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The Foreigner card

The rules on foreigner cards in Spain have been changed recently, and if you are an EU citizen and you have a job in Spain - either as an employee or as a self employed person - you do not have to apply for a foreigner card. If however you are from outside the EU or if you are retired/unemployed, then you should apply if you stay in Spain for more than 6 months

Whether you need a residency card or not, the British consulate advise you to get one anyway because, among other things, it saves you from carrying your passport around as ID and makes many bureaucratic processes much easier.

Concept

The card is a unique and exclusive document intended to provide those foreigners in a situation of legal permanence in Spain, with documentation.

The card entitles the holder to legally stay in Spain for a period longer than three months and also gives him/her identification. It is personal, (although underage children can be added to the card) nontransferable and is the job of the named person to watch over it.

It can also be used as proof of residency and the type of residency, as well as showing your NIE which is needed to make any kind of transaction in Spain.

Relevance

The card will only be given to those foreigners in a legal situation in Spain for a period longer than three months. For it to be issued, Spanish authorities must be satisfied that a) you have the right to remain in Spain and b) the appropriate fee has been paid.

The card holder cannot be deprived of it, except under the terms set in “Ley Orgánica 4/2000, de 11 de enero” relating to the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain and in “Ley Orgánica 1/1992, de 21 de febrero” relating to the protection of citizen’s security.

Card holder’s duties

The card holder is obliged to carry it on their person, as well as present it at any time he/she may be asked to do so by the authorities, without prejudicing the right to prove the identity by means of a passport or similar document.

In the event of the loss or destruction of the card, the card holder is obliged to report this to the police immediately and to ask for a replacement. A duplicate card will subsequently be issued which will retain the same validity as the one lost or destroyed.

The card holder is obliged, within one month, to personally inform their local police station any changes in nationality, address, changes of marital status, or anything that affects the information in the document.

Validity

The card will have the same period of validity as the authorisation that justifies the person to have the card in the first place.

Once that period expires, whether it is going to be renewed or not, the card holder must give it back to the police station or the oficina de extranjeros (foreigner’s office) corresponding to the area they live in.

Losing or destroying the card or any changes in the personal circumstances of the card holder means that a new card will be issued, which does not constitute renovation, and its validity is whatever was left on the old one.

How to apply for your foreigner card

To start the process you will either request a form from the oficina de extranjeros (office for foreigners), normally located within a police station - see below for addresses.

You need to fill this out and hand it in to the oficina de extranjeros together with a passport size photo (must have a white background) and a copy of your passport, but always take your actual passport as well. There is no such thing as a family application so each member needs to make a separate application.

You will receive a reply by letter to your home address in Spain or a nominated address (in which case we are happy to provide ours) within approximately four weeks and this will include your NIE, but not your card at this stage. At this point you should go back to the office to have your fingerprints taken and give another two passport size photos (must have a white background).

Later, possibly weeks, you will be sent another letter asking you to attend the same office with the letter at which point, you will receive your card.

 

Oficinas de extranjeros located within police stations (Comisarías de Policía)

Plaza de los Campos, 3 opening hours 09.00 – 14.00
18009 Granada
Tel. 958 808195

C/Rambla de Capuchinos, opening hours 09.00 – 14.00
18600 Motril
Tel. 958 834 908

If you require any assistance with any of the above, SOLVE Consulting is happy to act as an Interpreter/ Translator at the standard rate. Please contact us for further information.