Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
I had a question regarding travel with my NIE. My passport has expired and I no longer have it in my possession because I submitted it for renewal; however, I have my valid NIE and I am wondering if I will face any problems traveling from Spain to Portugal with my card as my only document.
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“Neither a NIE (nor a TIE) is a travel document. To my knowledge only Spaniards with a DNI (or other EU citizens with similar identity cards from their home country) can travel within the Schengen area without a passport.”
“Every time I traveled within Europe, they requested both the TIE and passport. I was advised twice by the agents at the airport to always have my passport with my TIE.”
“If you’re traveling within Spain you can use the TIE by itself, as I just did today flying between Madrid and Málaga. If you’re flying outside of Spain though you’ll need your passport. In your case, you’re better off going to Portugal by land as there are usually no passport checks overland.”
“I was told by the National Police at the Malaga airport that in general, a TIE holder must always carry their TIE and their passport. In other words, the TIE isn’t valid technically without the passport. I don’t carry my passport around from day to day but when it comes to travel I always have the passport.”
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Explore Cities →“I went to Portugal in 2013 with a friend who only had his TIE card, he didn’t have his passport. They denied him boarding in Barajas. I think it was Ryanair if that makes a difference, not sure if it does.”
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