Autorizacion de regreso

What is autorizacion de regreso (authorization to return)

The authorization to return is for NON-EU citizens that do not have a valid TIE card at the moment and need to travel. This can happen in these cases:

• renewal of the TIE card
• lost or damaged TIE card
• first application for the TIE card

What is the validity of the autorizacion de regreso:

• maximum 90 days from the application (or from the TIE expiry date)

Documents needed for the application:

• appointment confirmation – cita previa
• form EX13
• paid state tax
• passport + copy
• flight tickets
• your old TIE card + copy (in case of renewal)
• confirmation your TIE card is under renewal or in preparation after fingerprinting appointment

VERY IMPORTANT!

• Authorizacion de regreso is  ONLY autorization to leave Spain and RETURN to Spain, it does not allow you to ENTER other EU or NON-EU countries if you do not have another specific documentation for it.
• It is only valid to enter Spain from NON-EU country DIRECTLY, this means, with autorizacion de regreso you cannot enter Schengen area through another EU country, only by direct flight to Spain.
• The autorizacion de regreso is given directly at the appointment, but it is usually quite hard to find the appointment and even more if this is needed VERY FAST or for specific dates like CHRISTMAS or summer holidays – plan ahead!
• If you do not have the TIE card physically because you are in process of the first application or you lost it, you MUST first go to the fingerprinting appointment and only then apply for the authorization to return