TIE fingerprint appointment: where it arrives on its own and what to do if it doesn't

Until now, a resolución favorable (approval) started a second race: finding a free slot on the cita previa (appointment) website for fingerprinting, within the month the law gives you to apply for the tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE, foreigner identity card). The Dirección General de la Policía (national police headquarters) is changing that with a pilot project: in some provinces, the appointment arrives on its own. It is not yet a general system, it is not in the BOE (the official gazette) and, in the large provinces, for now it only covers some of the appointments.

Where it already works

In Málaga, the Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office) specifies that approvals signed from Thursday 8 October are included, and that the decision granting the permit says so itself when the appointment will be assigned automatically (de oficio).

How the appointment arrives

• By email and SMS, to the contact details on the application: to the applicant or their representative, whoever is listed for notifications (a efectos de notificación). If a law firm or agency is the one receiving the notifications, the appointment goes to them (see who receives the notifications).
• At the police station (comisaría) closest to your address, in order of decision date and depending on free slots.
• It cannot be changed, only cancelled, in the cita previa app using the appointment's reference number (número de justificante), never on the same day. The system then assigns another date. If you do not turn up and have not cancelled it, you go back to the ordinary route (Oficina de Extranjería de Málaga).

If it has not arrived after 20 days

The Police notice is clear: if no appointment has been assigned within 20 days of the notification of the decision, you have to book it the usual way, on the cita previa website (procedure «Policía-Toma de huellas», police fingerprinting).

1. Day 0

   You are notified of the approval

   If the appointment will be automatic, the decision says so.

2. First week

   The SMS and email may arrive

   In L'Hospitalet, the first messages went out a week after the first decisions.

3. Day 20

   No appointment: book it online

   That is the Police's own advice.

4. One month

   Deadline to apply for the TIE

   Counted according to the type of permit (see below).

What it covers and what it does not

• Only some of the appointments. In each Unidad de Documentación (police documentation unit), the pilot started with 10% of appointments, and the percentage may rise (ICAB note, 16/10/2026). In L'Hospitalet it initially covered just over 20 of around 60 procedures, 32% of applications.
• Not conditional grants, for example when entry into Spain or registration with Social Security is still pending (Oficina de Extranjería de Málaga).
• The police station does not deal with problems: they go through the immigration user support centre (CAU, centro de atención a usuarios).
• The regularización extraordinaria (extraordinary regularisation): no official notice says whether its decisions are included in the pilot.

The month to apply for the TIE, article by article

The general rule is in article 4.2 of Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (the Immigration Act): you apply for the TIE within one month of entering Spain or of the permit being granted. The Reglamento (RD 1155/2024, art. 209) repeats it, and each procedure sets when the month starts:

What to bring to the fingerprinting appointment

The TIE fee, tasa 790-012, in 2026

The 790-012 cannot be downloaded blank: it is generated on the Police website, with a captcha. Aproba fills in that generator with the client's details: the gestor (agent) types the captcha and gets the official PDF, with its barcode.