Guides to NIE, TIE, visas, and other cita previa procedures in Spain. Practical advice and real experiences.
The main temporary residence permits for non-EU nationals — income thresholds, durations and application steps — plus the fingerprint appointment you still need after approval to get the TIE card.
The deadline for Spain's extraordinary regularisation passed on 30 June 2026. What it was, what to expect if you applied in time, why the wave of decisions keeps fingerprint appointments under pressure, and which routes remain if you missed it.
You have just rented a flat in Spain and the electricity is in someone else's name. How to put the contract in your name, which documents you need, how much power to contract, regulated or free market, and what happens if the supply has been cancelled.
What people call a student visa is an authorisation to stay for studies (estancia por estudios). Which studies qualify, how much money you have to show, when you can apply without leaving Spain, how long it lasts, how it is extended, how many hours you can work and which appointments it takes to get the card.
If you are an EU citizen and are going to live in Spain for more than three months, you have to register, and you will be given the green certificate with your NIE on it. Which documents you need depending on whether you work, study or live on your own means, what it costs, how the appointment works and what happens after five years.
If you live legally in Spain you can bring your spouse or partner, your children and, in some cases, your parents. Who the right covers, how much you have to earn, what housing is required, how the application is filed and which appointments it takes from the first paper to your family member's card.
Arraigo is the main path to legal residence from inside Spain. The five types that exist today (social, sociolaboral, socioformativo, familiar and de segunda oportunidad), what each one asks for, what happened to "arraigo laboral" and "arraigo por formación", and the appointments the whole process depends on.
If you are going to host a foreign relative or friend at your home, the carta de invitación is handled at your comisaría, and the person inviting applies for it, not the person coming. Who can invite, what goes in the application, the two fees, the steps up to collecting it, and what to do if no appointments appear in your province.
How many years of residence you need in your case, the two Instituto Cervantes exams, the documents, the fee, the year the Ministry of Justice has to decide and the 180 days to take the oath. And what to look after before and after: keeping your residence unbroken, and what to do with your NIE once the DNI arrives.
If your card has expired or gone missing and you have to leave Spain, the autorización de regreso is the paper that lets you back in. Who can apply, the 90 days it lasts, why it only works for entering through a Spanish border, and what to bring to the appointment.
When you become a Spanish national, your DNI comes with a brand-new number and leaves behind the NIE you were registered under everywhere. The certificado de concordancia proves that both are yours. When you really need it, when you do not, where to apply and what the fee is.
Your card is already printed — between you and it stands one last appointment, and at some offices, a batch number. How TIE pickup works, what the "lote" everyone in València asks about actually is, when you can collect without an appointment, and what to do when the pickup slot never shows up.
Cita previa is the appointment system behind every immigration and police procedure in Spain — NIE, TIE, fingerprints, residence renewals. The guides on this page walk through the procedures, the paperwork, and the realities of finding a slot.
Demand has outstripped supply for years, especially in the larger provinces. Slots are often booked within seconds, and the official site does not queue requests — whoever submits the form first takes the slot. The articles here explain what works and what does not, based on how the system actually behaves.
The guides also cover the documentation Extranjería and Policía Nacional offices expect, the modelo 790 receipts you may need to bring, and how to pick the right province or office for the procedure you need. Knowing this in advance saves rebookings when paperwork is rejected or you arrive at the wrong type of office.
Cita Ping watches the official website and sends an instant notification when a slot opens for the procedure, province, and office you chose. The guides explain how to configure an alert that matches your situation.
Notifications arrive by email and Telegram. Telegram is usually faster, and both link straight to the official site so you can finish the booking yourself.
Open the official link straight away and complete the booking yourself — Cita Ping never books for you. Have your passport number, NIE, and contact details ready. If the slot is gone before you finish, leave the alert running; another notification will follow.