“UPDATE: I was told you need to ask for the Comisaría de Policía Nacional at the airport, not just any policía.
Hello group! After flying from the US to Alicante via Amsterdam after our NLV approval (woo hoo!), we realized the importance of getting a Declaracion de Entrada stamped within 72 hours of arrival (thanks to this group) since we didn’t fly directly into Spain.
The trouble is, we couldn’t find any good information about where to get this done. I heard that some folks tried to ask Passport Control officers in the airport but to no avail, while others mentioned it needed to be done at a police station, preferably in a large city rather than a small town.
We first went to the main police station in Alicante that handles TIEs but we were told to go to a specific police station in the center of Alicante. We arrived there and sat in the waiting room for about an hour at a police officer’s suggestion. Finally, we spoke with another officer who said we needed to come back at noon and stand in line outside, where someone from “upstairs” would come out and address our issue.
Around noon, a gentleman came outside and kindly informed us that we needed to speak with the police department inside the Alicante airport, since we arrived in Spain by air. Ay ay ay! We promptly drove to the airport, found the office, and received the vital stamp within about a half hour. (It helped to have a printed boarding pass and photocopies of our passport photo page and the visa page, in addition to the completed Declaracion de Entrada form.)
If you have the same issue we did, please go directly to the police desk at the airport as soon as you pick up your luggage. This may be true in other airport cities in Spain as well. Don’t leave the airport without getting your Declaracion de Entrada stamped!
In fact, download and fill out that document before leaving your home country if you’re not flying directly into Spain. I’m not sure why the various police departments are not aware of this process but I hope this information saves you some headaches.”
Answers
These are the answers from Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“The police at the airport in Madrid absolutely refused to give it to us, no matter how much we protested. We got it at our local police office in Asturias the next few days.”
“That’s who we went to, they just kept insisting that our entry stamp into the EU sufficed. We gave up and left. Kind of hit the same thing at the local police the next day, but fortunately someone there had a clue as to what we were talking about and had us return the following day, so it all ended well.”
“When was this? When I went today everyone seemed to know what to do and there were several other people in the waiting area doing the same thing- so strange.”
“Mid July 2025”
“My best advice is always try to land in Spain directly to avoid having to do extra steps like the declaración de entrada. I think arriving in a new country when most of NLV holders are not spanish speakers has to be as hassle-free as possible…”
“Hi! I just flew in from the U.S. to Alicante from my connecting flight in Amsterdam. After you exit luggage pickup, to the left you will see a door for the police. You do not knock, go in and then there is another door, again walk in and let them know what you need. They speak very little Spanish, but I was able to get our Declaration Entrada filled out. Do not sign the door without them asking. They will ask you to sign in their presence. They will give you back a copy of the form with their blue stamp on it.”
“Welcome to Spain, you’ll get used to it. If it’s Monday, Mañana means Friday”
“I just found this out as well, although without quite as much hassle. The officer at the police station near my hotel was able to tell me right away that I needed to go to the airport. I had too much luggage to make my way there yesterday when I arrived from Germany, anyway, so back to the Madrid airport I went. Had to wait about an hour at the station in Terminal 4 but no problem. So, I second this advice- you cannot do it at any police station! At least in Madrid it needs to be at the airport station!”
“This is my problem as well. Too much luggage and my flight arrives late so I might just drive back down to Alicante airport the next day. I don’t fancy dragging a full trolley into the police office and the having to wait.”
“Definitely recommend this strategy.”
“In the end after I arrived at Alicante airport I opened the first door out of curiosity and it was easy to push my trolley in. An officer opened the second door and after checking with his colleague I filled in the form and they stamped it and entered my details online. They actually have a printed out simple form with boxes for each question and section in both Spanish and English.”
“Yay Alicante! Glad it was so easy. Bienvenido a España 😊”
“Is this only if you don’t directly land in Spain?” – “Yes. If you first land in or come from a Schengen nation into Spain, it’s advisable to get this document.”
“Case to case basis i guess. for us (valencia), we got our declaración in a police station. no appointments. just walked in.”
“You do NOT need a declaration of entry for the NLV. Any entry stamp in Schengen is accepted. Only the Digital Nomad Visa requires the declaration of entry or a Spanish passport stamp. It cannot hurt to have the Declaration, it can just be lot of hassle depending on the Police office. If a passport stamp is unclear then it definetly helps as that passport stamp converts your Visa to one year residency starting on that date.”
“I’ve been told that, if the stamp we received in Amsterdam is questionable or unreadable, it is strongly advisable to get the Declaracion de Entrada to avoid any confusion. I cannot read the date in the stamp I received in Amsterdam.”
“Actually not true. In order to get your TIE the police need to clearly see the date you entered Spain, not the date you entered Schengen. If you say, took your car from the UK to France, entered France on say the 1st of September, and then spent a month travelling before entering Spain on October 1, the policia here would need to see proof of your entry on October 1, and as the only stamp in your passport would be from Sept 1 in France, the only way to do this is via a Declaracion de Entrada.
There have been reports of people being denied their TIE for not having one. Quite straightforward, providing you have your stamp plus some sort of proof of passage like a bus/train ticket, or proof of how you reached your province/place of TIE application.”
Conclusion
The conversation shows that Spain Non Lucrative Visa holders who enter Spain from another Schengen country often seek the Declaracion de Entrada, but experiences vary by city and even by officer. Some obtained it quickly at the airport police desk, while others were redirected or told it was unnecessary.
Key points include going to the Comisaría de Policía Nacional at the airport when you arrived by air, bringing your completed form, boarding pass, and passport copies, and acting within 72 hours. Community members reported smoother processing at Alicante airport and required airport processing in Madrid, though a few obtained it at local police stations.
A practical takeaway is to plan for the Declaracion de Entrada if your Spain Non Lucrative Visa entry isn’t directly into Spain, especially when your Schengen stamp is unclear or you entered the EU days before Spain. When in doubt, head to the airport police, carry proof of travel into Spain, and keep copies ready.
This article is based on personal opinions from the Spainguru community and is not legal advice.
