Question
I received my Spain Non Lucrative Visa three months ago and I live in Benidorm. For the last three months, I couldn’t get any fingerprints appointment here for my fingerprint and there is no appointment available.
I have made an appointment in Castellon which is two hours away from Benidorm and it is another city. Would this be ok and do they need proof of address that I live there or is it ok if I live in Benidorm?
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“I might have missed a step here – I thought you only needed fingerprints to apply for an Spain Non Lucrative Visa. If you already have one and are already here, why need them again?”
“After you first arrive in Spain on your NLV, you have 30 days to sign on the padron & get fingerprints done, if you can get an appointment, if no appointments available you have to show proof of trying to get an appointment.”
“The NLV visa is for three months and you need to register yourself in town hall and get the residence card which is for a year from the date your visa is issued.”
“The Non-Lucrative Visa is for one year and within 3 months you have to register for your Padron at the local town hall.”
“The fingerprints for the TIE is a different process than the ones you get for the NLV. The fingerprints for your TIE I believe are just used to confirm your identity when you pick up your card for the initial TIE and renewals. These are done at your local extranjería (toma de huellas) and they just take prints of your index fingers or at least that’s all that was done for me in Sevilla.”
“The visa is valid for 90 days and you are supposed to arrive in Spain during that time. Once you arrive, you are supposed to apply for your residence permit (aka TIE) within 30 days. The TIE is valid for a year and it’s the TIE that you renew.”
“In my life, and I have traveled, even lived in Spain for 23 yrs, have I found myself in this type of situation! I believe all this has to do with being part of the European Community. It is more a question of security I believe… But, thinking that when I get to Spain have to keep on going through so many hardships, tends to push me back…”
“I just got my fingerprints couple of months ago I live in Alicante and they were also no appointments before my deadline. I was able to make an appointment in Elche so I just drove out there got my fingerprints there. I think as long as you’re in the Alicante area you can get your fingerprints anywhere and they know they’re running behind so as long as you show that you’re trying to make the appointment they’ll take it.”
“My years 2 and 3 renewal was in October and I’ve got my finger print appointment 15th July finally in Alicante some 9 months later!”
“Yes, you need to bring a padron certificate to the police the day of the appointment.”
Conclusion
Navigating the logistics of obtaining fingerprint appointments for the TIE after arriving in Spain on a Non-Lucrative Visa can be challenging, especially when appointments are not available in your area.
The community’s experiences suggest that it is possible to schedule an appointment in another city within your administrative province.
Key advice includes ensuring you have tried to secure an appointment, showing proof of this effort if necessary, and when possible, having your padrón certificate ready for the appointment, regardless of the location.
Join our community!
Make sure to join our dedicated Spanish Non Lucrative Visa group here!
