How to register your Non Lucrative Visa in Spain – 5 top tips

Congratulations! You’ve got your visa in your passport and you’re on your way to a new life in the sun – woo.-hooo! Y enhorabuena!

Here are Upsticks 5 top tips for what comes next – registering your NLV in Spain 

Top Tip 1 – Check your visa document

First and foremost you must  make sure that your visa has all the correct information and there’s an example of what to check in the Let’s Get Started booklet sent to all Upsticks clients. Not a client yet? No problem,  this useful article explains what all the information on your visa document actually means. Be sure to  check every detail on the visa, especially name, passport number, and the date it starts and finishes.

Top Tip 2 – The entry stamp

Make sure you get an entry stamp in your passport that post dates the start date of the visa. If you’re flying into Spain then this isn’t an issue but what happens if you’re driving for example, and enter the Schengen area in France? Be sure to keep all proof of entering the country (toll road charges, fuel and meal receipts, hotel booking confirmations). You can also visit any National Police Foreigner’s Office to ask for a “Declaracion de Entrada” (certificate of entry) but this option is only available within 3 days of entry date and you have to turn up and queue to request one. If push comes to shove, the National Police may just use the start date of the visa if there is no clear entry date available. 

Top Tip 3 – Booking an appointment for the TIE card

You’ll need to have your visa ratified at the Foreigner’s Office (Extranjeria) of the National Police. You can visit any station in your province, and appointments are booked online. If you’re an Upsticks client, we’ll book the appointment for you, make sure you have the correct documents and send an appointment specialist to the Police Station with you.

There is a general rule that you should have this appointment booked within 30 days of your arrival in Spain (you don’t have to attend the appointment within 30 days). This is a guideline, not a deadline – in many areas of Spain, it’s almost impossible to meet this timeline, so the National Police can be flexible on this.Once you’ve made your application, you’ll be given an A4 stamped receipt (resguardo) – check the information on it carefully and keep it safe as you’ll need it to collect your card.

Top Tip 4 – Padron, proof of address

Register on the padron in the town you’ll be living in – this should be the first thing you do (after enjoying a chilled beverage on the terrace of course). Upsticks always advise our clients to register on the Padron as soon as possible – not only does it make it easier to arrange your TIE appointment, but you’ll need this Certificate for all kinds of official processes in Spain.

Top Tip 5 – Collecting your TIE

Depending on your location, it can take anything from 3 to 6 weeks for your shiny new TIE to arrive back at the Police Station, and you’ll need to go back in person to collect it.

Each batch of TIEs card is given a number – “lote” – and it’s this number you need so you know when your batch is ready to collect. Each station has a different process for collections – you may need to book another appointment, sometimes you’re given a collection date on the spot and sometimes you can just turn up to collect your card.

Bonus tip – CHECK EVERYTHING

ALWAYS, ALWAYS check the paperwork you are given – whether it’s the Padron certificate, the `resguardo´ you’re given at the first TIE appointment or the TIE card itself.

Double-check every detail to make sure it’s correct. If you do spot a mistake, flag it up to our appointment specialist or the Police on the spot – don’t wait until you get home as it’s much more time-consuming to get a mistake corrected after the event.