Although the green residencia forms for permanent residents are not currently due to expire, at some stage in the future these will be replaced by the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE).
The following is a guide to obtaining the TIE or exchanging the current residencia form for a TIE.
DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED:
1. Confirmation of your appointment printed out.
2. Completed EX-23 application form.
3. Residency certificate (original green A4 or credit card size certificate)
4. Passport (+ 1 copy of the photo page and facing page of your passport in black/white, or colour)
5. One recent, colour photograph, must be TIE size 32mm x 26mm. Not passport size.
6. Padrón (“Certificado de Empadronamiento”) less than 3 months old
7. Proof of payment of €12 fee – receipted copy of Modelo 790 Codigo 12.
How to complete form EX23
The form can be found here – the last one in the list:
http://extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es/es/ModelosSolicitudes/Mod_solicitudes2/index.html
Use all black capitals throughout the form
1. DATOS DEL SOLICITANTE (Applicants’ details):
- PASAPORTE – Your passport number
- NIE – Your NIE number
- 1er Apellido – Your surname
- 2o Apellido – Your second surname, if you have one; otherwise, leave blank
- NOMBRE – Your first name, plus middle name if you have one
- SEXO – H for Male, M for Female
- Fecha de nacimiento – Date of birth in the format 02/05/1963
- LUGAR – Place of birth
- PAIS – REINO UNIDO
- Nacionalidad – BRITISH
- Estado Civil (tick) Single/Married/Widowed/Divorced/Separated
- Nombre de Padre – Father’s Christian names
- Nombre de Madre – Mother’s Christian names (if not known put S/N)
- Domicilio en Espana – Street name and residencial if you have one
- No. – House number
- Piso – Flat or house number if in a residencial
- Localidad – Name of the town in which you live
- C.P. – Postcode e.g. 03724
- Provincia – ALICANTE
- Telefono Movil – Mobile phone number
- E-Mail – Your email address
- Representante legal, en su caso – Only complete this if you are using someone to deal with the forms for you, e.g. lawyer, gestor, etc.
2. DATOS DEL REPRESENTANTE A EFECTOS DE PRESENTACION DE LA SOLICITUD If you have a representative, they should complete these for you. Leave blank if doing it yourself.
3. DOMICILIO A EFECTOS DE NOTIFICACIONES – To receive any notifications to your home address, enter it in this section – you’ve already completed the same information in section 1. above, so repeat the information here as required. Put X in the box, ‘Consiento que las comunicaciones…..’ to confirm that you agree to receive notifications by email.
- Enter your first and last names at the top under Nombre y Apellido del Titular
- Section 4.1 – Select TARJETA INICIAL
- Section 4.2 – Select RESIDENCIA CON CERTIFICADO DE REGISTRO DE CIUDADANO DE LA UNION.
- Do NOT select the ‘NO CONSIENTO…..’ box (by leaving this box empty, you are authorising the police consultation and verification of your supporting documents.
- Finally, complete the place (Moraira – Benissa – Benitachell etc) and date fields, then sign in the box, FIRMA DEL SOLICITANTE.
TIE PAYMENT
Follow this link to the payment form Modelo 790 Código 012
https://sede.policia.gob.es:38089/Tasa790_012/ImpresoRellenar
If this is for a Residencia to TIE swap, using Form EX-23, there are 3 boxes to complete on the Modelo-790-12:
First, in “Autoliquidación”, select ‘Principal’
Secondly, scroll to the bottom of the left hand column of Tramites and select the last option,
“Certificado de registro de residente comunitario o Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de un ciudadano de la Unión”
You should then see the figure of Eu 12.00 appear in the box on the bottom right hand side
Finally, select which form of payment you’re using, either ‘En efectivo’ (cash) or ‘E.C. Adeudo en cuenta’ (bank account debit)
Sign all three pages of the form in the box with black pen.
Each form must be taken to a bank for payment, whether you have selected cash or deduction.
Ensure you obtain a receipt for each form, it must be presented with the application
Making a TIE Appointment
An appointment (“Cita Previa”) is mandatory – you cannot turn up at the office and hope to be admitted. If there are two or more of you applying, you need to make separate appointments for each person – when I made our appointments, they were both at the same time, which is possible if you request the second immediately after you’ve made the first. Ensure that the appointment is requested in the name of the applicant and take a copy of your appointment confirmation with you.
Follow this link to make a “Cita Previa”:
https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpco/index.html
- From the SELECCIONAR drop-down list, “Provincias disponibles” (Provinces available), select ALICANTE, then Acceptar.
NOTE: ignore the first drop-down menu, “Tramites Oficinas de Extranjeria” – Foreign Office Procedures)
- From the “Tramites cuerpo Nactional de PolicÍa” (National Police Force Procedures) drop–down list, select POLICIA-EXP.TARJETA ASOCIADA AL ACUERDO DE RETIRADA CIUDADANOS BRITANICOS Y SUS FAMILIARES (BREXIT), then Acceptar.
- On the next screen, select “Entrar”.
