Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

RESIDENCY PERMITS

Do I have to get a new Spanish residency card if I renew my passport?

A passport renewal often involves getting a new document with different numbers and details on it, but does that mean foreigners in Spain also have to get a new residency document as well every time?

Published: 14 October 2021 12:20 CEST
Updated: 22 March 2024 15:27 CET
Do non-EU nationals have to get a new TIE Spanish residence card (pictured) when they renew their passports? Background photo: Jacqueline Macou/Pixabay
Do non-EU nationals have to get a new TIE Spanish residence card (pictured) when they renew their passports? Background photo: Jacqueline Macou/Pixabay

If you’re an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen based in Spain, you no doubt have a green residency document, either an A4-sized sheet or a credit card-sized paper one, called the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión (Registration Certificate of an EU citizen).

If you’re a non-EU/EEA national, you will have a foreigner’s identity card or Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE), a biometric document with a photo of you and other information.

Some UK nationals may only have green residency documents because they were residing in Spain before July 2020, but they have been encouraged to exchange them for TIEs by Spanish and British authorities.

READ ALSO – Reader question: Does Spain’s TIE residency card always have an expiry date?

So do foreign residents from EU nations or third countries have to renew either of these residency documents whenever they get a new passport from their home country?

The answer is no. There are several circumstances in which Spanish residency documents should be renewed, but a change of passport is not one of them. 

The reason for this is that neither the green residency documents for EU nationals nor the TIEs for third-country nationals contain the foreign residents’ passport numbers.

Instead, they have the NIE, the foreign identity number of the person (Número de Identidad de Extranjero), which never changes. 

Both types of foreign identity documents do contain your nationality and address.

READ ALSO: Can I be a resident in Spain and the UK?

Crucially if a foreigner does change their address in Spain, they do have to update first their padrón (town hall registration) and then go to their extranjería office to apply for a new card after filling in a form and paying a fee. The process can also be carried out online.

You will have to show your passport and present copies so it’s important that it’s still valid when you do so, as is the case for any other reason for a residency renewal or update.

Other reasons for having to renew your residency document include changing personal details such as your surname or when the residency document expires (two months before and up to three months after).

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

PADRON

When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón document you get when registering at your local town hall in Spain must be renewed periodically. Find out when and the steps on how to do it.

Published: 22 April 2024 13:09 CEST
When and how you need to renew your padrón certificate in Spain

The padrón certificate is used to show proof of where you live. Your town hall – or ayuntamiento – uses it to find how many people are living in the area and what their ages are.

The number of people living in each area will depend on how much money they will receive from the government. They use this money for local services such as schools, health centres, parks and police officers.

If you are a non-EU citizen with temporary residence (less than 5 years) in Spain, then you will need to renew your padrón certificate every two years.

You will also need to renew your padrón each time you move house, as it should have your current address. 

For some bureaucratic processes in Spain, you will also need to be able to show you have a padrón certificate that’s no older than three months. 

Depending on where you live, there are different ways you can renew it. This could be in person, online or by post.

READ ALSO – Padrón: 16 things you should know about Spain’s town hall registration

Generally, in order to renew your certificate, you will need:

  • A recent gas, water or electricity bill in your name
  • Your rental contract and receipt of your last rental payment
  • If you own your own property, you will need to show evidence that you own it, such as the property deeds

You will also need to show:

  • A valid residence card such as TIE
  • A valid passport
  • In addition, it is also advisable to bring your previous padrón certificate

For children you will also need the following:

  • Records of your digitised family book (libro de família)
  • A valid passport or residence permit of the minor
  • A passport of one of the parents which also contains the identification data of the minor
  • Birth certificate of your child

If you do not live in the same household as your child, you will also need:

  • A delegation for registration form, signed by the parent who lives with the minor.
  • Photocopy of the valid identification document of the parent who lives with the child.
  • In the case of minors under 14 years of age, it will not be mandatory for them to have an NIE, passport or identification document from their country of origin.

Remember that all your documents should be officially translated into Spanish or another local language such as Catalan, if they aren’t already.

READ ALSO: Can I get my padrón online in Spain?

In person

If you are applying in person, you will need to make an appointment at your local Ayuntamiento or town hall.

When the date for your appointment arrives you will need to complete the renewal form, which will most like look something like this, but may change depending on where you live. 

You will also need to bring originals and photocopies of all the documents above.

Online

If you have a digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN you are able to renew your padrón online. You will need to do this via your local government website.

First, you’ll need to identify yourself digitally with your digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN.

Next you will have to complete the renewal form and then attach digital copies of all the above documentation that’s required.

Then you’ll need to submit and sign it digitally.

By post

Although this is not the most common way to renew your certificate, some town halls may let you apply by post and will have details of the relevant address to send your documents and forms to online. 

SHOW COMMENTS