How long a renewal takes and what happens while you wait

Key rules

• Legal deadline: The office should resolve a renewal within three months of filing.
• Real wait: Expect one to four months, and longer in busy provinces and big cities.
• Your status: A renewal filed in time keeps your previous permit valid until the decision.
• Notification: An electronic notification you do not open within 10 calendar days counts as rejected.
• Travel: The receipt does not authorise travel abroad, so ask the office first.

How long will the renewal take?

The office should resolve a renewal within three months of filing. In practice, expect one to four months. Some provinces run past three months. Big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia tend to be slower. The wait also depends on your permit type and the office's backlog.

Once approved, the card appointment adds more weeks. Plan for that on top of the decision time.

Can you stay and work while you wait?

Yes, if you filed in time. Filing in the 60 days before your permit expires, or up to 90 days after it, keeps your previous permit valid until the renewal is resolved. While the case is pending, you can stay and work in Spain.

Filing after expiry counts as late. It can lead to a sanction, though the permit is still treated as extended. After the 90 days, you generally need a new application instead.

What is the filing receipt for?

When you file, you get an electronic receipt, the justificante de presentación, with a registry number. It proves your filing date. Keep it safe. You can show it as evidence for work and for travel within Spain.

Can you travel abroad?

The receipt does not by itself authorise travel outside Spain. Leaving with an expired card while the renewal is pending can cause problems when you come back. Ask the immigration office before any trip.

What if three months pass with no answer?

Do not assume you are approved or refused. For renewals, silence can work in your favour in law, but the office still has to issue a written decision. You can ask the office for a certificate of silence, which documents that no decision arrived. Late or defective renewals may be treated differently.

How will you be told the decision?

If you have an electronic address, the decision usually arrives through the government's electronic notification service (DEHú) or your Carpeta Ciudadana account. Some procedures also send an email or SMS alert. Otherwise it comes by post or in person at the office.

An electronic notification you do not open within 10 calendar days counts as rejected, and the procedure carries on without you. Check your account regularly.

The steps, documents and warnings are in the blocks below.

Choosing between options

What should you do when three months have passed and you have no decision?

• Keep waiting and check your account: It has been less than four months and your province is a busy one, since waits of one to four months are common.

• Ask for a certificate of silence: You need written proof that the renewal is treated as approved through silence, for example for an employer.

• Check your post and visit the office: You have no electronic notification address, so your decision comes by post or in person.

Your filing receipt keeps your previous permit valid while you wait, so ask for a certificate of silence if you need proof, and check every notification route for a decision.

Timeline and deadlines

• File your renewal and download the filing receipt: on the day you file

• Wait for the legal decision time of three months: up to three months from filing

• Expect a real wait of one to four months, longer in some provinces and in big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia: in practice, from filing

• Ask for a certificate of silence if no decision has arrived: after three months without a decision

• Open your decision in your electronic account or collect it by post or at the office: within 10 calendar days of it being made available

• Allow extra weeks for the card appointment: after approval

Documents you need

• Filing receipt (justificante de presentación): the electronic receipt with a registry number that you get when you file. It proves your filing date and that your current permit stays valid while the case is pending. Keep it as issued.

• Certificate of silence: a document you can ask the immigration office for if no decision arrives within three months of filing. It confirms that the application is treated as approved through silence.

Checklist

• Save the electronic filing receipt with its registry number.

• Note the filing date and count three months from it.

• Plan for a real wait of one to four months, and longer if your province is busy.

• Keep using your previous permit and your receipt to stay and work in Spain while you wait.

• Check your electronic notification account regularly and open any decision within 10 calendar days.

• Ask the office for a certificate of silence if three months pass with no decision.

What to watch out for

• Travelling abroad while the renewal is pending: Your filing receipt does not authorise travel outside Spain, and your old card does not prove your right to travel in the same way. You can have problems getting back in. Ask your immigration office before you book any trip, and avoid travelling until the renewal is resolved.

• Missing your electronic notification: If you do not open an electronic notification within 10 calendar days of it being made available, it counts as rejected and the procedure continues without you. Check your electronic account regularly, and make sure the office has an address where you can be reached.

• Assuming silence means approval: Silence counts as approval in renewals, but a late-filed or defective renewal may be treated differently.

Frequently asked questions

Can I travel outside Spain while my renewal is pending?

No, your filing receipt does not by itself authorise travel outside Spain, and leaving with an expired card can cause problems when you try to re-enter. Ask your immigration office before you book anything.

What happens if I do not open my electronic notification in time?

The notification counts as rejected if you do not open it within 10 calendar days of it being made available, and the procedure carries on without you. Log in to your electronic account regularly, since some procedures also send an email or SMS alert.

Does silence from the office mean my renewal is approved?

Usually yes, because silence counts as approval in renewal procedures, but a late-filed or defective renewal may be treated differently.

Can I keep working while I wait for my renewal decision?

Yes, if you filed on time, your previous permit stays valid and covers staying and working in Spain until the renewal is resolved. Your filing receipt works as evidence of this.