Residence permit renewal in Spain: a route card from the filing window to permanent residence

Residence permit renewal in Spain: a 10-step plan

1. Find your expiry date and your basis

   The window, the form and the documents all depend on the expiry date and the basis.

   • Found the expiry date in the resolution and on the TIE card
   • If the dates differ, I go by the earlier one and check with the authority
   • Noted my basis: no lucrativa, employment, self-employment, family, studies, arraigo or DNV

   Where: the resolution and the TIE cardTiming: before you start preparingCost: free

   When to get help: the dates on your documents differ, or your basis has already changed.

2. Work out your filing window

   Filing within the two months before expiry extends the previous permit until the decision. Filing within three months after expiry also extends it, but the authority may open infringement proceedings.

   • Marked the start of the window (two months before expiry) and the end of the “tail” (three months after)
   • Decided to file in the middle of the window, not on the first or last day
   • For DNV: I file early and don’t plan on the “tail” (90 days after expiry)

   Where: Reglamento (arts. 64, 71, 132), Ley 14/2013 (art. 76)Timing: two months before and three months after expiryCost: free

   When to get help: the window has already closed, or your basis has special rules. More: when to apply for renewal.

3. Check that the conditions of your basis still apply

   A permit is renewed as long as the conditions that gave you the right to it are still met. The authority may ask for proof.

   • No lucrativa: funds for the whole renewal period, insurance that was and still is in force, children in school, more than 183 days in Spain per calendar year
   • Employment and self-employment: continued work or business activity; the authority checks taxes and contributions itself
   • DNV, arraigo, studies: the conditions that gave you the permit still apply (contract, income, insurance, enrolment)

   Where: your documents, UGETiming: before putting the file togetherCost: free

   When to get help: your income, job or family has changed. More: long absences and funds for no lucrativa.

4. Gather documents and, if needed, an informe de integración

   Every renewal needs the same basic set: an application on the official form, a copy of your full passport and the paid fee. The rest depends on the basis. If a condition is not met, a positive integration report can help.

   • Form: EX-01 for no lucrativa, EX-03 for employment, EX-07 for self-employment
   • School certificate for children of compulsory school age: if it is missing, the authority gives you a month, otherwise the permit is not renewed
   • Foreign documents with an apostille and sworn translation
   • Informe de integración from the Generalitat: free, up to 30 working days, requested at the ajuntament where you are registered

   Where: your records, the Generalitat, document checklistTiming: the report takes up to 30 working days, order it earlyCost: the report is free; apostille and translations are extra

   When to get help: you need an integration report, or documents from several countries. More: informe de integración in Catalonia.

5. Pay the fee

   The fee is paid with modelo 790, and the code depends on the basis. Keep the receipt: without it, proving you filed on time is hard.

   • Found the fee code for my basis in the information sheet
   • Paid and kept the 790 receipt
   • For DNV, paid the renewal separately

   Where: Ministry of Inclusion sede, how to pay onlineTiming: before filing; check the payment deadline in the authority’s sheetCost: €16.40 under order PJC/617/2025, studies €17.49, DNV: check the amount on the authority’s page

   When to get help: you’re not sure about the code. A mistake costs time and money.

6. Submit the application

   Through the electronic sede or, for some bases, in person at the Oficina de Extranjería. The Tribunal Supremo struck down mandatory electronic filing for the list in article 197.2 on 8 July 2026, so check the filing method on the day you file. DNV applications are filed electronically through the UGE.

   • Chose the filing channel and the right Oficina de Extranjería
   • Filed the application, kept the resguardo and a copy of the file
   • If a representative files, arranged a notarial power of representation or apud acta: certificate and representative

   Where: sede, Oficina de Extranjería in Barcelona, UGE for DNVTiming: within the window from step 2Cost: the fee from step 5

   When to get help: the filing method is unclear, there is a risk of a requerimiento, or a condition of your basis is in doubt.

7. Wait for the decision and respond to any requerimiento

   For no lucrativa, employment, self-employment and family, three months of silence means approval. For studies the period is a month, and silence means refusal. According to the ministry’s information sheets for no lucrativa and employment, a certificate of renewal by silence is issued at the applicant’s request.

   • I check the application status and notifications in the sede: how to check an expediente
   • I respond to a requerimiento within 10 working days (article 68 of Ley 39/2015)
   • If refused, noted the notification date and the appeal deadline: reposición and alzada

   Where: sede, Carpeta CiudadanaTiming: 3 months, studies 1 monthCost: free

   When to get help: a requerimiento on the substance, a refusal or an appeal.

8. Get your new TIE and plan your travel

   If the permit is renewed, you apply for the TIE in person within a month of notification (articles 64 and 81). A plane ticket does not prove your right to re-enter, and your card may be expired while the renewal is pending.

   • Booked huellas and applied for the TIE: TIE and huellas
   • Checked the name, NIE and dates on the card against the decision
   • Before travelling, checked my passport, permit and return document: autorización de regreso

   Where: Policía Nacional, by appointmentTiming: a month from notificationCost: TIE on renewal €19.30 under order PJC/617/2025

   When to get help: the month for the card is nearly up, or you need to travel while the application is pending.

9. If you missed the deadline: what to do

   Up to three months after expiry, file straight away: the permit is extended, and the fine for a minor infringement is up to €500. After three months the window is closed; this is a serious infringement with a fine of €501 to 10,000 (articles 52, 53 and 55 of Ley Orgánica 4/2000).

   • Counted how many days have passed since expiry
   • Up to three months: filed immediately and kept proof of the date
   • Over three months: I don’t file on my own, I book an urgent review

   Where: Oficina de Extranjería, what to do if you’re lateTiming: counted in days, don’t put it offCost: a possible fine under the law

   When to get help: more than three months have passed, or you have trips abroad or other procedures under way.

10. Keep renewing or move to long-term status

    After five years of continuous legal residence, larga duración may suit you instead of a renewal (article 183 of the Reglamento). Absences of up to six months in a row do not break continuity, provided they add up to no more than ten months over five years.

    • Counted the five years from the decision dates: how to count five years
    • Checked my absences against the six- and ten-month limits
    • Citizenship generally requires 10 years of legal residence: how many years until citizenship

    Where: Reglamento (art. 183), Código Civil (art. 22)Timing: five years of residence for larga duraciónCost: long-term TIE €21.87 under order PJC/617/2025; for the permit fee, see the authority’s sheet

    When to get help: you have long absences, gaps between statuses or citizenship exams ahead. More: temporary or permanent residence and larga duración.