How to obtain a replacement TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero)

Hi Kim 

A couple of points from someone who has just gone through this - my wallet was pickpocketed on the Rome metro last month whilst on a short holiday there; I lost my TIE.

You are correct, you do need a denuncia for this process. If you lost your TIE abroad, DO NOT SAY SO when you attempt to get your denuncia. Straight after the robbery, I went to the nearest Italian police station and got an official, stamped police report. So far, so good.

I went online when I got home to generate the denuncia. This process produces a confirmation bearing a reference number which you print off and take to a nominated police station within 72 hours to sign off the completed form. I nominated Javea Guardia Civil and duly turned up there the next day. After waiting an hour and a half, I was called in to the office and I explained the background to my visit. I showed the officer my Italian police report. He checked his computer and (a) couldn't find my denuncia application even though I had the printed confirmation and (b) he said he couldn't give me one anyway because the crime happened in Italy, not Spain. Viva the EU!

His advice was to take the Italian police report to my TIE appointment and explain the circumstances. Now I was wary about this, so I went to the trouble of getting a translation and also having it notarised. 

By the way, it is very difficult to get a TIE appointment. I looked online several times a day and there were none available anywhere. Finally I got one offered in Elche, an hour and a half's drive from me, which I took.

The first thing the lady police officer did when I sat down was ask me for all the papers you listed, which I handed over. I explained I didn't have a denuncia but did have the Italian police report with notarised translation. No good, she said, I must have a denuncia for the process. This is all happening in Spanish, of course. I explained the rigmarole at Javea. She turned to her colleague at the next desk and I caught some of the discussion, which wasn't very complimentary concerning her Javea colleagues!

In desperation, I showed her my online denuncia receipt. She checked it against the database and could see I was telling the truth. After more humming and harring, she finally brought out the fingerprint machine, completed the process and gave me a receipt, telling me to come back in a month to collect my card. Will I be notified, I asked, no she said, just come back in a month, it will be ready. By the way, she only wanted one passport photo.

The moral of the story, if you lost your card abroad, don't be an honest idiot like me, tell them you think you lost it in the local market near where you live, then things will go smoothly!

So much easier to make and laminate a copy and leave the original safely at home, just how often do expect to be being asked to produce your TIE anyway?

If you are planning to go out of the country then take both but keep the original safe where it's not at risk of bring lost or stolen.

Ditto your driving licence which in Spain if you use the MIDGT app you don't need to carry anyway.

Except that a laminated copy in not accepted by any authority 

Lynn

The episode in Rome has certainly made me far more security conscious! I think very carefully now about what I carry, where and how.

My wallet was in the zipped up front pocket of my man bag, which was slung over my shoulder and held in front of me, standing up in the carriage. The guy was so skilful, he walked past me, unzipped the bag and took out the wallet in a second, without me feeling a thing.

No doubt he has equally skilful counterparts in Spain, so be warned.

Hi Herefordjack,

Sorry to hear of your experience, but many thanks for your personal feedback, very useful!  I only have experience of dealing with the Policia Nacional at Orihuela and the Extranjería at Alicante - your feedback demonstrates that, as usual, there's rarely consistency between the offices!

I hope you get your new card soon.

Kind regards,

Kim

Its always a bit of concern carrying around TIE cards, Drivers Licences etc. I always keep my wallet in a front pocket (never the back), but was just wondering if anyone has ever been asked by the Police to show ID and got away with displaying a digital copy of aforementioned on a mobile ?

(I feel I should actually know the answer to this)  Lol.

Regards

Gary

If you go to your local guardia station with the original documents and photocopies of same, they will stamp authorisations on the copies, including car insurance.

Alex.

I was advised to have a copy if my passport notarised and keep the original in a safe place. I'm sure the same applies to all official documents, including TIEs & Driving Licences 

I once forgot our passports when returning to Spain from Ireland by ferry. My husband had copies with him in his man bag & these were accepted by both the ferry company and the gendarmarie in France despite some suspicious looks by the latter . Whew! Got us out of jail.

I live in Yecla, Murcia Province.  I am going through the exact same scenario at the moment of replacing Spanish bank cards (all sorted and new ones received within 7 days), Permanente TIE, Spanish health card and Spanish driving licence.   I have lived in Spain for almost 20 years and am familiar with Spanish bureaucracy.  There is most certainly a difference in different areas and different offices and even different people in the same office.  Here is my very recent experience . First visited the Ayuntamiento to obtain an up to date Padron.  Explained why and gave her my NIE number. She gave me 4 stamped copies saying you may need all of them.  No charge. The Guardia Civil officer, a week last Tuesday, who did my denuncia was sympathetic,  charming, efficient and very helpful in advising me how to go about obtaining a duplicate driving licence.  He even wrote the instructions on the reverse of the denuncia. The local asesore to whom I was advised to visit, telephoned this afternoon to say that my temporary licence had arrived.  I pick it up in the morning. All they wanted to see was the denuncia and a copy of my TIE card which I luckily had taken when it was first received..  The health centre have given me a temporary  certificate whilst I await a new card. Didnt have to show them anything but there again the lady who dealt with me is a neighbour.  She said I may take 3 months or more so may have to renew the temporary one.  I managed to get an appointment in the Extrajeros office of our Policia Nacional for yesterday.   Took my file of anything they may ask for and copies of everything.  Only wanted to see my passport, 790 and denuncia.  The denuncia  he gave me back after requesting a copy, which I gave him. Asked me for my two forefinger prints.  I told him they had on record my two thumb prints as the finger print machine previously, for some reason, wouldnt  take my forefinger ones.  You are correct. It is on record.  Do your thumb ones please. Was this a trick question, I wondered.   Gave me the resguardo. New card will be ready in 45 days.  Watch the Lote numbers then make an appointment and bring your passport with you. A lot easier than I had anticipated