After arriving to Spain on a non lucrative Spain visa, when and how do we get the TIE number to open our bank account?

Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

Question

We are on our non lucrative Spain visa. We just had our TIE appointment with the padrón. No documents were needed except passports and a 6 month lease. We received papers back all of which had no numbers stating TIE. When and how do we get the TIE number to open our bank account?

Answers

These are the answers of some Facebook group members:

“Our NIE numbers were stamped in the visa of our passports which are American.”

“The TIE is the card that they give which has the NIE (the NIE is the number, the TIE is the card with the number) you just need the NIE to open a bank account. The NIE is also in your passport (if it’s American. Not sure of others)”

“You can’t open a resident account until you get your TIE you can open a non resident account though”

“You will need to get a TIE appointment with the police in your area and apply with the proper papers, then pick up is 30-60 days later depending on location”

“I think you’ve got some terminology confusion.
NIE is your foreigner identification number issued when you request a visa.
Padrón is the process of registering yourself with the municipal census.
TIE is the plastic identity card issued to you after having your fingerprints taken by the police. This step requires the certificado de empadronamiento issued in step 2.
To open a bank account they need a NIE and many will require a TIE. The NIE should be printed on your initial visa.”

“I would just add that I believe you need the TIE to open a resident bank account. We opened an account at Santander when we arrived using only our passports, but it was a nonresident account. We hightailed it to the bank as soon as we got our TIE cards and converted to a resident account to avoid any bank fees.”

“We opened our Santander account with our NIE. We haven’t had our Padrón or TIE appointment.”

“We opened a bank account with Santander using our NIE”

In summary, some of the users stated that they have American passports, and their NIE numbers were stamped in the visa. Some members suggest that the TIE is not needed to open a bank account and that you only need the NIE number. Other members specify that TIE is needed to open a resident bank account, but you can open a non-resident account using just a passport. Some also mentions that the NIE should be printed on your initial visa. The users shared that they opened their account with Santander using their NIE and that they haven’t had their Padrón or TIE appointment.

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.

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