can start the renewal process 60 days before and up to 90 days after the expiration date on your card.

If you need to leave Spain while your renewal documents are in process, you should obtain the autorización de regreso, which lets you leave the country in good standing for up to 90 days. We recommend you fly directly into Madrid (rather than connecting through other airports) while your documents are processing, so you don't risk getting stopped, since the regreso doesn't mean anything outside of Spain. 

To renew your TIE, you need to collect the following documents to present:

• Form EX-00 (PDF): This document will start your renewal process and helps Spanish authorities check that you meet the criteria for renewal. Fill out box number 1 with your personal data, box number 3 with your name - but the university address so we receive the notification - and in box number 4 check "prórroga" and "titular de autorización estancia por estudios, intercambio de alumnos, investigación/formación, prácticas no laborales o voluntariado (art. 40)".
• Form MOD 790 052: This document contains the fee you must pay at any Spanish bank before the appointment. You just need to fill out your information and 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 go to the front desk of any bank with cash to pay the fee amount, and they will take care of the rest. 
• Proof of enrollment: This document proves that you are enrolled in the university and pursuing the number of credits required to obtain a residency card. Our registrar's office at SLU-Madrid (registrar-madrid@slu.edu) will provide this document.
• Bank statement: This should prove that you have enough resources to live in Spain. The current government requirement as of 2024 is a minimum income from the last six to 12 months of 600 euros/month or a total of 7,200 euros. If the bank account is not from Spain, the document must be translated by an official sworn translator in Spain.
  • 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.
• Original and copy of passport.
• Original and copy of TIE. 
• A letter from Sanitas showing you have insurance through the University, which you can request from finance-madrid@slu.edu. (Historically, a copy of the front and back of your Sanitas insurance card was sufficient, but recent guidance from a lawyer indicated a letter was best practice.)
• Empadronamiento (if you have changed your address since your previous TIE)

To make an appointment to submit your documents for renewal, you can go to this government website and select "solicitar cita." 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

During your appointment, you will receive a receipt showing you submitted your documents for renewal. You can use that information to check the status of your renewal request here. The wait for approval is generally a months-long process. The Spanish authorities will send you a letter with the result of your application. 

This document will allow you to travel outside and re-enter Spain while your residency card is in the renewal stage. The autorización de regreso only lasts for 90 days, starting when it is issued, so be mindful of those dates. You will be required to present the following documents:

• Form EX-13 (PDF): 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 contains the fee you must pay at any bank in Spain before the appointment. Just go to the front desk and pay in cash. You will need to fill out your information and select a copy of the document proving that you have started the renewal process autorización de regreso.
• The copy of the document that proves your residency card or TIE is being renewed and the original of said document.
• Original and copy of passport.
• Original and copy of Residency Card/TIE.
• Flight ticket.

Once you receive the TIE renewal approval, your next step is to get your fingerprints taken. The process is similar to when you got your first TIE. The few differences are the boxes you have to check in the form, the fee, and the padrón. Here is a list of the documents required for the renewal process to continue:

• Form EX-17 (PDF): Fill out box number 1 with your information. Remember the address has to be the one you will be using in Spain. In box number 4, you need to select "Renovación de Tarjeta".
• Form MOD 790 012: This document contains the fee you need to pay, at any bank in Spain, before going to the appointment. Just go to the front desk of the bank and pay it in cash. You will need to fill out your information and 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."
• Originals and copy of passport.
• Original and copy of TIE.
• Certificate from the padrón.
• Document showing that your renewal has been accepted. 
• Passport-style photo (many metro stations have photo booths where you could get this taken and printed).

Once all the documents are submitted, you must make an appointment to pick up your card 30 to 45 days later from the same office.

You can make the fingerprint appointment on this government website where you will select Madrid as your province and for the process (or trámite) that you are doing, you will select "Policía-Toma de huella (expedición de tarjeta, renovación de tarjeta." If you are making an appointment to pick up your card, you'd use the same website, but select the option "Policía-Recogida de la TIE."

The padrón is the document that proves that you live in a regulated apartment/flat/house. You may also know it as the census. To obtain this, you need to get an appointment at any padrón office in Madrid and bring the following documents:

• Form Hoja padronal (PDF): This document will provide the public servant with all the information required for the process, your personal information and your new address. 
• Your house contract from your landlord, renting agency or dorm.
• Original and copy of passport.

The padrón is given on the spot. Save a copy of it somewhere in your records in case something happens to the piece of paper.

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." When making government appointments, you will frequently be asked for your NIE number and/or your passport number. Your NIE is your foreign identification number that you can find on your visa in your passport. It is nine characters long and starts and ends with a letter.

If you have any questions regarding these processes or any other issue regarding your legal status in Spain, please contact us at studentlife-madrid@slu.edu.

Please also email us if any of the links on this page have stopped working. The government sometimes makes changes to appointment or document links.