How to fill in the Spanish EX-17 (TIE application)

The EX-17 is the official form to apply for the Spanish foreigner identity card (TIE): the first card, a card after your permit is renewed, or a duplicate. You fill it in if you are not an EU citizen and Spain has given you a visa or a permit to stay for more than 6 months.

Last checked against the official form: October 26, 2026

Form: EX-17
Edition: EX-17 (LO 4/2000 y RD 1155/2024)
Issued by: Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
Form language: Español

Where it goes: In person, by appointment (cita previa), to the National Police documentation unit at the immigration office or police station of the province where you live. It cannot be filed online or at a public registry
Deadline by law: 1 month from your entry into Spain, or from the day your permit is granted or takes effect
What to bring: The EX-17 signed, in original and 1 copy; your passport; 1 recent colour photo on a white background, passport size; the paid fee form (Modelo 790, código 012); your visa if you have one; and the other documents your case needs
Cost: The form is free; the card fee is paid with Modelo 790, código 012 and depends on the type of card. Check the amount on the official page
What you receive: The TIE, a card with your photo and your NIE. It is valid as long as the permit it documents, and you collect it in person later

What this form is

The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is the card that shows that a foreigner is in Spain legally. It carries your photo and your NIE. It proves your situation in Spain, not your identity: you still prove who you are with your passport. The EX-17 is the official form to apply for it.

Under the immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024, article 209), everyone who has a visa or a permit to stay in Spain for more than 6 months has the right and the duty to get the card. You apply in person within 1 month of entering Spain, or of the day your permit is granted or takes effect. You use the same form for a renewed card and for a duplicate when the card is lost, stolen, damaged or its data change.

The form has two pages to fill in and a page of instructions. Write in capitals with a black pen or fill it in on a computer, and bring the original and a copy. Your fingerprints are taken at the appointment, and you collect the card later at the office that issued it. This guide follows the edition that cites RD 1155/2024; a copy that cites RD 557/2011 is an older edition, so download the current one from the ministry.

Who has to fill it in

You fill in the EX-17 if:

You are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and arrived in Spain with a visa for more than 6 months, for example to study, work or live without working.
You were granted a permit to stay or live in Spain for more than 6 months while already in Spain.
Your permit was renewed and you need the new card that goes with it.
Your card was lost, stolen or damaged, or the data on it changed, and you need a duplicate.

You do not need this form if:

You are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen: you register with form EX-18 and get a registration certificate, not a TIE.
You are a non-EU family member of an EU citizen: you apply for a residence card for family members of Union citizens with form EX-19.
You only need an NIE number, for example to buy property, and do not live in Spain: you apply with form EX-15.
Your visa or permit is for 6 months or less: you do not get a TIE.

Field-by-field instructions

1) Your personal details

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
1PASAPORTE	The number of your passport.	Copy the number exactly from the photo page of your valid passport, the one you bring to the appointment.
1N.I.E.	Your foreigner identity number (NIE).	Copy it exactly. If you have a Spanish visa, the NIE is usually printed on it; for a renewal or duplicate it is on your current card.
11er Apellido	Your first (or only) surname.	Write it as in your passport, in capitals. Spanish forms have room for two surnames; if you have one, it goes here.
12º Apellido	Your second surname, if you have one.	Fill it in only if your passport shows a second surname. Otherwise leave it blank; do not repeat the first one.
1Nombre	Your first name or names.	Write every first name as in your passport, in the same order and spelling. The card will be printed with these names.
1Sexo (X / H / M)	Your sex: X (indefinido, unspecified), H (hombre, man) or M (mujer, woman).	Tick one box. X may be ticked only by people whose country of origin recognises it.
1Fecha de nacimiento	Your date of birth.	Use 2 digits for the day, 2 for the month and 4 for the year, in that order: 3 July 1990 is 03/07/1990.
1Lugar / País	The town (Lugar) and the country (País) where you were born.	Write the town and the country as in your passport.
1Nacionalidad	Your citizenship.	Write the country of the passport you are applying with.
1Estado civil (S / C / V / D / Sp)	Your marital status.	Tick one box: S (soltero/a, single), C (casado/a, married), V (viudo/a, widowed), D (divorciado/a, divorced) or Sp (separado/a, separated).
1Nombre del padre / Nombre de la madre	Your father’s and your mother’s first names.	Write their first names as they appear in your documents.
1Domicilio en España, Nº, Piso, Localidad, C.P., Provincia	The address where you live in Spain.	Write street, number (Nº), floor and door (Piso), town (Localidad), postcode (C.P.) and province. You apply in the province where you live, so write the address where you actually live.
1Teléfono móvil / E-mail	Your mobile phone number and email address.	Fill in both. The office can use them to tell you that a notification is waiting for you.
1Representante legal, en su caso / DNI/NIE/PAS / Título	The parent or guardian who acts for you if you are a minor or under guardianship.	Fill it in only in that case: the representative’s name, their ID, passport or NIE number (DNI/NIE/PAS) and the capacity they act in (Título), for example Padre/Madre del menor or Tutor. A minor goes to the appointment with that person. Otherwise leave it blank.

