Stone 6 of 14 · With a passport from outside the EU
Coming to Guadalajara from outside the EU: what comes first
Start with permission to live here, not with a NIE: most often a visa, issued by the Spanish consulate for your home region, or an authorisation from the Oficina de Extranjería, the state office that rules on foreigners’ permits. The TIE card, with your NIE on it, comes after you arrive. Here are the steps, in the order they happen.
First, the visa
Most people apply at the Spanish consulate for the place where they live. The kind of visa follows your reason: a job, a stay for studies, joining family, or living on your own income without working, which is called non-lucrative residence. Each consulate publishes its own list of papers and gives its own appointments.
For a job, the employer in Spain usually asks for the work authorisation first, at the Oficina de Extranjería. The visa follows once it is granted. If your partner is a citizen of another EU country, the card on form EX-19 may be your route instead.
A visit is not a move
Coming as a visitor is not the same as coming to live. A visit is short and has limits. It does not turn into residence by itself, and it does not lead to a TIE.
Already in Spain: arraigo
Arraigo means residence based on ties to Spain. It is a route for some people who already live here, and the Oficina de Extranjería on Avenida Francia decides on it. The 2025 reform of the immigration regulation changed it. We do not list conditions here: tell us your case, and ask before you prepare any papers.
After you land in Guadalajara
- Register on the padrón (the list of residents) at your town hall, the ayuntamiento
- Book the toma de huellas, the fingerprints for your TIE, without delay
- Fill in form EX-17 and pay the 790-012 fee
- Collect the TIE when it is ready
- Then open a bank account, register at a health centre and, if you work, check your Social Security number
Who decides what
A consulate abroad issues the visa. The Oficina de Extranjería, Avenida Francia 18, decides on work and residence authorisations, family reunification and arraigo. The Brigada of the Policía Nacional, Avenida del Ejército 12, issues the TIE card.
If you would like one firm to plan the visa, the move and the first weeks with you, AnchorLess is an independent relocation firm that does this work.
Questions
Can I get a NIE first and then look for a job?
A NIE does not let you work. A job for a non-EU citizen needs an authorisation, and usually a visa before you travel.
Is there still a golden visa for buyers?
It no longer exists: Spain ended it in 2025. A property purchase gives no right to live here.
What is family reunification?
The route for a non-EU resident to bring close family to Spain. The Oficina de Extranjería on Avenida Francia lists it. If your relative holds the passport of another EU country, read the guide on living with an EU relative. Relatives of Spanish citizens now have an authorisation of their own.
I am from the UK. Is this page for me?
Yes, if you are moving now. Since Brexit, UK citizens follow the rules for non-EU citizens. Those who lived here before the end of 2020 hold a TIE under the Withdrawal Agreement.
Official pages behind this guide
- Delegación del Gobierno en Castilla-La Mancha — Oficina de Extranjería, Avenida Francia, Guadalajara
- policia.es — foreigners’ procedures of the Brigada on Avenida del Ejército, Guadalajara
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