NIE and TIE: Spain's foreigner number, the card and the fingerprint appointment

Your NIE is a number that follows you for life in Spain; your TIE is the plastic residence card that carries it, and getting it means a police appointment and fingerprints.

The short version

• The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is your personal, permanent ID number in Spain, a bit like a Social Security number for dealing with Spanish offices [1][2].
• The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the physical residence card. If you came on a long-stay visa, you must apply for it within one month of arriving [3].
• Forms: EX-15 is for an NIE number or certificate; EX-17 is for the TIE card [1][2].
• Fees are paid on form 790, code 012. For 2026: about €9.84 for an NIE, €16.08 for a first TIE and €19.30 for a renewal TIE [4].
• Everything runs on a cita previa (an advance appointment). Booking one in Madrid is famously hard, so start the day you land.

USD conversions in this guide use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1.1163 per euro).

NIE vs TIE: what's the difference?

Back in the States, your Social Security number and your driver's license are two different things. Spain works the same way here.

Here's the key: if you move to Madrid on a residence visa (non-lucrative, digital nomad, student or work), you usually don't need a separate NIE first. Your number is assigned with your visa or permit, and the TIE is the card that shows it. You only need a standalone NIE if you're dealing with Spain without living here: buying property, inheriting, opening certain accounts or setting up a company before you move.

Getting an NIE without residency

You can request an NIE at a Spanish consulate in the US or at a police station in Spain.

At a US consulate. The Miami consulate's page is a good model of how it works [2]:

1. Book an appointment online. You or a representative with a power of attorney must attend in person.
2. Bring form EX-15, signed, original and copy, stating your economic, professional or social reason (for example, a property purchase).
3. Bring your passport and a copy of the photo page, plus a local ID proving you live in the consulate's area.
4. Fill out form 790, code 012 and pay the fee.
5. Give an email address; the NIE is sent electronically, normally within about two weeks [2].

In Madrid. The same EX-15 form can be filed at a police station handling foreigner paperwork, with a cita previa [1]. You'll need to show why you need the number, such as a signed offer on an apartment.

An NIE doesn't give you the right to live in Spain [2]. It's only an ID number.

Getting your TIE in Madrid, step by step

If you arrived on a long-stay visa, the Spanish consulate's visa approval tells you to apply for the TIE within one month of entering Spain [3]. In practice, what matters is that you book the appointment within that month, even if the date itself is later. Keep a screenshot of your booking.

1. Register your address first

Most people get their empadronamiento (town hall registration) before the TIE appointment, and offices often ask for it. See our guide to empadronamiento in Madrid.

2. Book the cita previa

Appointments are booked on the government's ICP site at icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es [5]. Choose the province of Madrid, then the police procedure for fingerprints and card issuance (the wording on the menu changes from time to time; look for toma de huellas). You'll often need a Spanish cell phone number to receive the SMS code [5].

Madrid appointments get snapped up fast. Tips that work:

• Try early in the morning and late at night, when new slots are often released.
• Check several police offices in the province, not just the closest one.
• Be persistent for a few days before you panic. Some people hire a gestor (a licensed paperwork agent) to book for them.

3. Pay the 790-012 fee

Fill out form 790, code 012 online on the National Police site, choosing the TIE option that matches your situation, print it and pay at a partner bank or bank ATM [4]. The fees are set by Order PJC/617/2025 [4]. Bring the stamped receipt to your appointment.

4. Bring your documents

A typical TIE appointment checklist:

• Form EX-17, filled in and signed.
• Passport with your visa, and a copy.
• One recent passport-style photo with a white background (Spanish size).
• The paid 790-012 form.
• Proof of your permit: the visa or the resolution approving your residence.
• Your padrón certificate if the office asks for it.

Some offices now also ask for proof of when you entered, such as a boarding pass [5]. Bring it just in case.

5. The fingerprint appointment

On the day, an officer checks your papers, scans your fingerprints and takes your signature. It's usually quick once you're at the window. You'll leave with a receipt (resguardo) that shows when the card should be ready, often in 30 to 60 days [5].

6. Pick up the card

You collect the card in person, sometimes with a second appointment. Bring your passport and the receipt [5]. Until then, the receipt and your passport with visa are your proof of status. Be careful about leaving Spain during this gap; ask the office if you need to travel.

Renewals, lost cards and changes

• Renewing your permit usually means a new TIE, with a new 790-012 fee (€19.30 in 2026 for a renewal card) and another fingerprint appointment [4].
• Change of address inside Spain should be reported so your records match.
• Lost or stolen card: report it to the police and request a duplicate with a new appointment.

The American angle

• Your NIE is not a US tax ID. On your US return, you still use your Social Security number. Your NIE goes on Spanish tax forms.
• Banks will ask for both. A Spanish bank will want your NIE or TIE, and, because of FATCA, will also ask about your US citizenship and SSN. That's normal, not a red flag.
• Keep your passport current. Your TIE is tied to your passport, and you'll want to renew your US passport well before it runs out. The US Embassy in Madrid handles passport renewals for Americans in the city.

Stuck in the cita previa loop? Others have been there. Ask in our community group for Americans in Spain.

Sources

1. Formulario EX-15: solicitud de NIE y certificados, Consulate General of Spain in New York
2. Foreigner Identity Number (NIE), Consulate General of Spain in Miami
3. Non-working (non-lucrative) residence visa, Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles (February 11, 2026)
4. Tasa 790 012 in Spain: what it is and how much it costs in 2026, TaxDown (October 2026)
5. Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE), Fulbright Spain

Keep reading

• Empadronamiento: registering in Madrid
• Banking in Spain as an American
• Spain's non-lucrative visa for Americans
• Renewing a US passport abroad