What to register when a baby is born in Spain

Terms used

• Registro Civil — The Registro Civil is the public office that records births, marriages and deaths.
• Padrón — The padrón is the list of residents kept by your town hall.
• NIE — The NIE is the foreigner identification number used for paperwork in Spain.
• TIE — The TIE is the foreigner identity card issued to residents.
• Oficina de Extranjería — The Oficina de Extranjería is the immigration office that handles residence applications.
• DNI — The DNI is the Spanish national identity card.
• Registro Central de Extranjeros — The Registro Central de Extranjeros is the register where EU citizens and their family members record their residence.

Key rules

• Birth registration: Register the birth within 10 days, or within 30 days if there is a justified reason.
• Residence window: Foreign resident parents can apply for the baby's residence within 90 days of birth.
• Order: The passport comes after the civil registry, and the residence application needs the passport, birth certificate and NIE.
• Spanish parent: If one parent is Spanish, the baby is Spanish and needs no residence step.

The order to follow

Do the steps in this order, because each one needs the one before it:

1. Register the birth in the Registro Civil.
2. Ask for the literal birth certificate.
3. Register the baby on the padrón.
4. Get the baby's passport from your consulate.
5. Get the baby's NIE and apply for residence, or for registration if you are an EU family.
6. Register the baby for health care.

The timeline, documents list and checklist below carry the detail. This page explains how the steps connect and where your situation changes them.

Step 1: register the birth

Register the birth in the Registro Civil of the place where the baby was born. The deadline is 10 days, or 30 days if there is a justified reason. It applies whatever your nationality, and it is free.

The hospital often sends the medical birth notice directly. You then sign it, or you go in person to the Registro Civil. Some offices ask for an appointment, so book early.

Once the birth is registered, ask for the literal birth certificate. You need it for almost everything that follows.

Step 2: the padrón

Register the baby on the padrón at your town hall. Ask your town hall what it wants to see, as requirements differ.

Step 3: the passport

If you are foreign parents, the passport comes from your own country's consulate or embassy, often in Madrid or Barcelona. You need the Spanish birth certificate first. Your consulate may want it with an apostille or legalisation. It may also want both parents' consent and may ask you to register the baby as a national first. Each consulate has its own rules, and waiting times can be long, so start as soon as the birth is registered.

Step 4: residence, NIE and health care

If you are foreign resident parents, the baby can apply for residence within 90 days of birth. The authorisation normally matches the parent's in length. Apply at the Oficina de Extranjería with the baby's passport, the birth certificate, your residence cards and the application form. The NIE is issued as part of this process, and then the TIE.

If you need an NIE before or apart from residence, for example for health care, file form EX-15 with the fee. Expect a few weeks, depending on appointments. Check the current process with your local Extranjería, as the rules changed recently.

Once the baby has the NIE, register the baby for health care.

If one parent is Spanish

The baby is Spanish. The Registro Civil registers the birth with Spanish nationality, and you can then ask for a DNI and a Spanish passport. The baby needs no residence step, so skip steps 3 and 4 above.

If a parent is a citizen of another EU country

The baby has that nationality if that country's law grants it. This goes through that country's consulate. The baby is then registered in the Registro Central de Extranjeros and gets a registration certificate. If the baby is not an EU citizen, the baby gets an EU family card instead. The residence application for foreign resident parents does not apply to you.

Timeline and deadlines

• Register the birth in the Registro Civil of the birth place: within 10 days of birth, or within 30 days if there is a justified reason

• Request the literal birth certificate: right after the birth is registered

• Register the baby on the padrón (the town hall residents' list): after you have the birth certificate

• Get the baby's passport or travel document from your consulate: after the civil registry entry

• Get the baby's NIE: when you apply for residence; it typically takes a few weeks

• Collect the baby's TIE (foreigner identity card): after the residence authorisation is granted

Documents you need

• Medical birth notice from the hospital (the cuestionario para la declaración de nacimiento), which the hospital often sends directly and you sign

• Both parents' passports or ID, for the Registro Civil and for the consulate

• Marriage certificate, if the parents are married

• Birth certificate issued by the Registro Civil, free of charge, needed for the passport, the NIE and the residence application

• Birth certificate with an apostille or legalisation, if your consulate asks for it

• The baby's passport, issued by the consulate or embassy of the parents' nationality

• Form EX-15 for the NIE, filed at the Oficina de Extranjería or a police station

• Proof of payment of the NIE fee (modelo 790 código 012)

• The parents' residence cards and the residence application form, filed at the Oficina de Extranjería

Checklist

• Apply to your consulate for the baby's passport

• File form EX-15 and pay the fee (modelo 790 código 012) to get the baby's NIE

• Ask the Registro Civil for a DNI and a Spanish passport if one parent is Spanish, and skip the residence step

• Ask for the registration certificate in the Registro Central de Extranjeros if a parent is an EU citizen and the baby is registered under that regime

Frequently asked questions

Does my baby need a passport before the residence application?

Yes, the residence application needs the baby's passport, together with the birth certificate and the NIE. That is why the consulate passport comes before the residence step. The parents' residence cards and the application form go with it.

Does my baby need residence if one parent is Spanish?

No, a baby with a Spanish parent is Spanish by filiation, so no residence is needed. The Registro Civil registers the birth with Spanish nationality. You can then apply for a DNI and a Spanish passport.

What does the consulate need to issue my baby's passport?

The consulate usually needs the Spanish birth certificate, both parents' passports or ID and an application form. The birth certificate is often required with an apostille or legalisation. Both parents' consent is often required, many consulates ask for the baby to be registered as a national first, and waiting times can be long.

How do I get an NIE for my baby?

You file form EX-15 at the Oficina de Extranjería or a police station, with the passport, the birth certificate and the fee payment (modelo 790 código 012). If your baby gets a residence authorisation, the NIE is issued as part of that process. It typically takes a few weeks, depending on appointment availability.