International Relations Bureau

Share:

FAQ-frequent questions

Sections in which are grouped the frequent questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

About the renewal procedure


1. Which is the difference between the renewal (of the residence permit for studies) and the process with which I applied for my first TIE card, upon arrival in Spain?

The TIE renewal process has two phases:

a) Gathering and presenting some documents that prove that you still meet the conditions to continue studying in Spain;

b) Once these documents have been accepted, requesting the new TIE card. (This phase is similar to the procedure you did when you arrived to study in Spain, when you went to the Police office and you obtained your first TIE card).


2. When should I start the renewal of my study permit in Spain?

You can start the procedure during the 60 days before the expiry date of your TIE card and up to 90 days after said expiration.

The best time to start the TIE renewal is usually about 3 weeks before the expiry date of your TIE card; since in the renewal you will have to provide the new enrolment and your grades of the last period. However, depending on the moment of the year in which you have to renew, this can be more or less easy.

If you have any questions in this regard, please write us about your specific case and we will assess you. Please send an e-mail:

 

3. May I initiate the renewal a little bit earlier than the 60 last days in which the TIE card is valid?

Not at all. If you begin the procedure even just one day before the last 60 days in which the card is valid, they will take your documents but, after two months (or more), they will return all documents to you stating that you must begin the renewal again.

So it is very important that, if you would like to initiate the renewal as soon as possible, you count the days very well, in order you may be sure that you are beginning the procedure lasting less than 60 days for the expiry date of your TIE card.

Digital certificate

1-  To what extent is it important that I obtain a digital certificate in order to renew online, instead of renewing it in person?

Normally it is always better to renew online, because it saves you time in the application (you do not need to go to to some place with due appointment in order to submit documents, etc.) ; and according to the legal authorities (Subdelegación), the process is faster if it is done online.

(Note: However, this year they are taking more or less the same time to process online TIE renewals and the ones submitted in person, although we must assume that this is due to a specific problem and that in the near future it will be faster to do it online.)

It is also advisable to do the procedure online in case you travel. If you start the renewal and then you travel, if there was an official request for additional documents ("requerimiento"), you could know what they request you and you could submit it before coming back and despite you are away. Otherwise, without electronic certificate and doing the procedure presentially, you could not (you should wait until you return to Spain to submit your documents and, therefore, you would risk to not finish your TIE renewal procedure and get illegal).

 2. What should I take into account, in order to apply for a digital certificate?

You can only obtain the digital certificate while your TIE card is valid, since one of the steps (as you will see in the instructions on how to request the digital certificate) is to go to a Social Security Office and identify yourself. There they will only accept your ID if your TIE card is valid.

At this time, you should also bear in mind that, due to the pandemic, it is necessary to make an appointment for this identification process, and they usually take longer than usual.

 

 3. I have a technical problem when downloading the digital certificate

If the technical problem persists, the FNMT has a user service. You can contact by phone, email, or using an online form. The FNMT also has a section of frequently asked questions, where you will find the most common error messages:

https://www.sede.fnmt.gob.es/soporte-tecnico/atencion-a-usuarios

 

 4. Is there an option to access the page to obtain the digital certificate in English?

No, currently there is only the option to request it in Spanish.

 

 5. I already have the digital certificate downloaded. However, I am having problems submitting the TIE renewal documents

You can contact us at the OMI Office. We will try to help you with the procedure.


6. If I have a digital certificate, may I do the renewal of the TIE from my country and, in case I obtain the renewal, coming back to Spain just with it?

No, you can only come back to Spain with a valid TIE card. So, if you initiated the TIE renewal from outside Spain (and you should not do it, as while you are doing the renewal online, you must declare that you are doing the renewal from Spain) and you could even obtain the renewal of it and receive the document of concession of the extension of the permit, that document would not allow you to enter Spain again. The only documents that would allow you to do that are:

a)       A student’s visa

b)      The valid TIE card, or

c)       The authorization of return that you should obtain before leaving Spain

The digital certificate is useful because your procedure will go faster. In case you initiated the renewal and after that, you went outside Spain, if you had a digital certificate, you would easily receive the notifications of the possible request of documents and answer the request in order the renewal of your student’s permit would continue without more problems. But the digital certificate does not allow you to do the procedure from another country because, even if you obtained the extension of the permit, you would not be able to come back to Spain without previously obtaining a new Spanish student’s visa at the Spanish Consulate in your country.

