Residence permit in Barcelona: how to do it yourself, from empadronamiento to TIE

Where to start: three starting scenarios

The route depends on where you are on the day you apply. The basis is chosen by what you will do in Spain, not by nationality: for Russians, Belarusians, Kazakhstanis and Ukrainians it is the same; what differs is the consulate and the list of certificates.

A legal Schengen stay is limited to 90 days in any 180. A detailed review: applying for the DNV from Spain on a tourist visa.

What you can do yourself, and when you need a lawyer or a tax and administrative specialist

The law does not make a lawyer a condition for filing: applicants may file themselves or through a representative with proven authority (a notarial proxy, apud acta or an electronic proxy). A gestor handles administrative procedures, an abogado advises on the law and acts in disputes, and in court cases on residence permits a lawyer is mandatory (article 23 of Ley 29/1998). With a clear plan, applicants usually manage on their own; a lawyer is needed where a dispute arises.

More detail: do you need a lawyer for a residence permit and gestor or abogado. ReloVictory is a relocation centre, not a law firm: the legal side is handled by the team’s lawyer, and tax and administrative matters by a tax and administrative specialist. The first 15 minutes of a consultation are free; a full 45-minute consultation costs €121. Case handling is priced on a quote; fees and translations are paid separately, and appeals are not included.

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Summary table: step, place, documents, time, cost

Amounts and timescales checked against the official pages on 3 October 2026. Fees are revised, so check the amount on the form before paying.

Roadmap: 12 stages

The map is free. Registration, the digital certificate, Cl@ve, appointments with the authorities and the map itself cost nothing. For the NIE, TIE and the permit itself you pay only the state fee; translations, apostilles and certificates are paid to whoever issues them. Each item shows who to pay and how much.

1. 1

   Preparing at home and choosing a basis

   Identify your basis, where to apply and your consulate, check the rules in force on the filing date and plan your certificates before the first payment.

   20 items

2. 2

   Documents, certificates, apostille, sworn translation

   You will put together the file for your basis: passport, criminal record certificates, apostilles, sworn translations, proof of income and insurance.

   25 items

3. 3

   Visa at the consulate: applying from abroad

   You will prepare the national visa application, pay the fees, submit the file at the consulate or BLS and learn the decision and appeal deadlines.

   18 items

4. 4

   Entry, first days, housing, transport

   Your first weeks in Barcelona: cash declaration, belongings, pets, temporary and long-term housing, electricity, phone, travel pass and driving licence.

   20 items

5. 5

   Registration: padró in Barcelona and neighbouring municipalities

   How to register your address in Barcelona without an NIE or residence permit, what differs in seven neighbouring towns and how to get volant certificates.

   28 items

6. 6

   NIE, FNMT certificate, Cl@ve, Carpeta, DEHú, modelo 030

   When you need to request an NIE yourself, how to get an FNMT certificate and Cl@ve, where to receive notifications and how to give the AEAT your address.

   22 items

7. 7

   Fee, appointment and filing from Spain

   You will pay the right fee under the correct code, choose the authority and filing channel, and register your application with the resguardo in hand.

   24 items

8. 8

   Waiting, notifications, requerimiento, decision and appeal

   You will know where notifications arrive, how many days you have to reply to the authority and which appeal route to take after a refusal.

   16 items

9. 9

   TIE and fingerprints: the resident card in Barcelona

   You will understand when to request the TIE, which 790-012 fee to pay and how to handle the appointment, fingerprints and collecting the card.

   15 items

10. 10

    Seguridad Social, health, bank, taxes

    Seguridad Social number, alta for your basis, the TSI health card, a bank account and a resident’s first tax obligations.

    30 items

11. 11

    Family, school, language, daily life

    A school place outside preinscripció, a permit for a child born in Spain, Catalan courses, diploma homologation and registering a couple.

    17 items

12. 12

    Renewal, permanent residence, citizenship

    Renewal deadlines and fees for each basis, a new TIE, larga duración after five years and the path to citizenship by residence.

    15 items

Step 1 in detail: which basis to choose

The last column links to the route card for each basis, with its own documents and timescales.

Step 2 in detail: empadronamiento in Barcelona

The padrón (padró d'habitants) is the list of everyone who normally lives in the city. The Ajuntament states that registration is compulsory and also gives rights: access to public healthcare and school for children, and for most procedures under the immigration law (family reunification, arraigo social and others) it is a requirement. You do not need a residence permit to register.

Steps 3 and 4 in detail: NIE, certificate and Cl@ve

Under article 205 of the Reglamento, the NIE (número de identidad de extranjero) is a foreigner’s personal, unique number, entered on all their documents. It gives no right to live or work. If you start a procedure for a stay document, the number is assigned automatically. If your link with Spain is economic, professional or social, you request it yourself, as long as you are not in the country illegally. For the NIE you need form EX-15 and the 790 code 012 receipt, and you apply in person at the Policía Nacional, the Oficina de Extranjería or a comisaría. From abroad, the NIE is requested through the consulate. A decision is due within 5 days, silence means refusal, and a refusal can be challenged with a recurso de reposición within a month. For visas longer than 90 days the NIE is assigned automatically, but the consulate in Moscow recommends getting it in advance, and in Istanbul it is required at filing. More: NIE in Barcelona step by step and how the NIE differs from the TIE and a residence permit.

Step 5 in detail: apostille, translation, criminal record, insurance

There is no single checklist: the list comes from the ministry’s information sheet (hoja informativa) for your basis or from the UGE document, and the authority may ask for more. Below are the items that recur and the points where the sets differ.

Steps 6 and 7 in detail: where and how to apply in Barcelona

There is no physical counter for the DNV in Barcelona; going to the local Oficina neither replaces nor speeds up filing with the UGE. A UGE application extends your previous stay until a decision; the decision takes 20 days from electronic filing, and if there is no decision, the permit is deemed granted (article 76 of Ley 14/2013). The general regime has its own timescales; see the information sheet. The consulate in Moscow states plainly that appointments are not given to intermediary agencies: you have to book yourself. Details in the article Spanish consulates: where to apply.

Steps 8 and 9 in detail: requerimiento, decision, TIE

A requerimiento is a request for missing documents, not a refusal. Under Article 68 of Ley 39/2015 you have ten days to reply, counted in working days, and on request the deadline can be extended by no more than five days. If the applicant does not reply, they may be treated as having withdrawn the application (desistimiento). Reply in a single package and attach an explanatory note if a document does not match the list. See UGE requerimiento: how to reply. A DNV refusal is challenged with a recurso de alzada within one month; going to court requires a lawyer and the deadline is two months: what to do after a refusal.

Step 10 in detail: the first 30 days, renewal, permanent residence

Registration (alta) with the Seguridad Social is mandatory under a DNV: employees register through a foreign employer listed as a non-resident without representation, freelancers through RETA. The UGE names termination of the permit as the consequence when an autónomo has no alta. A bank must offer a basic payment account to anyone legally resident in the EU, but it decides the list of documents itself. Taxes and the regime for desplazados are for a tax and administrative specialist; the modelo 149 deadlines run from the alta date. All of this is covered in the article the first 30 days after DNV approval.

All roadmap items

The full list of questions the roadmap answers. Each link opens the relevant item on the stage page.

Common mistakes

• Using the checklist for different grounds: criminal record windows, required funds and insurance requirements differ between DNV, no lucrativa and study.
• Paying the fee under the wrong code: 038 for a DNV, 052 for no lucrativa, work and family reunification, 012 for the NIE and TIE.
• Filing a DNV through the Oficina de Extranjería or on paper instead of with the UGE.
• Taking silence on an NIE as approval. By law it is a refusal, unlike with the UGE.
• Booking the huellas appointment and the card collection appointment in the wrong order: they are separate appointments.
• Ordering certificates too early or without an apostille: the procedure sets how recent they must be, and a certificate without an apostille may not be accepted.
• Not opening electronic notifications: after 10 calendar days they count as rejected.
• Missing the one-month deadline to apply for a TIE and the renewal window.
• Choosing a consulate for convenience: you apply where you live.

Route cards and resources