- You can enter either your NIE number or Passport number; also enter your name and ensure that you enter it exactly as it appears on whichever of the documents you choose. If you enter your NIE number, do so without hyphens.
- Click on the box in the reCAPTCHA and click ‘Aceptar’.
- On the next page click ‘Solicitar Cita’.
NOTE: If the message, ‘En este momento no hay citas disponibles’ is displayed, this means there are no appointments available – there has been a shortage of appointments available, so just keep trying at different times of the day.
- Click in the blue box to see if more than one office is offered, and if so select the one you want, then click ‘Siguiente’.
- In the next two boxes, enter your mobile phone number and your email address. These will be used to send you confirmation of the appointment. There has previously been a problem with confirmations being sent to Hotmail addresses, so use Gmail or alternative.
- In the field ‘Motivo o tipo de solicitud de la cita’, enter ‘Solicitud Documento de residencia Artículo 50 TUE’, then click on ‘Siguiente’.
- You will then be offered the next available appointment dates and times. Click on the one you want, so that it turns red, then click on ‘Siguiente’.
- In the pop-up box, click OK.
- Then you’ll receive an SMS to your mobile phone; enter the code number from the SMS into the ‘VERIFICACIÓN DE SOLICITUD DE CITA’ field.
- Put a tick in the box beside ‘Estoy conforme…’ and, if you want to receive email confirmation, tick the box beside ‘Deseo recibir…’.
- To finalise the appointment, click on ‘CONFIRMAR’.
- Click on ‘Imprimir’ to save or print the appointment.
ATTENDING THE APPOINTMENT
Oficina de Extranjeria, Calle Ebanisteria 4 – 6, Alicante 03071 – there are now more centres for these appointments so this description may not apply to the one you are attending. The process remains the same.
You can enter the building 15 mins before your appointment. Security check & hand sanitiser inside the door. After the body scan turn left and head to the far end of the foyer where the pedestal ticket machine is located. On the screen tap the Cita Previa box and enter your NIE number, the machine will then display confirmation of your name & appointment time, prompting you to confirm. When confirmed it will print out a ticket (low down) for you to take. Turn around and follow the arrows through a set of double doors to a large waiting room with green chairs, TIE appointments are in Sala 3 so head to the back of that room and take a seat. Keep an eye on the TV screen and look out for your ticket number appearing and announcement with the desk (mesa) number you need to go to in Sala 3.
The desks are numbered with a Perspex screen and an open slot at the bottom. Sit in the chair of course but don’t be tempted to pull the chair closer to the desk. I slid all my documentation through the slot and the lady sifted through it, taking what she needed.
The Process
The photo will be attached to a template card, which you sign. One the application is complete you get the photo back.
Index fingerprints are taken on an electronic scanner mounted on the front of the desk. Scans are taken of both left and then right index fingers – follow the instructions given to you by the staff member. Just flat at first. Next time rolling the finger, then flat again – for me anyway.
Passport, NIE etc is returned to you, along with a receipt that has a slip of paper stapled to the top detailing the location from where to collect the TIE. Mine has 6 weeks overwritten with ball point but the attendant said it’s currently 10 weeks. On the receipt is a “Lote” number, apparently by calling 965 125 531 and giving this number you can check that the TIE card is available before you go to the office. Whether that works I don’t know.
Collecting the TIE
For Alicante province it’s a different office to collect the TIE – Calle Campo de Mirra 6
Hours are from 9.00 – 14.00, Monday to Friday, no appointment required. Take original Residencia, passport and receipt.
When you’re almost there, you’ll see Aldi on the right, move to the right-hand lane and immediately after Aldi, turn right into the car park if you miss that entrance, then turn right immediately afterwards and look for the sign to the main car park entrance. This car park is used for the market on Thursdays, so avoid. Drive to the bottom right of the car park, where the Extranjería building is located.
Walk out from the car park onto the pavement alongside the main road and turn right, down the slope a few metres to a pedestrian gate on the right, in front of the building. There’s likely to be a queue of course.
When you get to the front show your receipt and you’ll be directed to join one of two queues, then you enter. The entrance to the collection office is at the bottom left of the covered terrace, to the left of the security scanner used for people in the other queue.
One out/one in system. At the back of the small room there are two tables where you sit at the available seat. Hand over your receipt, passport and NIE, you will then scan your fingerprints again as ID check before taking the TIE card.
Check the TIE card
At the bottom front of the TIE it should say RESIDENCE PERMIT – TITRE DE SEJOUR (it seems a batch of cards were incorrectly produced with the description ‘family member’ – people who received them are waiting to be advised how this will be corrected, although the Spanish authorities have said they are still valid).
Form EX-23 uses the codes M for female and H for male. The TIE card uses the codes F and M.
Check expiry date. For people swapping their temporary Residencia, i.e. held for less than 5 years, the first TIE will be valid for 5 years and states on it that it is temporary. For Residencia for 5 years or more, the TIE will state permanent and is valid for 10 years. If you receive a temporary TIE and achieve 5 years permanent residency before it expires, you can change it for a permanent TIE as soon as you’ve been permanently resident for 5 years if you choose.