How to Get an Autorización de Regreso in Spain
If your Spanish visa has expired or is about to expire and you want to leave the country before receiving your tarjeta de identidad de extranjero, you might need to figure out how to get an autorización de regreso (an authorization to return to Spain, or regreso, for short). If you’re looking for information on how to get a regreso in Spain, this post is for you!
Aaaaaaand if the paragraph above has you completely confused, I’m here to help!
In short, an autorización de regreso allows a foreigner to return to Spain (from outside the country) when their visa has expired and their tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (foreigner identification card, or TIE, for short) is not yet ready. If you’ve never heard of a TIE, that’s okay, just check out these two posts:
To reiterate, you need an autorización de regreso if you’re a non-European-Union citizen who’s living in Spain and planning to leave the country when 1) your visa has expired or will expire before you plan to return to Spain and 2) you wont get your TIE before you leave Spain. Once your visa expires, Spanish immigration control will not let you reenter Spain without identification that proves you have legal residency in Spain. Usually, that legal residency is in the form of a TIE, but you might find yourself in a situation where your visa expires before the Spanish government issues or renews your TIE. If you want to leave the country during that period of time, you will need an autorización de regreso. And to be clear, if your visa is expired and you don’t have a valid TIE, you won’t be able to reenter the European Union at all without an autorización de regreso.
In theory, the autorización de regreso is intended for foreigners who want to travel internationally while they are in the process of renewing their TIEs. Therefore, the autorización de regreso is generally intended for foreigners who possess expired TIEs. However, when there is “an urgent need” to travel, the autorización de regreso may also be granted to foreigners while their visas have expired and while they are waiting to receive their first TIEs. For more information on the autorización de regreso and how it is granted, read this governmental information document.
So, how do you get an autorización de regreso for Spain? Check out my step-by-step guide below!
Please note: this guide on how to get an autorización de regreso is based entirely on my own experiences in Fuengirola, Malaga in 2022. In future years and in other places in Spain, there may be other requirements and/or steps to apply for an autorización de regreso, so you should always do your own research and ask locals in your area of Spain for advice. You should also drop in to the local extranjería or police station to ask for instructions on applying for an autorización de regreso, in order to be sure that you meet all of the requirements.
1. Attend your TIE (toma de huellas) appointment.
Before you can apply for an autorización de regreso, you’ll need to attend your TIE appointment for fingerprinting (toma de huellas). This is because the autorización de regreso is granted to foreigners who need to travel before their TIEs are ready for pickup. In other words, you have to prove that you’ve taken the necessary steps to legally establish longer term residency in Spain. For more information on how to make a TIE appointment, read my article: Getting a TIE in Malaga, Spain.
2. Make your autorización de regreso appointment.
You can make your autorización de regreso appointment through this website. Once on the site, scroll down until you see a button that says “acceder al procedimiento” and click that button.
At the top of the next screen, you will be able to select the province where you are residing in Spain. For example, if you are living in the province of Malaga, scroll down in the drop down menu and select “Malaga.” Then click the button that says “aceptar.”
On the next page, scroll down until you reach the part where your screen matches the screenshot below.
On the dropdown menu titled “trámites cuerpo nacional de policía,” select “policía - autorización de regreso.” Then click “aceptar.”
On the next page, scroll down until you see a button that says “entrar,” and click that button.
When the page reloads again, you should see a screen like the photo below. Fill in your NIE or passport number information, your full name (as it appears on your passport), and nationality. (If you’re from the USA, you should select “EEUU” in the dropdown menu.) Then click “aceptar.”
On the next page, you’ll see your personal information and a few buttons. Click the button that says “solicitar cita.”
Once the site reloads, you’ll see a dropdown menu titled, “oficina.” Using that dropdown menu, select the office you’d like to visit to apply for your autorización de regreso. (Please note, you’ll likely have to return a few days later to pick up your autorización de regreso, so you may want to look up the addresses of the offices listed to determine which is closest to you.) Once you select the office where you want to attend your appointment, click '‘siguiente.”
On the page that follows, fill in your phone number (MUST BE A SPANISH PHONE NUMBER THAT CAN RECEIVE TEXTS) and email address. When you finish, continue again by clicking “siguiente.”
On the next page, you should be able to select an appointment. If you see an autorización de regreso appointment that works for you, click on it, and click through the buttons to finalize your appointment. Be sure to download a copy of your appointment confirmation, as it’s always a good idea to bring hard copies of appointment confirmations when attending governmental appointments in Spain. The appointment confirmation may also be useful for getting excused from school or work.
If no appointments are available, I feel for you, but don’t worry! New appointments will appear eventually! Check back once or twice a day over the next few days, because the police stations upload new appointment availability at unpredictable times.
3. Prepare the documents you need for your autorización de regreso appointment.
Make sure you bring the following documents to your autorización de regreso appointment:
Passport (bring the original and a copy)
Some people have said that their local police station has required a copy of every single page of the passport. This was not the case at my local police station in Fuengirola when I attended my autorización de regreso appointment, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Printed flight itinerary/receipt
Be sure this includes BOTH the flight where you’ll be leaving the country and the Schengen area AND the flight where you’ll be returning the the country and the Schengen area.
Resguardo (original and copy)
They should have given you this document at your TIE toma de huellas appointment. For your regreso appointment, you should bring the original and a copy, but be sure to keep the original for yourself, because you will need the original of the resguardo to pick up your TIE when it’s ready.
EX-13 (print, fill out, and sign two copies)
A few notes on this form:
LEAVE THE BOX BLANK (DO NOT CHECK IT) for “consiento que las comunicaciones y notificaciones se realicen por medios electrónicos”
For “4.1 Situaciónes amparadas,” check “Titular de autorización de estancia en trámite de expedición de Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, concurriendo razones excepcionales (art. 5)”
Leave 4.2 completely blank
Tasa (tax) form - PLEASE NOTE: Oficinas de Extranjería (immigration offices) and Comisarías de la Policía Nacional (police stations) use different tasa forms. Be sure to print the correct form based on the type of office where you’ll have your appointment. On whichever form you use, select “autorización de regreso.” After you print the form, you have two options: 1) Bring the form to a bank, and pay the tasa there. The clerk will sign it and stamp it as proof that you paid. Or 2) bring the form to an ATM (only works at certain ATMs, and I have no idea how to figure out which ones other than trial and error), and pay the tasa there. The ATMs only accept cash, but they will provide change. Scan the barcode on your form, then insert the cash, and the ATM will provide you a receipt. Bring that receipt to your appointment as proof that you paid the tasa. Below are the forms:
Oficina de Extranjería: Modelo 790 código 052
This form must say “Centro Gestor: Secretaría de Estado de Política Territorial.”
Comisaría de Policía Nacional: Modelo 790 código 012
This form must say “Centro Gestor: Dirección General de la Policía.”
4. Pick up your autorización de regreso.
If you don’t receive your autorización de regreso right away (I didn’t), be sure to ask the police officer 1) when you should return to pick it up and 2) whether or not you need to make a pickup appointment.
5. Bring the original AND a copy of your autorización de regreso when you leave Spain and return to Spain.
You must bring your autorización de regreso with you when you leave the country so that you’ll have the document to show Spanish (or other Schengen state) immigration control when you reenter the country. Since it’s your only way to reenter the country, it’s important that you make a copy (or multiple) and bring it with you on your journey.
Safe travels!
