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Home Community answers How long is the waiting time for processing a residence (TIE card)?

How long is the waiting time for processing a residence (TIE card)?

Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

Question

My partner has applied for the residence (TIE card) and is still waiting over 3 months for a response from the immigration office. Is this normal? Has any one else been waiting this long for the response?

Answers

These are the answers of some Facebook group members:

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“I applied through a lawyer on the 2nd week of January and got the response a little over 3 months in the last week of April.”

“They are slow. I had my appointment last week and they said hopefully six weeks, but might be longer as there’s a lot.

You can check if your card has come in at the central office at https://www.lotenie.com/en/nielots/

The batch refers to the number on your document when you applied for the TIE.”

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“I have a TIE card. I did all of my process in November 2020 and it was ready by 2021.

The relocation agent I had at the time said waiting long can be normal especially for TIE cards.

If you have a relocation agent or lawyer, it’s good if they keep chasing it up, this possibly can have an influence”

“I applied in early March for residency through pareja de hecho (with a lawyer) and am still waiting for a response. The lawyer told us the wait should be around 3-4 months. Hoping for the best! Then of course to get the physical TIE card will probably be another 1.5 – 2 months.”

“We applied Apr 30 and got a response in a little more than 4 weeks…. Our application (for Permanent Larga Duracion) was pretty complete though. You may have something missing, you can check your case online.”


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📖 Related Reading: For a complete overview of tax residency, income tax brackets, Beckham Law, Modelo 720, and more, see our Taxes for Expats in Spain: The Complete Guide.

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author avatar
Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert
Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.