Which documents to copy and where to keep them

Terms used

• TIE — The TIE is the residence card issued to foreigners who live in Spain.
• NIE — The NIE is the foreigner identification number used for tax, work and paperwork in Spain.
• DNI — The DNI is the national identity card of Spanish citizens.
• Empadronamiento — The empadronamiento is your registration at your town hall as living at a given address.
• Tarjeta sanitaria — The tarjeta sanitaria is the health card that gives you access to public healthcare.
• Denuncia — A denuncia is an official police report of a loss or theft.
• Cita previa — A cita previa is an appointment you must book in advance at many public offices.
• Extranjería — The extranjería is the immigration office that handles foreigners' residence documents.

Key rules

• Originals: A copy or phone photo is not valid ID, so carry your original passport or TIE.
• Separate storage: Keep backups in a different place from the originals so one event cannot destroy both.
• Digital security: Encrypt digital copies and use two-factor authentication on cloud accounts.
• NIE certificate: If you hold only a paper NIE certificate, carry your passport with it.

Copies are a backup, not a substitute

Keep copies of your key documents, but keep carrying the originals. In Spain you must be able to show your original passport or residence card (TIE). A photocopy or a phone photo is not formally valid. Copies help you replace a lost document fast. They do not replace it.

If you only hold an NIE certificate, which is a paper document without a photo, carry your passport with it.

What the police may do

Police can ask for ID. Officers have some discretion, and some accept a copy for a first check. They may still ask you to bring the original to a police station. If you cannot show any documents, you can be taken to a station to be identified, and a fine is possible. Do not count on a copy being accepted.

Which documents to copy

The checklist below has the full list. In short, copy:

• Identity and status: passports, TIE or NIE certificates, visas, residence permits, and your DNI if you have one.
• Home and family: your empadronamiento certificate, birth, marriage and family-book certificates, and your children's school and vaccination records.
• Health and insurance: your tarjeta sanitaria, your policies and their claim phone numbers, prescriptions and key medical records.
• Money and work: bank and card details, tax documents, employment contracts and your Social Security number.
• Property: rental contracts, deeds, utility bills, vehicle documents and pet passports.

Where to keep them

Paper: put the copies in one waterproof folder, kept with your emergency kit so you can grab it in an evacuation. Store it away from the originals.

Digital:

• Scan each document and store the scans in an encrypted folder or vault app with a strong, unique passphrase.
• Turn on two-factor authentication on any cloud account.
• Keep at least one offline copy, such as an encrypted USB drive, in a different place from the originals. Update it when a document changes.
• Share copies only with someone you trust, over an encrypted channel. Never use ordinary email or open messaging. Send the passphrase separately.
• Avoid public Wi-Fi when you open them, and delete temporary copies from shared devices.

If you lose a document

Copies make this much easier.

TIE: report the loss or theft to the police and get the report (denuncia). Then book a cita previa at the office that issues TIEs and apply for a duplicate. Bring your passport, the report, photos, proof you paid the fee and your old TIE details if you have them. Fingerprints are taken at the appointment. You get a temporary receipt, and you collect the new card in person.

NIE certificate: in practice no police report is needed. Request a new one at the extranjería or police station with your passport and proof of the fee payment.

Check the current fee and procedure with your local extranjería before you go.

Documents you need

• Your original passport or travel document, issued by your home country. Carry it, because a copy or phone photo is not formally valid.

• Your original TIE (residence card), issued by the Spanish authorities, if you are a resident. Carry the original card, not a copy.

• Your NIE certificate, a paper document without a photo, if that is what you hold. Carry your passport with it.

• A paper copy and a secure digital copy of each key document, kept apart from the originals, to use if the originals are lost, stolen or left behind.

• For a lost or stolen TIE: the police report, your passport, photos, proof of the fee payment and the details of the old card if you have them.

• For a lost NIE certificate: your passport and proof of the fee payment, taken to the extranjería or police station that issues it.

Document and data copies checklist

• Copy your passports, TIE or NIE certificates, DNI where relevant, visas and residence permits, and keep the originals on you or in a safe place you can reach fast.

• Copy your empadronamiento certificate (proof of the address where you are registered), driving licences, and birth, marriage and family-book certificates.

• Copy your children's school and vaccination records.

• Copy your health card (tarjeta sanitaria), your insurance policies for home, health, car and life, and the phone numbers for making a claim.

• Copy prescriptions and key medical records for everyone in the household.

• Put the paper copies together in a waterproof folder, ready to go with your emergency kit.

• Save an offline copy on an encrypted USB drive or external disk, and keep it in a different place from the originals.

• Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one kept away from home.

• Give a copy to one trusted person through an encrypted channel, never by ordinary email or open messaging, and send the passphrase separately.

• Update your copies whenever a document is renewed or changes, and delete temporary copies from shared devices.

• If your TIE is lost or stolen, report it to the police for a denuncia (police report), then book a cita previa (appointment) at the extranjería or police station that issues TIEs.

• Bring your passport, the police report, photos, proof of paying the fee (modelo 790 código 012) and your previous TIE details to the duplicate appointment, with the EX-17 form.

• If your NIE certificate is lost, request a new one at the extranjería or police station with your passport, the EX-15 form and the modelo 790-012 fee.

What to watch out for

• A copy or phone photo is not valid ID: A photocopy or a photo on your phone is not formally valid identification. If you cannot show the original, you may be taken to a police station to be identified, and you may be fined. Carry your original TIE or passport. Keep copies for emergencies, not as a replacement.

• Unprotected digital copies can be stolen: Scans of passports and residence cards kept loose on a phone, in ordinary email or in open messaging can be stolen and misused. Keep scans in an encrypted folder or vault app with a strong, unique passphrase, and turn on two-factor authentication on any cloud account.

• Backups stored beside the originals are lost together: If your offline copy sits in the same place as the originals, one fire, flood or theft can destroy both. Keep an encrypted USB drive or external disk in a different place, and update it whenever a document changes.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I cannot show my documents in a police check?

You may be taken to a police station to be identified, and you may get an administrative fine. Police sometimes accept a photocopy for a first check, but they can ask you to bring the original to a station. Officers decide case by case, so carry the originals.

Do I need to carry my passport if I only have an NIE certificate?

Yes, you need your passport as well, because the NIE certificate is a paper document without a photo. Carry both together. If you have a TIE, the card is the standard proof.

How do I replace a lost or stolen TIE?

Report the loss or theft to the police, then book an appointment at the office that issues TIEs and apply for a duplicate. Bring your passport, the police report, photos and proof you paid the fee. Fingerprints are taken at the appointment, and you collect the new card in person.