Renew your NIE/TIE in Spain: window, documents and what to do if there is no cita

NIE vs TIE: what actually expires

Your NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a permanent personal number — it never "expires" and is not renewed.

Check my renewal

What expires is the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), the physical card that proves your residence permit. You renew the permit and get a new card.

An expired TIE does not automatically cancel your residence right, but it makes working, opening or keeping a bank account and travelling much harder — so renew inside the window.

Who has to renew

• Holders of a temporary residence card (work, family, studies, arraigo, non-lucrative, digital nomad…) — these are renewed periodically.
• Long-term residents (residencia de larga duración): the right is permanent, but the TIE card still expires; the first card is valid for 5 years, then renewals are every 5 years until age 30 and every 10 years after that.
• You do NOT renew: a bare NIE assignment letter with no residence permit, or an EU citizen registration certificate (that has its own rules).

Your rights during renewal

• Filing the renewal in time generally extends your permit's validity until there is a decision (you keep your status while it is processed).
• For many residence-authorisation renewals, silencio administrativo is positive: if the administration does not answer within the legal deadline, the renewal is deemed granted. Other extensions/stays can be negative, so confirm your permit type.
• You can usually keep working while a timely renewal is pending; the resguardo (receipt) is your proof.

The renewal window: 2 months before / 3 months after

• For most residence-authorisation renewals, apply during the 2 months before expiry.
• You can still apply within the 3 months after expiry, but late filing can trigger a sanction procedure. Do not rely on it.
• Miss the window entirely and you may have to start over — much harder. Set a reminder when your card has ~3 months left.

Documents and the tasa

• The permit-renewal form depends on your permit type; EX-17 is for issuing the new physical TIE after the authorisation is renewed.
• Valid passport (and a copy), your current TIE, recent passport-size photo, and padrón (empadronamiento).
• Proof that the conditions of your permit still hold (work contract + vida laboral, income, family link, studies…).
• The fee forms depend on the phase: authorisation renewal uses its own tasa, and the new TIE card uses tasa 790-012 before the police appointment.

How to renew, step by step

1. Check your expiry date and the window — generally apply during the 2 months before expiry.
2. Gather the documents and fill the correct EX form for your permit.
3. Pay the tasa required for the renewal phase and keep the proof; after approval, pay tasa 790-012 for the new TIE card.
4. Submit: many renewals go online via the Mi Carpeta / Mercurio platform with a certificado digital; otherwise book a cita previa.
5. Wait for the resolution; if silencio positivo applies to your renewal and the legal deadline passes without an answer, confirm the status before booking fingerprints (huellas).
6. Pick up the new TIE about 30–40 days after giving fingerprints.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until the card is already expired and treating the 3-month late window as risk-free.
• Using the wrong EX form for your permit type.
• Forgetting the padrón or letting it be older than 3 months.
• Mixing up the permit-renewal tasa with the later TIE-card tasa 790-012.

No cita, travelling mid-renewal, or a denial

• "No hay cita": keep trying at different times, record your attempts, and check whether your renewal can be filed online instead.
• Need to travel while the renewal is pending or the new card is not collected yet? The tool is the autorización de regreso: issued by the Policía Nacional (cita + form EX-13 + tasa), it allows one exit and re-entry within 90 days of issue while your TIE is expired or in process. Three caveats: it covers a single trip, not multiple crossings; plan the return to Spain directly (other Schengen states may refuse entry on an expired card); and bring the resguardo of your renewal to the appointment.
• The typical post-approval chain when citas are scarce: resolución favorable → tasa 790-012 → hunt for the huellas cita → (trip? — autorización de regreso) → fingerprints → collect the card ~30–40 days later. Each step has its own queue; start the next one the day the previous completes.
• If renewal is denied, you usually have a recurso de reposición (1 month) or contencioso route — react fast and get advice.

Related guides

Key terms in this guide

Renewal FAQ

Official sources