NIE and TIE: the difference and which one you need

The short answer

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a number, not a document. What you carry in your wallet is the document with that number printed on it, and which one you get depends on your nationality:

Citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland: the EU citizen registration certificate (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión), which almost everyone calls "the green NIE". It is a card-sized piece of green paper with no photo.
Third-country nationals: the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), a plastic card with your photo and fingerprints.

In the street, at the bank and at more than one front desk, both are called "the NIE". That does no harm until you need an appointment: on the official portal each procedure has its own name, and picking the wrong one means turning up to an appointment that is no use to you.

One number, two documents

	Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland	Third-country nationals
Document	EU citizen registration certificate (the "green NIE")	TIE, a biometric plastic card
Does it have a photo?	No	Yes
Does it carry the NIE?	Yes	Yes
Does it expire?	No. After five years of residence you can apply for the permanent residence certificate	Yes. It is temporary or larga duración, and has to be renewed

There is a third paper, which is not a residence document: the NIE certificate given to anyone who needs the number without living in Spain. It carries the number and nothing else.

What the NIE is

Spain's immigration regulation defines it as a "personal, unique and exclusive" number (article 205 of Real Decreto 1155/2024). It is a letter, seven digits and another letter, it is assigned only once, and it has to appear on every document issued to you in Spain. It stays the same even if you move from a study authorisation to a work one. If you obtain Spanish nationality, your DNI will have a different number, and the certificado de concordancia proves that both are yours.

You can have a NIE without living in Spain. Someone buying a home or receiving an inheritance applies with form EX-15 and gets a paper certificate showing the number. That paper identifies you, but it is not a residence permit: it gives you no right to stay or to work. The steps, fees and forms are in our NIE guide.

The green certificate: the "NIE" of EU citizens

Citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland who are going to live in Spain for more than three months have to register with the Registro Central de Extranjeros within three months of arriving (article 7 of Real Decreto 240/2007). They are handed a registration certificate on the spot, showing their name, nationality, address, NIE and date of registration.

That certificate is the green paper; the documents you need and the appointment are in our guide to the EU registration certificate. It has no photo, so you show it together with your passport or your home country's identity card. It has no expiry date either, but if your address, marital status or nationality changes you have to report it (article 14). After five years of continuous legal residence you have the right to permanent residence and can apply for the certificate that proves it (article 10). If you hold the green certificate, you do not have a TIE and do not need one. Family members from outside the EU do get a plastic card: the residence card of a family member of a Union citizen (tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión).

The TIE: the card for third-country nationals

In the regulation's words, it is the document "intended to identify the foreign national for the purpose of proving their legal status in Spain" (article 209 of Real Decreto 1155/2024). Anyone granted a visa or an authorisation to stay in Spain for more than six months has both the right and the duty to apply for it, and the deadline is one month from entering the country or from the date the authorisation is granted or takes effect.

The card lasts exactly as long as the authorisation behind it, which is why it gets renewed. Getting one takes two appointments at the comisaría: one to give your fingerprints and, a few weeks later, one to pick the card up. The whole route is in our TIE guide.

The case of UK nationals

UK nationals who were already living in Spain before 1 January 2021 keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. Many still have the green certificate from when they were EU citizens, and they are the only group who can exchange it for a TIE. Theirs is marked "artículo 50 TUE", is applied for at the comisaría with form EX-23, and is issued for five years, or for ten if they already have five years of legal residence.

"Renew the NIE", "pick up the NIE": what you actually need

What people say	What it is	Where we explain it
"Renew the NIE"	With a TIE: renewing your residence authorisation and then the card. With a green certificate there is nothing to renew	Renewing your TIE
"Pick up the NIE"	Picking up the TIE, which has already been made	Picking up your TIE card
"Fingerprint appointment for the NIE"	The fingerprinting that the TIE is issued from	Fingerprint appointment
"Get a NIE" as an EU citizen	Registering and receiving the green certificate	NIE in Spain
"Get a NIE" when you are not a resident	Applying to be assigned the number	NIE in Spain
"I have lost my NIE"	If it is the TIE, a duplicate with a fingerprint appointment. If it is a certificate, a new one	Renewing your TIE and NIE in Spain

On the appointment portal, everything goes by its own name

The official cita previa portal has no procedure called "renew NIE". These four cover almost every case:

Asignación de NIE: to be assigned the number when you do not have one yet.
Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE: the green certificate.
Toma de huellas (fingerprints): for the TIE, whether it is your first card, a renewal or a duplicate.
Recogida de la TIE (card pickup): to collect the card once it has reached the office.

If the procedure you need has no appointments available in your province, you can create an alert and you will get a notification by email or Telegram as soon as our checks find one. You book it yourself on the official portal, free: Cita Ping does not book for you and cannot guarantee you an appointment.