How do I swap to a TIE photo card from the old green paper/card?
Introduction
This page explains more about the process of swapping the green piece of paper or card (the EU residency certificate) to the plastic TIE card with photo. The explanation therefore only applies to British people who were living in Spain before 1st January 2021 (before Brexit ended) as these have different (more generous) rights under the Withdrawal Agreement from the EU.
Disclaimer: The following information is how we understand it as of June 2024. We cannot be responsible for changes, updates or errors and you can let us know any changes via the link to the form right at the bottom of this page, so we can help future users. Translations of words and processes we give here are to help but are not official. If you are in any doubt, consult the Spanish authorities directly or contract professional advice.
The information here is free to use. This website (Support in Spain) is a registered charity and if the information is useful to you, please consider a small donation of 2 to 5 euros to help us keep the website running and up to date. Donate here.
Exact processes can vary slightly between offices on the day, but generally speaking, the many British people who have already made the switch to a TIE report that it is a relatively simple process.
To swap to a TIE
You can book an appointment at any National Police station in the province where you live that is listed on the link below.
Here is the link to prebook an appointment. (You are advised to use Microsoft Explore or Firefox to open it on your computer – other browsers such as Google Chrome may not work properly).
https://icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es/icpplus/index.html
First screen you see
Select the province where you live and press “Aceptar”.
Second screen
On the next screen, alongside the dropdown menu next to TRÁMITES POLICIA NACIONAL, click on the option that says: “POLICIA-TOMA DE HUELLA (EXPEDICION DE TARJETA) RENOVACION DE TARJETA DE LARGA DURACION Y DUPLICADO” (which means: Police – taking fingerprints (to issue a card), renewing long duration card and copy).
There is no need to choose which National Police station you will go to at this point.
Press “Aceptar”.
Third screen
On this page, towards the end, you can see a description in Spanish relevant to UK residents asking for the TIE, entitled: INFORMACIÓN ADICIONAL PARA LA EXPEDICIÓN DE LA TARJETA ASOCIADA AL ACUERDO DE RETIRADA DE CIUDADANOS BRITÁNICOS Y SUS FAMILIARES (BREXIT).
A non-official translation of this text (as of June 2024) is as follows, just for your information:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ISSUING THE CARD ASSOCIATED WITH THE WITHDRAWAL AGREEMENT FOR BRITISH CITIZENS AND THEIR FAMILIES (BREXIT)
To access this procedure you must be in possession of one of the following documents:
-
- Certificate of Union Citizen Registration. [Editor’s note: the green piece of paper/card, which is the one almost every Briton swapping will have of these options. To find out what to do if you have lost it, read on]
- EU Citizen Family Card (British or Northern Ireland).
- A favourable resolution issued by the immigration department. To check if the file has been ‘Resolved favourable’ status (link here).
Application form with reference EX-23, duly completed and signed by the interested party or their legal representative (link below).
Valid passport of the applicant. In the event that the passport has expired, a copy of the passport and the renewal application must be provided. When it comes to picking up the card, the passport must be valid. (Original).
At the base of that page you can choose between optionally continuing by accessing with your Clave/digital signature (“Presentación con Clave”) if you have one and it works on your computer OR without using a digital signature (“Presentación sin Clave”). On the assumption most people do not have a digital certificate loaded on their computer, the following route is the non-digital certificate route, although both routes, from what we can tell are very similar from this point.
Click on “Presentación sin Clave”.
Fourth screen
You will now be asked to fill in details for the appointment.
NIE is the Spanish ID number of the person the card is for, normally beginning X,Y or Z. This is very important to get right.
Nombre/apellidos (Name and surname/s)
País de Nacionalidad (Country of nationality). Scroll down on the dropdown list to “Reino Unido” (UK).
Click on “ACEPTAR”.
Fifth screen
On this screen, press “Solicitar Cita” (Request Appointment).
(You can also check on or cancel existing “citas” (appointments) on this screen).
Sixth screen
You now must choose the National Police station where you are going to go from the dropdown list. It will only show you offices for the province where you said you live on screen one. You can choose any from the list. Choose the closest or most convenient. If you see there are no appointments, you can enter this process again and change the office. You must go to a National Police station in the province where you live.
Press “Siguiente” (Next).
Seventh screen
On the next screen you need to enter your phone number and then email address twice. It needs to be a Spanish MOBILE number that you have with you (as they will send an SMS message code immediately to confirm the appointment).
Press “Siguiente” (Next)
Eighth screen
You will them be given time and date options. If there are none available, look for later dates or try a different police station or come back to this process a different day as more appointments are made available. It is unlikely immediate appointments are available at any police station, so, if you can, choose the next available date that suits.
Go to confirm the appointment by pressing “Siguiente” and then “SI” when asked on the pop-up message. You may be asked to complete one of those short words or tick a box or photo to prove you are a real person not a robot.