 

Documents


1.  What happens if I have not opened a bank account with a bank in Spain? How can I justify the financial means?

The options indicated in the instructions on the possible documents to present to justify your financial means in the TIE renewal (see the document with the list of documents to present, available in section 3 of this website) are those that indicate the authorities (Subdelegación de Gobierno in Barcelona). It is this legal authority that indicates that you can use any of the indicated options and only one. They will only accept one of the options indicated in the document with the list of documents to submit; any other option is valid.

In case of accrediting the economic means through a bank account, they only accept that this bank is in Spain. If you do not have an account open in Spain, you should try to use any of the 3 other options indicated in the document with the list of documents to submit; because if you try to justify it in some other way, the financial means will be rejected.

 2. To renew my TIE, can I use the same insurance that I used when I obtained the visa in my country?

It is important to know that the criteria used by the Spanish Consulates when granting visas and those used by the Spanish authorities when renewing your stay are not the same; like for instance the criteria to accept or not your medical insurance.

Therefore, it may be that the medical insurance that was accepted to obtain your visa, is not accepted here for the renewal of your study stay permit.

In case you have a private health insurance, please review the conditions that it must meet (and that must be clearly specified in the documents you present about health insurance). To do this, please consult the document with the list of documents to submit for the TIE renewal, in section 3 of this website, where are indicated the conditions that the medical insurance must meet.

If you have any question about health insurance, contact us by sending one e-mail to:

"Requerimiento" (official request for additional documentation)

1. What should I do if I receive a request for documents ("requerimiento")? How many time do I have to answer it?

You have received a letter of "requerimiento", requesting you some document/s (some missing or incorrect document/s). Then, you must submit it immediately so that the process can continue. On the back of the letter of "requerimiento" are indicated (with general indications) the required documents. As soon as you receive it, pWe will assess you about the documents that you have to submit. (Bear in mind that, with your answer to the "requerimiento", they decide whether or not to concede you the renewal. There is only one opportunity and they will not require anything else).

In the "requerimiento", it is indicated that you have 10 natural days to submit the documents;  sometimes they wait for more time to close your files if you do not submit the requested documents but one never knows if it will be done later or not. So please submit the documents  not later than 10 natural days after you are notified of the request of documents because, in case they closed your files, you would not be able to sumit anything else and you will keep illegal in Spain from that moment on.


2. I have seen on the web that documents have been requested, but I don't know which ones. What can I do?

- If you have submitted the documents online, you can check it, on the following page: https://dehu.redsara.es/. There, after a few days of seeing on the web page that your status is "en trámite -requerido" ("pending- more documents required"), you will find the document of the "requerimiento" (the official request for more documents) and you can download it.

- If you submitted the documents in person, the "requerimiento" will be sent to the address you had indicated in the application form, by postal mail. Keep in mind that these mailings can take up to two weeks, but they will arrive.

- Anyway, in the case of face-to-face presentations, and if you have waited a couple of weeks (since you saw on the web that your status changed from "pending" to "pending-required") without receiving anything yet, then you can consult to the authorities (Subdelegación de Gobierno de Barcelona).  You can open a ticket in the following website: https://ssweb.seap.minhap.es/ayuda/consulta/extranjeriaCG. You will find more information about this system in the page: https://www.upc.edu/sri/en/, in the piece of news: "New system to ask questions to the Spanish authorities in Barcelona".

Applying for the TIE card

1. I have seen that my resolution is already FAVORABLE, but how can I be sure that I can apply for a new TIE card?

In order to apply for a new TIE card, the renewed period must be longer than six months. This information is only seen in the official document with the concession of the new permit ("resolución"), a document that is sent to your home by post if you had submitted your TIE renewal in person, or is posted on the web (in "MY FILES") if you had submitted it online.

Before requesting an appointment to go to the Police Station, it is better to wait to see the official document with the concession ("resolución") ; specially undergraduate or master's students, since doctoral students' concessions are usually for a period of one year.

If the official document of concession ("resolución") takes a bit of time to arrive, you can take a risk and make an appointment with the Police for the card, although you must bear in mind that, if they had finally conceded you a period of less than six months, you would have paid a fee in vain and they will not issue you a TIE card.

 2. I already have the receipt for the new TIE card. When can I have the new original one?

At this moment, after 45 days from the first appointment with Police. To pick up the definitive card, you will also need an appointment, but it only can be in the same Police Office where you went the first time. If you are in a hurry, you can try to obtain an appointment for the definitive card sooner that 45 days from the first appointment, but no one can guarantee that the card will be ready. The guarantee of that is only after the 45 days.

