Reporting a new address, job or passport while pending

Terms used

• NIE — The NIE is your foreigner identification number, used on all your dealings with Spanish authorities.
• Padrón — The padrón is the register of residents kept by your town hall; a certificate shows your address.
• TIE — The TIE is the residence card issued to foreigners after fingerprinting.
• Escrito — An escrito is a written submission you file in a pending case to add or correct information.
• Requerimiento — A requerimiento is an official request from the office to send missing documents or information, usually with a deadline.
• Arraigo — Arraigo is a residence permit based on your ties to Spain, such as work, family or length of stay.

Key rules

• Address: Register a new address for paper notices as well as online ones, so a failed notice does not make you miss a deadline.
• Passport: Send a full copy of a new passport quoting your file number, and bring the original to your fingerprinting.
• Job or income: File an escrito citing your file number whenever a change could affect the grounds for your permit.
• Travel: An extended expired permit is not a travel document, so ask your office before you leave Spain.

Tell the office about changes that affect your file

No single rule says you must report every change. But you must give true information, and changes to your address, passport, job, income or family situation can affect your permit. Report them. Hiding a change can get your application refused, and false information can bring fines or a revoked permit. You can add to your file at any time before the decision.

New address

Send a written communication to the office handling your file. Give your file number, your NIE and the new address. Use the online portal for your office, or the registry, and quote the file number.

• If you receive notices electronically, they arrive through the electronic notification system. Make sure your details there are current.
• If you receive paper notices, register the new address with the office too. Failed paper notices are published instead, and you can miss a deadline without knowing.
• Change your contact email and phone in the same communication.
• Update your padrón with your town hall. Offices often ask for the certificate.

New or renewed passport

Upload a full copy of the new passport, with every page that carries data. Use the same channel as your application, or the registry, and quote your file number. If your passport expires while the file is pending, renew it and send the new copy. A valid passport is normally needed when the permit is granted and the card is issued.

If the old passport was replaced, you can add a copy of it with a short explanation. Bring the original new passport when you are fingerprinted for the TIE. Some consulates and offices use their own forms, so ask which one applies.

Job or income

What matters depends on your permit type:

• Work permits (employed or self-employed, including renewals): a new employer, a contract that ends, fewer hours, lower pay or losing your business can affect the requirements.
• Family reunification, non-lucrative, digital nomad or residence based on means: a change in your income, your savings or your sponsor's income can affect the minimum-means test.
• Arraigo: the job offer or contract is often the basis, so losing it matters.

Report it by filing an escrito citing your file number. File it online with a digital certificate, or in person at the immigration office or a registry office. If the office has already sent you a requerimiento, include the change in your reply. Address and contact changes can go the same way.

Travel while pending

No general rule bans leaving Spain, but the risk depends on your case.

• Applications filed in Spain: you can usually leave. But if you have no valid visa or permit, you may not be able to re-enter the Schengen area. Arraigo applicants can lose their continuity of residence.
• Renewals: the extension of your expired permit is not a travel document, so travel is risky.
• Applications filed at a consulate abroad: you must stay abroad.

Being away can make you miss a fingerprinting or notification appointment. If you do not answer a notification, the file can be archived. Keep absences short, carry valid ID or a visa, and ask your office before you leave.

The decision, documents, checklist, warnings and FAQ below cover choosing how to report, what to attach and common questions.

Choosing between options

How should you report a change in your job or income?

• File a written submission online: You have a digital certificate and a change such as a new employer, a lost contract, lower hours or pay, a lost business, or a different sponsor income. File through the electronic register, citing your file number.

• File it in person: You have no digital certificate. Go to an Oficina de Extranjería or a registry office with your file number.

• Include it in your reply to the request for documents: You have already received a requerimiento. Add the new details to the answer you send.

Report the change if it touches the means or employment requirement of your permit. Use the reply to a requerimiento when one is open, and a written submission otherwise.

Documents you need

• Full copy of your new or renewed passport, with all pages that carry data, issued by your country's passport authority

• Your original new passport, to show when you are fingerprinted for the TIE (your residence card)

• Copy of your old passport with a short explanation, if it was replaced and you want to show the link

• Padrón certificate showing your new address, issued by your town hall, which is often required

• Updated contract, job offer or proof of income or savings, if the change affects the permit you applied for

Checklist

• Register the new address with the office for paper notifications, so failed notices are not published without you seeing them

• Update your padrón (town hall registration) with the new address

• Upload a full copy of your new or renewed passport, quoting your file number, through the same channel as your application

• Renew a passport that expires during the procedure and send the new copy

• File a written submission (escrito) citing your file number if your employer, contract, hours, pay, business or income changes

• Check with your office before you leave Spain, and make sure you can attend any fingerprinting or notification appointment

What to watch out for

• Hiding a change can get your application refused: Hiding a change that affects the grounds for your permit, such as marital status, employment, address or document validity, can lead to refusal. False information can also bring fines or cancellation of the permit. Report the change in writing to the office handling your file, citing your file number, and give true data.

• A wrong address can make you miss a deadline: If a paper notice cannot be delivered, it is published and your response time keeps running without you knowing. Register your new address with the office as soon as you move.

• Leaving Spain can harm your file: Leaving can cost you re-entry to the Schengen area if you have no valid visa or permit, break the continuity of residence for arraigo, or make you miss a fingerprinting or notification appointment. An absence through the whole procedure can lead to your file being archived if you do not answer a notice. Keep absences short, carry valid ID or a visa, and check with your office before travelling.

• An expired permit is not a travel document: In a renewal, your extended permit does not let you travel freely. Do not book international travel until you know you can re-enter.

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave Spain while my application is pending?

Yes, no general rule forbids leaving Spain while your application is pending, but the risk depends on the permit type.

Can I travel abroad while my renewal is pending?

Travel is risky during a renewal, because your expired permit stays extended but does not work as a travel document. Missing a fingerprinting or notification appointment because you are abroad is another risk. Check with your office before booking a trip.

What do I do if I have to apply from a consulate abroad?

If you filed at a consulate abroad, you must stay abroad while the application is pending. Leaving that rule aside, the advice about short absences applies only to applications filed inside Spain.

Do I need to show my old passport when I give the office my new one?

You do not have to, but you can add the old passport with a short explanation if that helps the office.