In short: the TIE (Foreigner Identity Card) is the physical card that proves your residence authorisation in Spain and contains your NIE; you obtain it after your residence has been granted, and you must apply in person within one month (art. 209, RD 1155/2024).
In person or by representative? In person, mandatory. Art. 209.1 requires you to apply "in person"; the fingerprinting and the collection of the card are in-person acts that do not allow a representative. Someone else can help you book the appointment or pay the fee, but you go in person to the fingerprinting office and to collect the card.
Important: the TIE is not the NIE. The NIE is only a number; the TIE is the card that documents your legal status and carries that number (see glossary). Everyone with a visa or authorisation to stay in Spain for more than six months has the right and the duty to obtain the TIE (art. 209.1). The TIE has the same validity period as the authorisation that justifies it and loses validity when that authorisation expires (art. 209.7). It is not issued together with your residence decision: first the authorisation is granted, and then you process the card. To do so you book a prior appointment, attend the fingerprinting, and a few days later collect the card.
✈️ With the TIE you can travel in Europe. With your valid TIE and valid passport you can move around the rest of the Schengen area up to 90 days in any 180 (short stays, not for working or residing outside Spain). Always carry both documents; the resguardo or a TIE "in process" does not count. Rules, limits and pitfalls: Travelling in Schengen with your residence.
Documents (check the exact list at your appointment/office; it may vary by authorisation type):
- Grant decision (resolución) of your residence authorisation (or the document proving the right).
- Form EX-17 — "Application for the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE)" (official form, inclusion.gob.es); what each EX form is for and where to download it: Spanish immigration EX forms.
- Fee modelo 790, code 012 paid (the amount varies by card type).
- Valid passport or travel document (original and copy).
- One recent passport-size photo, white background.
- Where applicable, proof of padrón registration and the documents specific to your authorisation type.
Steps:
- Gather the documents (grant decision, EX-17, fee 790-012 paid, passport, photo).
- Book a prior appointment for "fingerprinting / TIE issuance" at the Public Administration e-office (icpplus).
- Attend the appointment in person: you submit the documents and your fingerprints are taken.
- Collect the card in person on the indicated date (it is not handed over at the fingerprinting appointment).
Official source: art. 209, RD 1155/2024 (BOE-A-2024-24099) and application forms — Ministry of Inclusion (inclusion.gob.es). (The Policía Nacional e-office, owner of the TIE appointment and fingerprinting, is temporarily unavailable; the appointment is handled at the Public Administration e-office.) Informational only; check the official source and a professional for your specific case.