NIE and TIE in Spain: What Is the Difference

Temporary protection (protección temporal) in Spain for Ukrainians

The first thing to learn is that you need a cita (cita), an "appointment", for absolutely everything, everywhere. Without a prior appointment nobody will see you under any circumstances! Receiving temporary protection in Spain means receiving a NIE / TIE.

How a foreigner / Ukrainian gets a NIE and TIE

How to book a cita for the NIE

When you arrive in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Málaga), you need to call +34 910 474 444. In Barcelona the office is at Fira Barcelona, Pavilion 7, Plaza de España. Appointments are handled in Ukrainian: you dictate your passport number and in return they give you a cita number, which you show when you come in person. To process temporary protection in other cities in Spain you need to get a cita (Cita previa, an appointment booked in advance) on the police website. You will be given a time for an in-person visit at a specific address. During the visit they take your fingerprints and a photo. You are given a "white sheet with a photo" that shows your NIE. Along with the "white sheet" you get a QR code, which lets you download, after 24 hours, the resolution granting you protection, in plain terms the answer to your application. From then on this "white sheet with a photo" gives you the right to live and work in Spain. With this NIE you then need to get a TIE at the police station for your place of residence. You also need to register for a social security number (Seguridad social), which gives you access to state health insurance and is required for contributions once you start working in Spain. Once you have received temporary protection in Spain, you can call +34 913 990 009 with any questions that come up.

How to get a social security number (Seguridad social)

When you receive the "white sheet with a photo", you are given instructions on how to apply for Seguridad social. You need to send your details to the email address [email protected], namely a selfie with the white sheet and your phone number. Within a week they may send you an NUSS number (social security number), or they may send a link to an online form that you have to fill in on the website, and only after that will the number arrive, within another week.

How to book a cita at the police (Policia Nacional) for the TIE

• Read the instructions at https://www.policia.es/miscelanea/destacados/ucrania/guia_solicitud_tie_ucraniano.pdf
• Then book the cita at https://icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es/icpplus/index.html

What you need to get the TIE

• The cita
• A photo that you have to get taken yourself in town (search Google for fotos para documentos barcelona or hacer foto carnet cerca de mi), size 32x26.
• Form EX17, filled in and printed: https://extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es/ficheros/Modelos_solicitudes/mod_solicitudes2/17-Formulario_TIE.pdf Fill it in separately for each person and do not photocopy it, because the form on the website carries a unique barcode. If you copy it, everyone's form will have the same barcode and you will have to fill it in again.
• Fill in the Tasa Modelo 790 012: https://sede.policia.gob.es/Tasa790_012/ImpresoRellenar
• Pay the Tasa Modelo 790 012 fee (16.08 euros) at any bank, and keep the payment receipt. The receipt is mandatory. If you pay at an ATM, make sure there is paper for receipts (especially on a Saturday or Sunday). You have to find out which ATMs accept cash and payment of Modelo 790012. Payment is made by scanning the barcode on the form you filled in on the website. Also, not every bank branch will take this payment. Some cannot do it at all, some only on certain days, some only for the bank's own customers, and some only with a local card. It is all very individual and depends heavily on the human factor, because different branches of the same bank can give different answers. One option is to pay at a Sabadell branch: cash only, and you do not need a Spanish account. At CaixaBank you can pay with the card of a Spanish account, if you happen to have a Spanish friend.

At the time of your cita you need to come to the police station, leave the documents listed above and give your fingerprints, this time at the police station. It takes about 10 minutes. If the fingerprints taken when you received the NIE have not yet appeared in the police system, you need to book a cita again a week later. At the police station they take your documents from the list and your fingerprints, and give you a paper confirming that you have requested the TIE. A month later you come back to the same police station between 9 and 14 with this paper and your passport. You do not need to book a cita. You are given a plastic TIE card showing the validity period of your residence permit.

What is the difference between NIE and TIE in Spain

In short, the NIE is an identification number, a foreigner's tax number, while the TIE is a foreigner's identity card.

What the NIE / TIE gives a Ukrainian in Spain

Registering with the police at your place of residence gives you the right to live, work or study in Spain for one year, with the possibility of extension. 

Temporary protection (the white NIE sheet) gives you the right to work, to run a business, to use state healthcare and to study. In other words, with a NIE you can look for employment, register as a sole proprietor, use state healthcare, take out private health insurance and send your children to school. The NIE gives you the right to move freely around Spain, but you can leave the country only after you receive the TIE card at the police station. With the NIE you can register your residence address in Spain in order to carry out your activity.