Travels

1. What should I keep in mind if I have to renew and travel during my TIE renewal?
Your TIE card allows you to re-enter Spain without problems after a trip, but only during the period in which it is valid (and not expired). Therefore, if you must travel during the renewal process and return with the expired card, please read the answer to the next question (below), so that you can return without problems.
You should also bear in mind that the period of renewal of the study permit begins when there are less than 60 days before the expiry date of the TIE card. If you try to travel before that period and return to Spain when the card is already expired, the only way to do so would be to request and obtain a new study visa in your country; before returning to Spain.
 
2. If during the renewal process I want to travel to my country: what should I do, to be able to return to Spain without problems?
If you are going to travel during the renewal process and you are going to return after the expiry date of your TIE card that you are renewing, in order to return to Spain without problems, you must:
a) Start the renewal of the permit before leaving Spain, and
b) In addition, obtain, also before traveling, the authorization of return, which will allow you to return a maximum of 90 days after obtaining it (in this link, you will find all the information about this procedure).
 
3. I want to travel to other countries of the European Union but the renewal of my TIE is in process. I can do it?
No. The rest of the countries of the European Union only recognize the Student Card in Spain (TIE) while it is valid. If you intend to travel to another country of the European Union when your card is being renewed and it expires during the trip, they will no longer let you start the trip and you could find yourself blocked in another country and unable to return to Spain.
On the other hand, you cannot travel as a tourist (even if the agreements with your country allow it), because your stay in Europe is not as a tourist, but as a student in Spain, and the regulations of European countries are strict in this regard.
If you would like to travel to another EU country while your Spanish TIE is being renewed, you must contact the Consulate in Spain of the EU country to which you wish to travel and ask them what document or visa you should obtain to travel.

4. I had to travel to my country, but I have stayed in it for more than three months and my card has expired, although it is being renewed. How can I go back to Spain?
If you have traveled without processing the authorization of return (or the authorization of return has expired, because you have stayed in your country longer than it lasted), even if the renewal process is resolved while you are in your country and the result is favorable, you will not be able to return if it is not with a new study visa.
Only the possession of the new TIE card (which is processed only in Spain after obtaining the favorable result) would give you the right to return to Spain. And this procedure is personal and cannot be done by anyone but you.
In any case, in cases like these, we always recommend consulting the Consulate of Spain in your country, in case there could be any other type of procedure possible from there. Although, according to our experience, in cases such as those described, you can only return with a new study stay visa, obtained at the Spanish Consulate in your country.
 
5. What happens if I had a TIE card but have returned from my country with a new study visa?
If you have had to return to Spain with a new study visa, forget your previous TIE card, which can no longer be renewed in any way.
At this time, your legality in Spain is based on your new student visa and the procedure you must complete is the same as the one you did when you arrived as a student for the first time in Spain, that is, request the first TIE (in this case, it will not be the first , but the procedure is carried out in the same way as the first time).

Renewing for a period of less than 6 months


1. I have less than six months to finish my studies in Spain. Do I have to renew my study stay permit?
Yes, to be legal in Spain it is necessary for a student to have a study permit valid throughout his/her stay.
The permit must be renewed for the period necessary to complete your study program.
The requirements are the same as for renewing for a longer time (although, adapted to the period; see the answer to the next question). Nevertheless, what is not possible is to have a TIE card if the renewed period is for less than 6 months.
However, they will issue a letter with the concesssion, which will clearly indicate the period for which you will be legal in Spain and which will prove your legality throughout that period.
 
2. To renew for less than six months, what are the main things to take into account? How does the renewal process vary?
The documents to present are the same, but adapted to the period:
a) The financial means, for the time that you want to renew. (If you can, then present the balance of your bank account in a bank in Spain, with a balance of  600.00 € multiplied by the months that you request to renew.)
b) The medical insurance does not have to be for a year, but for the necessary period (the period for which you want to renew).
c) If you only need to present your thesis, for example, and you are going to stay for a few more months, you will need, instead of the enrollment, a letter from your tutor indicating a specific date on which you are going to defend your thesis. If you only need the thesis and you had not previously enrolled it, you have to submit your UPC enrolment (indicating that you have enrolled your thesis) and the proof of payment.
For the rest of the documents, there are no variations compared with a renewal for one year. Please check the PDF document with the list of documents in section 3 of this website.

 

If you have any question or doubt, contact us by sending one e-mail to: