Where the appointment is booked
The only official channel is the electronic office of Administraciones Públicas. It handles appointments both for Immigration Offices and for National Police stations, which report to the Government Delegations and Sub-delegations.
The order matters: province first, procedure second. The province is fixed at the start, and if you get it wrong you begin again from zero. Always choose the province of your address, because that is the one that processes your file.
Who has to book it
It is not always the foreign national. According to the electronic office itself, it depends on the type of permit:
| Type of permit | Who books the appointment |
|---|---|
| Initial residence and work permits as an employee | The employer or their representative |
| Family reunification permits | The sponsoring family member or their representative |
| Residence permits for minors or persons lacking capacity | The father, mother or legal guardian. The minor does not need to attend |
| All other permits | The foreign national or their representative |
This explains why someone sometimes cannot find an appointment: they are looking in a procedure that, in their case, another person has to request.
Which procedure to choose
This is where almost everyone goes wrong. The system does not understand intentions, it understands procedures. Before you start, find your row:
| What you need | What you are actually requesting |
|---|---|
| An identification number to buy, inherit, open a company or sign before a notary, without living in Spain | NIE assignment. It is a number, not a card |
| Fingerprints after a residence permit has been approved | Fingerprinting for the issue of the card (TIE) |
| Collecting the physical card once it has been made | Collection of the foreigner identity card |
| Renewing your permit before it expires | Renewal of the permit matching your situation |
| Registering as a European Union citizen | EU citizen registration certificate. It is not a TIE |
| Leaving Spain while your card is being processed | Return authorisation (autorización de regreso) |
NIE, TIE and registration certificate are not the same thing. The NIE is the identification number that stays with you for life. The TIE is the physical card proving your residence permit, and it expires. The registration certificate is the green document for EU citizens, which carries the NIE but is not a foreigner residence card. Confusing them leads to booking the wrong appointment and losing weeks.
Appointment for the NIE
If what you need is the number, book the appointment for NIE assignment. It is usually handled at a National Police station, whereas residence permit files are decided at the Immigration Office. That is why you will find two different kinds of appointment, and why it pays to check which office applies before booking.
If you are outside Spain, the NIE can also be requested at the relevant Spanish consulate, or through a representative holding a notarial power of attorney. The latter is the usual route when someone buys a property in Spain without being able to travel. More in NIE, TIE and residency.
Appointment for fingerprints
When a residence permit is granted, the next step is fingerprinting so the card can be made. It is a separate appointment from the one for filing, and it is booked the same way, by choosing that specific procedure.
What is usually required: valid passport, the favourable decision on your file, a recent colour photograph on a light background, and the fee form modelo 790 paid at the bank. The amount and the fee code depend on the type of permit and are updated periodically, so check them on the official site on the day you pay, and do not rely on lists copied in forums.
Appointment to collect the card
The card does not arrive by post: you collect it in person with a third appointment. In many offices this is the calendar with the fastest turnover, because visits take a few minutes, so there are often slots even when everything else is full. Bring the fingerprinting receipt and your passport.
Renewals: when to book
Renewal is requested within the period the rules set around your card's expiry date, and there is also a later margin in which the application is still accepted. Filing in time prevents your status from becoming irregular while it is decided.
Many renewals are now filed online and need no in-person appointment at all: only fingerprinting is needed afterwards if a new card has to be made. If your case is a renewal, check whether it can be filed online before you fight the calendar.
How to check the status of your file
You need neither an appointment nor a digital certificate. The electronic office has an open file status service: you enter the file number and the system returns its current state.
Check it before booking anything. If your file shows as favourable, the appointment you need is fingerprints; if you have already given fingerprints, it is card collection. Booking the wrong one is time lost for you and one slot fewer for someone else.
No appointments: your real options
- Verify the procedure. Go back to the table above and confirm you are requesting what really applies to you. It is the most frequent cause of the problem.
- Change office within the province. Calendars are independent per office.
- Try at different times. Slots appear in batches and are also released when other people cancel.
- Check whether your procedure can be filed online. A large share of immigration applications and renewals accept online filing. There the appointment simply stops being a problem.
- Act through a representative. Registered gestores administrativos file online with a professional certificate on behalf of their clients.
Do not pay for an appointment. The immigration appointment is free. Websites and bots that resell them charge for something that costs nothing, ask for sensitive personal data and do not guarantee the appointment is valid. We do not recommend any tool that automates booking either: besides the risk, it can get you locked out of the system.
Immigration appointments in Valencia
The system is national and the province is chosen in the first step of the form, so Valencia works like the rest of Spain: select Valencia as the province, then the specific procedure, and the system shows the offices in the province that handle it. Each office's address, phone and opening hours are in the administration's official directory, and it is best to check them there rather than in third-party lists, because they change.
What is specific to a large province like Valencia is how the calendar behaves. Three things we have seen while filing here:
- Appointments are not released continuously. They appear in batches, and a batch can be gone in minutes. Trying five times in a row at the same hour pays off less than trying different time slots through the week.
- The procedure you choose changes availability. The same matter can be available under one name and sold out under a similar one. Before giving up, go through the whole list, because the classification is not always intuitive.
- Fingerprints and filing are separate appointments. Getting one does not reserve the other, and they are two trips.
And the route that removes the problem at the root: a large share of immigration files are filed electronically, with no appointment, when whoever files has a professional certificate or a power of representation. Only strictly personal acts, and fingerprinting for the TIE is one, require you to attend.
Weeks without finding an appointment?
Many immigration files are submitted online with the professional certificate of a registered gestor, with no appointment and no travel. Tell us your case and we will say straight away whether yours qualifies.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book an immigration appointment without a NIE?
Yes, when what you are requesting is precisely the NIE assignment. In that case you identify yourself with your passport. For other procedures the system will ask for the NIE or your card number.
What is the difference between NIE and TIE?
The NIE is a foreigner identification number and stays with you for life. The TIE is the physical card proving your residence permit; it has your NIE printed on it and an expiry date. You can have a NIE without a TIE, for example if you buy property in Spain without living here.
Can someone else book the appointment for me?
Yes, acting as your representative. In some procedures it is even mandatory: for initial work permits as an employee the employer books it, and for minors the father, mother or legal guardian does, without the minor attending.
Do I need a digital certificate to book an immigration appointment?
To book, no. To file online and avoid the appointment, yes: you need your own digital certificate or a representative with a professional one. We explain how to get yours in the digital certificate guide.
How do I know whether my card is ready to collect?
By checking your file status in the open service of the electronic office with your file number. No appointment or digital identification is needed for that.
What happens if I miss the appointment?
You lose the slot and must request another, with the delay that implies. If you know you cannot attend, cancel it in the same system: you free the place and avoid problems.
How much does the appointment cost?
The appointment is free. What does cost money is the procedure fee, form 790, paid at the bank, and the amount depends on the procedure. Check the current amount on the official site before paying.
Can I book in another province if mine has no slots?
It rarely helps: your file is processed by the office of the province where you live. Switching province to get an earlier slot usually ends in a rejected appointment.
Legal basis
- Organic Law 4/2000 on the rights and freedoms of foreign nationals in Spain
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Regulation implementing Organic Law 4/2000 (consolidated text)
- Royal Decree 316/2026 amending the immigration Regulation
- Order PJC/617/2025 setting immigration and foreigners' fees
- Law 39/2015 on Common Administrative Procedure, art. 14 on electronic dealings with the administration
Official sources
- Electronic office of Administraciones Públicas: immigration appointments
- Immigration file status service
- Catalogue of immigration procedures
Written by Irina Klein. Reviewed by Elena Alonso Volostnova, registered gestora administrativa (ICGA Valencia). Updated on 5 October 2026. This page is general information and does not replace personalised advice on your case.