2) The representative who files the application

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
2Nombre/Razón Social / DNI/NIE/PAS	A representative who files the application for you, if any.	Fill in section 2 only if someone other than you acts as your representative, for example a lawyer. Write their name or company name and their DNI, NIE or passport number. You must still go in person, because the card is applied for personally and your fingerprints are taken.
2Domicilio en España, Nº, Piso, Localidad, C.P., Provincia, Teléfono móvil, E-mail	The representative’s address in Spain, mobile phone and email.	Write the representative’s full address and contact details. Leave the whole section blank if you have no representative.
2Representante legal, en su caso / DNI/NIE/PAS / Título	The legal representative of the representative, for example the person who signs for a company.	Fill it in only if the representative is a company or cannot act alone: that person’s name, ID number and the capacity they act in.

3) Address for notifications

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
3Nombre/Razón Social / DNI/NIE/PAS	The person who should receive letters about the application.	Write the name and the DNI, NIE or passport number of that person: yourself or your representative. If you leave section 3 blank, notifications go to you as the applicant.
3Domicilio en España, Nº, Piso, Localidad, C.P., Provincia, Teléfono móvil, E-mail	The address in Spain, mobile phone and email for notifications.	Write a full address where post reaches that person, plus a phone number and an email, so that you get a notice when something is waiting.
3CONSIENTO que las comunicaciones y notificaciones se realicen mediante puesta a disposición en la Dirección electrónica habilitada Única (Dehú)	Your consent to receive notifications electronically through the government’s single electronic address (DEHú).	Tick it only if the person in section 3 has a valid electronic certificate or Cl@ve, because you need one to open the notification. Companies must receive notifications electronically even without ticking it.

4) What you are asking for, and signature

On the form	What it means	How to fill it in
DIRIGIDA A / Código DIR3 / PROVINCIA	The office the application is addressed to, its DIR3 code and its province.	Write the name of the police office where your appointment is, for example the immigration office or police station, and its province. The DIR3 code identifies that office; leave it blank if you do not know it and ask at the appointment.
4.1TARJETA INICIAL	Your first card: after you enter Spain with a visa, or after you are granted a new permit in Spain.	Tick it for your first TIE. Bring your passport with the entry stamp, your visa if you have one and, in some cases, the decision that granted your permit (resolución de concesión).
4.1RENOVACIÓN DE TARJETA	A new card because your permit was renewed or extended.	Tick it once the renewal of your permit has been granted. Bring your passport and, if you moved, a municipal registration certificate less than 3 months old.
4.1DUPLICADO POR PÉRDIDA, SUSTRACCIÓN, DETERIORO O CAMBIO DE DATOS	A replacement card because the old one was lost, stolen or damaged, or because the data on it changed.	Tick it in any of these cases. Bring the police report of the loss or theft, or the damaged card, or the documents that prove the change, for example a new passport. A card that replaces a lost, stolen or damaged one is valid only for the time the old card had left.
(lugar), a (día) de (mes) de (año) / FIRMA DEL SOLICITANTE (o representante legal, en su caso)	The place and date, and your signature.	Write the town, the day, the month and the year, for example “Valencia, a 14 de marzo de 2026”, and sign both the original and the copy. A parent or guardian signs for a minor.

