The dates that control your Spanish residence status

Terms used

• Oficina de Extranjería — The Oficina de Extranjería is the immigration office that grants and renews residence authorisations.
• TIE — The TIE is the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, the physical card that proves your residence authorisation.
• Cita previa — A cita previa is an appointment you must book in advance to be seen at a public office.
• Arraigo — Arraigo is a route to a residence authorisation based on ties to Spain, used for a new application.

Key rules

• Status date: Your residence authorisation expiry date governs your lawful status, not the card or passport date.
• Renewal window: You can file a renewal from 60 days before your authorisation expires up to 90 days after it expires.
• Filing early: Filing before expiry extends your current authorisation until a decision.
• Reminders: No one will remind you, so set your own reminder.
• Passport: An expired passport does not end your residence, but you need a valid one to renew.

Which date counts

Your residence authorisation expiry date governs your lawful status. The date on your card or passport does not. Find it on the resolution from the Oficina de Extranjería, the document that granted your residence.

What each date does

• Visa. The national long-stay visa only lets you enter Spain and start your first stay. It does not set how long you can live here.
• Authorisation. This is the legal permission to reside. Its start and end dates decide your status and your renewal timing.
• TIE. The TIE is the physical card that proves your authorisation. It is evidence, not the source of your status. Its expiry date can differ from the authorisation date. For example, the card may have been issued with a standard validity, or the authorisation may have been renewed before the card was replaced.
• Passport. It proves your identity and you need it to travel. If it expires, your residence does not end. You do need a valid one to renew the authorisation or get a new TIE.

If your TIE has expired while a renewal is pending, you are still covered. Keep your resolution and your renewal receipt together as proof.

When you can renew

You can file a renewal in a window that opens 60 days before expiry and closes 90 days after it. Filing before expiry extends your current authorisation until a decision.

If you file after expiry but within the window, the application can still be processed. You may get a warning or a fine for the time after expiry. After the window closes, you cannot renew. You must make a new application, for example through arraigo or another route.

Nobody will remind you

The administration has no duty to warn you. Some offices send notices to registered electronic addresses, but you cannot count on it. Set your own reminders for the date your window opens and for the expiry date.

Check your passport first

You need a copy of a full valid passport when you renew. If yours has expired, bring proof that you asked your consulate for a new one, or the expired passport with the receipt for the new one. Offices may accept this at filing and ask for the new passport later. Individual offices apply this differently, so confirm with yours. If your passport is close to expiring, ask for a new one before you start.

If you cannot get a cita previa

No rule extends your deadline when no appointment is free. Do not let the window close. File a written application through an electronic register and keep the receipt. Save dated screenshots showing no slots, and keep copies of any emails or written requests to the office. Confirm this route with your Oficina de Extranjería or an immigration adviser before relying on it.

The timeline, documents, checklist and FAQ below cover the steps in order.

Timeline and deadlines

• Set your own reminder for your authorisation expiry date, since no one will remind you: as soon as you receive your resolution

• File your renewal; this extends your current authorisation until a decision: from 60 days before your authorisation expires

• If you cannot get a cita previa, file a written application through an electronic register and keep the receipt: as early as possible within the 60 days before expiry

• File a late renewal; it can still be processed, but you may get a warning or a fine for the time after expiry: up to 90 days after your authorisation expires

Plan your status dates and renewal window

Enter four dates, and each one gives you an action date. Use the dates printed on your documents, not the dates you expect.

What to enter

• Visa validity: the start and end dates on the visa sticker in your passport.
• Entry date: the day you arrive in Spain on the visa. You must arrive within the visa's validity period, so check this against the sticker.
• Authorisation expiry: the end date on your residence authorisation or TIE.
• Passport expiry: the end date of your passport, so you can see it next to the other dates.

What you get back

TIE deadline. Entry date plus one month. Apply for the TIE card within one month of entering Spain on a long-stay visa. Book the cita previa as soon as you land, because appointments can be slow to find. If you cannot find a slot, keep dated screenshots of the empty booking page and any written request you send to the office. Ask the foreigners' office how to file without an appointment. The deadline does not move on its own.

Earliest renewal date. Authorisation expiry minus 60 days. You can file a renewal from this day.

Last renewal date. Authorisation expiry plus 90 days. You can file up to this day.

How to read the renewal dates

File before your authorisation expires. Filing before expiry extends your current authorisation until a decision.

Filing after expiry, but within the 90 days, is still accepted. You may face a sanction for the time you were out of status, usually a warning or a fine.

After the 90 days, a renewal is no longer possible. You would need to start a new application, for example through arraigo or another route.

Put the earliest renewal date in your calendar, and set a reminder a few weeks before it to gather your documents.

Documents you need

• Your residence authorisation resolution, issued by the Oficina de Extranjería, showing the start and expiry dates of your lawful status.

• Your TIE card (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), the physical card that proves your authorisation.

• A copy of your full valid passport or travel document, needed when you apply to renew. Refugees and stateless people use their own travel documents.

• If your passport has expired: proof that you asked the consulate for a new one, or the expired passport together with the receipt for the new one.

• The receipt for your renewal application, to keep as proof of status if your card date passes while the renewal is pending.

Checklist

• Find the expiry date on your residence authorisation resolution and treat it as the date that counts for your status.

• Compare the dates on your visa, TIE card and passport with the authorisation date, and note that they may all differ.

• Set your own calendar reminder for the date your renewal window opens, because the administration does not send reminders.

• Check that your passport is valid before you renew, and ask for a new one first if it is close to expiring.

• Keep your resolution and your renewal filing receipt together as proof of status if your card date passes.

• Save screenshots with dates and copies of emails if you cannot get a cita previa, and file through an electronic register.

Frequently asked questions

Will the immigration office remind me before my permit expires?

No, the immigration office has no duty to send you a reminder before your permit expires. Some offices send notices to a registered electronic address, but not systematically. Put the expiry date from your authorisation in your own calendar.

Am I still legal if my TIE card has expired?

Yes, you can still be legal with an expired TIE card if your authorisation is still valid or a renewal was filed in time. The card only proves your authorisation, so its date can differ from the authorisation date. Carry the resolution and your filing receipt as proof.

Can I renew my residence if my passport has expired?

Yes, you can usually start the renewal with an expired passport if you show proof that you asked for a new one, or the expired passport plus the receipt for the new one. The office may then ask for the new passport later. Offices differ, so confirm with yours.

What if I cannot get a cita previa before my deadline?

If you cannot get a cita previa, file a written application through an electronic register and keep the receipt. Also keep dated screenshots showing no free slots and any emails to the office. The law gives no extra time for missing appointments, so do not wait.