Ninth screen
Check your mobile phone SMS messages. You will have a six number code (“código”) that you will need to enter in the empty field shown on this screen towards the bottom (Red text: VERIFICACIÓN DE SOLICITUD DE CITA then Código, You must do this to confirm (” CONFIRMAR”) the appointment as well as tick the two boxes on the screen so they show blue ticks:
Print out the confirmation of the appointment (“Imprimir” button at base of page) or write down the reference (the big red number displayed on screen saying “Justificante de Cita Previa”- you will need this if you go back in to cancel) and all the address details if you need them etc.
Press “Salir” to leave the screen.
Check your email account: you should have recevied email confirmation. You cannot reply to that email.
You must take out a separate appointment slot for each person going to the police station, including children.
Going to an appointment
You must take with you to the appointment:
– Residence certificate (green card/A4 green document) (see below about what to do if you have lost it).
– A completed EX-23 form (original and a copy). You can find a copy of this form here which you can fill in: by typing on the computer, saving it and then printing out; or print out and fill in by hand in capital letters and black ink.
Here is an unofficial (non-government) translation and notes on the EX-23 English that may help you: click here (pdf).
When filling in the EX-23, make sure to choose the option “Tarjeta inicial” (section 4.1) and the option “Residencia con Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión” (section 4.2) as you were resident in Spain before Brexit.
– Passport (original and photocopy of all pages including the cover.)
– Proof (printed) of payment of the 790 012 fee. You can learn more about this process here.
When filling in the tax 790 012 form, choose the option “Certificado de registro de residente comunitario o Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de un ciudadano de la Unión” (EU resident certificate o EU familar residence card), as that is what you are swapping to the TIE as a beneficiary of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
– Passport-style photograph. 3.2cm by 2.6cm (clear background and looking straight at the camera). The staff are normally quite strict about the size of the photo.
If you have changed your address since your green document was issued: Take a Padrón certificate from your town hall (if you changed your address). Original and photocopy, issued within the last 3 months. You may be able to get this online from your local town hall’s website (if you or a representative has a digital certificate), otherwise you will need to get one in person from the town hall.
(Even if you have not changed your address, it can be a good idea to take a copy of a padron certificate with you if you have one already, even one issued over 3 months ago. But this is not normally essential nor needed).
If you changed your name since you got your green piece of paper/certificate: (for example you got married). All legalised documents proving your change of name translated officially and legally into Spanish, prepared within the last three months. These three links from the UK government may help if you got married in Britain:
https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-spain
If you have lost your green card/certificate: If you are confident you once had it and have been living in Spain normally (e.g. you did not return to live in the UK for an extended period that may have invalidated your residency rights) you will normally still be in the Spanish authorities’ computer system. Instead of taking the green certificate to the appointment you must take a report from any Spanish police station that states you have reported it as missing/stolen etc.
If you are unsure if you (or the person you represent) ever had a green certificate or what your/their residency rights are, see this link from our site.
What next?
It can take a few weeks for your new TIE card to be ready. You will need to go back another time to pick it up, with a valid passport as ID.
If the staff at the police station don’t tell you about how to pick up your new TIE, (it can vary by station so ask when you are at the appointment), you will be able to pick up your card by booking another appointment here. Select the province where you live, TRÁMITES DE POLICIA and the option “POLICIA-RECOGIDA TARJETA DE IDENTIDAD DE EXTRANJERO” (Police-Collect TIE card).
The appointments cannot be attended by a representative alone. Even if a representative is helping you (i.e you are with a parent or guardian), you will have to attend in person with them.
If you have lived in Spain fewer than five years your card will not say permament and will last five years. If you have lived in Spain five years or more your card will say “Permamente” on it and can be renewed every ten years. In either case, it will have a note on it (in Spanish) saying you are a beneficiary of Article 50 of the Withdrawal agreement (so have more residency rights than others who came after Brexit).
(Once you have lived in Spain more than five years, the computer systems automatically know you are permanent and there is no need to go back to the police station and renew your TIE card to a 10 year one until its five-year validity is up. Wait until the temporary one expires then renew. Some police stations may allow you to ask for a permament one sooner but most will tell you to come back when the temporary one expires. To keep residency rights you must continue to live in Spain of course under the conditions of the Withdrawal Agreement. When you take out a TIE or renew it you are not normally asked to show/prove you are living in Spain (beyond the basic information mentioned on this page), but staff at the police station have the right to request more information from you if the routine information you provide does not seem quite right to them).
If your UK passport expires once you hava a TIE, you do not have to change yout TIE.
And finally…
The information here is free to use. This website (Support in Spain) is a registered charity helping Britons and other foreign residents in Spain and if the information is useful to you, please consider a small donation of 2 to 5 euros to help us keep the website running and up to date. Donate here.
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