Key terms

Term on the form	What it means
Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE)	Foreigner identity card: the card that shows that a non-EU foreigner may stay in Spain for more than 6 months. It shows your photo and your NIE.
Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE)	Foreigner identity number: the personal number that identifies you to the Spanish authorities. It is printed on your TIE.
Modelo 790, código 012	The government fee form for immigration procedures. For the card you choose the option that matches it, for example the first card for a temporary permit or the card for a renewal, pay at a bank and bring the stamped receipt.
Cita previa	An appointment booked in advance on the government’s online appointment system. For the card, choose your province and the police option for taking fingerprints for the TIE.
Toma de huellas	Fingerprint taking: the appointment where the police take your fingerprints and your documents for the card.
Unidad de Documentación de la Policía Nacional	The National Police unit that issues the TIE, at the immigration office or police station of your province.
Resolución de concesión	The decision that grants your permit. Some cases must bring it to the appointment, for example permits granted after a court appeal or for cross-border workers.
Certificado o volante de empadronamiento	Proof of registration on the municipal register (padrón) at your address, issued by your town hall.
Declaración de entrada	A declaration of entry you make in person at a police station within 72 hours of entering Spain when your passport has no entry stamp, for example because you did not pass passport control when you arrived.
Dirección electrónica habilitada única (DEHú)	The government’s single electronic address, where notifications are made available online.
Cl@ve	The Spanish government’s system for signing in online; an electronic certificate also works.
Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión (EX-19)	The residence card for non-EU family members of EU citizens. It has its own form, EX-19, not the EX-17.

Common mistakes

1
Applying after the deadline
You must apply within 1 month of entering Spain or of the day your permit is granted or takes effect. Book the appointment as soon as you can, because appointments are scarce in many provinces.
2
Using the EX-17 when you need another form
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens register with the EX-18. Non-EU family members of EU citizens use the EX-19. The EX-17 is for everyone else with a visa or permit for more than 6 months.
3
Booking the wrong appointment
Choose your province and the police option for fingerprints for the TIE (toma de huellas), not the one for an NIE or for an EU registration certificate. The exact wording varies by province.
4
Paying the wrong fee
Modelo 790, código 012 has separate options for a first card, a renewal and a long-term residence card. Pick the one that matches your card, and use an original fee form: each one has its own number, so a photocopy is not accepted.
5
Ticking the wrong box in 4.1
Tick TARJETA INICIAL for your first card, RENOVACIÓN DE TARJETA after your permit is renewed, and DUPLICADO only when the card is lost, stolen, damaged or its data changed.
6
Bringing one unsigned copy
Bring the form in original and 1 copy, signed, together with your original documents and photocopies. The originals are checked and given back.
7
A photo that does not meet the rules
Bring 1 recent colour photo, passport size, on a white background. Some universities’ guides ask for 32 × 26 mm with the whole face visible.
8
An address that does not match
The card is issued in the province where you live. Write your real address in Spain, and bring a recent municipal registration certificate if you have moved.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between the EX-17 and the EX-15?

The EX-15 gives you only an NIE number, for example to buy property. The EX-17 is the application for the TIE card, for non-EU foreigners who may stay in Spain for more than 6 months. If you have a long-stay visa, your NIE is already assigned and you need the EX-17.

How long do I have to apply for the TIE?

1 month from your entry into Spain, or from the day your permit is granted or takes effect. It is set by article 209 of the immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024).

What do I need for the fingerprint appointment?

For a first card: the EX-17 signed in original and copy, your passport with the entry stamp (or your declaration of entry), 1 recent colour photo on a white background, your visa if you have one, the paid fee form and, in some cases, your permit decision and proof of Social Security registration. Bring originals and copies.

How long does it take to get the TIE?

It depends on the office. After your fingerprints are taken, the police tell you when and how to collect the card, often a month or more later. You collect it in person at the office that issued it.

How much does the TIE cost?

The form is free. The card fee is paid with Modelo 790, código 012 and depends on the type of card. The amount is set by the government and can change, so check it on the official page.

Do I need the padrón for the TIE?

The national list asks for a municipal registration certificate less than 3 months old when your address changed in a renewal or duplicate. Some offices and universities ask for it for a first card too, so check with your office.

What do I do if I lose my TIE?

Report the loss or theft to the police, then apply for a duplicate with the EX-17, ticking DUPLICADO. The new card is valid only for the time the old one had left.

Do I have to carry my TIE?

Yes. Holders must carry the card and show it when the authorities ask. You still prove your identity with your passport.

Do I have to report a change of address?

Yes. You must tell the police of a change of address, nationality or marital status within 1 month. If the change affects the data on your card, you apply for a new one with the EX-17, ticking DUPLICADO.

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