Spanish bureaucracy, explained in English — province by province.
Every English guide to Spanish paperwork tells you to book an appointment. None tells you which office handles your case, what it actually asks for, or that the fee everyone quotes is wrong.
Edition of · 11 procedures · 214 offices · 52 provinces and autonomous cities · sources checked individually and dated on each page
Why bother
Nine of the sites ranking for the NIE fee say €12. The Ministry's own table says €9.84.
€12 is the fee for the EU registration certificate — a different procedure, on a different form, for different people. The two got conflated somewhere years ago and have been copied between guides ever since, because copying is faster than reading a government website that answers 403 to anything automated.
The money involved is trivial. What it tells you about the rest of those pages is not.
Procedures
- How to get a NIE number in SpainThe NIE is a personal identification number for foreigners dealing with Spain. Many people are given one automatically and never need to apply; those who do apply pay €9.84, not the €12 usually quoted.
- TIE: the Spanish foreigner identity cardThe card issued to non-EU nationals authorised to stay in Spain more than six months. You must apply in person within one month, and it proves your legal status — not your identity, which is why you still have to carry your passport.
- EU registration certificate in Spain (form EX-18)EU, EEA and Swiss citizens staying in Spain more than three months must register in person within three months of arriving. The certificate costs €12 and is issued on the spot.
- Empadronamiento: registering with your town hallEveryone living in Spain is legally obliged to register at their town hall. It is usually free and quick — but for non-EU residents without long-term residence it expires after two years unless renewed, and nobody reminds you.
- Letter of invitation in Spain (carta de invitación)The official letter proving where a visitor will stay, applied for by the host at their local police station. It costs €81.59 in total, not the €75 usually quoted, and it can involve a personal interview.
- Extending a 90-day stay in Spain (prórroga de estancia)How to extend a short stay beyond 90 days, on form EX-00, in person. It is capped at three further months, needs exceptional reasons if you are visa-exempt, and requires proof that you are going to leave.
- Return authorisation in Spain (autorización de regreso)The permit that lets you travel while your residence card is being renewed or replaced. It lasts up to 90 days and allows unlimited trips — but only if you re-enter Spain through a Spanish border post.
- Permanent residence in Spain under the EU regimeAfter five years of legal residence, EU citizens get a permanent registration certificate and their non-EU family get a permanent residence card that renews automatically every ten years.
- Family reunification in Spain (reagrupación familiar)Bringing your spouse, partner, children or parents to Spain. You need a year of residence behind you, 150% of IPREM in regular income, and a social services report on your housing.
- Arraigo: residence in Spain through ties to the countryFive routes to residence based on time and ties in Spain. Most need two years of continuous presence; family arraigo needs none and lasts five years rather than one.
- Non-lucrative residence in Spain (residencia no lucrativa)Living in Spain on your own income without working. You need €2,400 a month, plus €600 for each dependant, health insurance — and from the first renewal, more than 183 days a year in the country.
Why province by province
Spain has 52 provinces and autonomous cities, and appointments are split across two separate systems: the National Police handle identity documents, while Immigration Offices under the Government Delegations handle authorisations. Which one you need, and which building it sits in, depends on where you live and on what you are applying for.
In Alicante the residence card is issued on one street and the NIE on another. In Málaga eight different offices handle NIEs, from the city to Marbella and Estepona. On the coast, Torrevieja and Dénia issue EU certificates but not NIEs. None of that appears in a national guide, and getting it wrong costs an appointment that took weeks to book.
So we publish the 214 offices in the National Police directory, province by province, with what each one actually does.
Find the office for your provinceSee every official feeHow we verify every page
What this is not
Spain Paperwork is not a law firm and does not give legal, tax or immigration advice. It is reference material. Your own case depends on facts a web page cannot see, so confirm anything that matters with the responsible authority or a qualified professional.