Leaving home checklist for SpainArticle 6 of 9 · 2 min read
Your Spanish visa: when to enter and what it allows
This page covers the visa window: when to enter Spain, how to collect an approved visa, what it lets you do, and when to apply for the residence card. It is for anyone with an approved long-stay visa who is planning their trip.
Key rules
- Entry window: You must enter Spain between the valid-from and valid-until dates on your visa.
- TIE: Apply for the TIE soon after you arrive, and confirm the deadline for your visa type.
- Passport: Keep your passport with the visa until the residence card is issued.
Confirm the entry period, collection deadline, work rights and TIE deadline for your visa type with the consulate that issued it.
What to do first
Your visa has a validity period printed on it. Plan your trip inside that period, and do not leave it to the last days. The exact figures for this page are not confirmed here, so the steps below tell you whom to ask and what to check.
When you must enter Spain
Read the "valid from" and "valid until" dates on your visa. You must enter Spain between those two dates. If you miss the window, the visa cannot be used and you will probably have to start again.
Check the dates against your flight before you book. Keep the booking flexible if you can.
How to collect an approved visa
The visa is collected from the consulate or visa centre that handled your application, usually in your home country. The consulate's approval notice tells you where to go and how long you have to collect it. If the notice gives a deadline, follow it exactly. If you do not see one, ask the consulate in writing before you plan your travel.
Bring your passport and the approval notice. Check the name, dates and visa type before you leave the counter.
What the visa allows
The visa lets you enter Spain and start your stay for the purpose it was issued for, such as work, study or living on your own means. Your visa type is printed on it. Check with the consulate what you may do before the residence card arrives, in particular whether you may start work straight away.
Your status until the residence card
The visa is not your final permit. You are in Spain on the visa while you apply for the residence card, called the TIE. Keep your passport with the visa and your entry proof with you until the card is issued.
Apply for the TIE after you arrive
The TIE is the residence card for foreigners. The deadline to apply after you enter Spain depends on your visa type. Check the deadline for your visa with the consulate before you travel, and with the foreigners' office (Extranjería) or police office in the province where you will live. Book your fingerprint appointment as soon as you arrive, because appointments can take time to get.
Do it in this order
- Check the validity dates on your visa.
- Book travel inside that window.
- Keep your passport and visa together.
- On arrival, ask for the TIE deadline for your visa type and book the appointment.
More in Leaving home checklist for Spain
- What you can finish before you land in Spain
- Your countdown: 3 months, 1 month and 1 week before leaving
- Which home accounts, leases and registrations to close or keep
- Cash and cards to carry for your first weeks in Spain
- Medicines and medical records to sort before you leave
- Choosing your arrival airport and splitting your luggage
- The best time to arrive given Spanish holidays and office closures
- Which original documents to carry on you instead of shipping
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.