Entry into Spain on a non-lucrative visa – how important is the entry stamp?

After all the hard work and preparation, the appointment at the consulate and the anxiety of waiting for your non-lucrative visa approval, once you finally have your precious visa in hand and are planning your move to Spain, the last thing you need is to get tripped up at the next stage. So here we explain the importance of the entry stamp in your passport and what to do if you simply can’t get one. 

In an ideal world, when you enter Spain whether it be by land, sea or air, you should get an entry stamp at Border Control. When you come to register your visa for the TIE card at the Foreigner’s Office of the National Police, (known as Extranjeria), this stamp is proof of when you entered the country and will be dated after the start date of the visa. 

But what happens if you can’t get an entry stamp into Spain? This is a grey area and, like a lot of administrative processes in Spain, can depend on the ‘funcionario’ you get on the day. 

Sometimes, even if you arrive by air, your passports may not be stamped for a variety of reasons; perhaps the airport (e.g. Lanzarote) has an electronic entrance system, you were simply rushed through Border Control or you entered the Schengen area in a different country e.g. Portugal and then took an internal flight into Spain. You’ll need proof of how you entered Spanish territory on these occasions, so make sure you have printouts of flight tickets, boarding cards, etc. Although we live in a digital world, at your TIE card appointment, actual paper documents will be needed, so don’t rely on e-tickets or mobile apps.

If you travel overland, which is often the case for clients who are relocating with pets for example, you may only have an entry stamp for France or Belgium, depending on your route. This means you’ll need proof of when you entered Spanish territory and with very few if any, border checks within the Schengen area, you’ll need to make sure you have as many documents as possible to do so. 

We’ve used hotel bookings (Important: if the booking is only in one name, you may need additional proof for the person not named on the booking), official ‘facturas’ for fuel which relates to a vehicle you own, or a print of bank movements proving expenditures in Spain during the course of your journey.

In extreme cases, the Extranjeria can ask that you make a ‘Declaration de Entrada’, using the proof you have of when you entered the country. 

If you intend to register your own TIE, and you aren’t a proficient Spanish speaker or lack experience in the vagaries of the Extranjeria, it’s easy to come unstuck.

Upsticks are very proud that not one of our clients has ever been refused their TIE card for an absence of an entry stamp. We have managed to push them all through using the documents above and our experienced representatives and their skills at qualifying objections. To find out more about how we can help with registering your TIE card, Book a Call or email [email protected].