bobd22

This is the screen shot from the Cita booking site re collecting TIE card and where it mentions the 45 days.

inbarcelona

Well I was told the card would be ready in 4 or 5 weeks and to make an appointment.

The piece of paper (receipt) they gave me entitled " Resguardo de Solicitud o Renovacion de tarjeta de Extranjero" states on it that it will expire in 45 days......"caduca a los cuarenta y cinco dias" So presumably I have to pick the card up within 45 days of the receipt...but it won´t be ready for 4 or 5 weeks....so that only gives me a window of between ten and seventeen days to make the appointment.

Did you get the same form as me?

bobd22

Hi my take on the piece of paper that is given at time of fingerprinting as follows. Firstly it is showing that you have submitted for the TIE card and in doing so have had your fingerprints taken. It details all the information re that i.e. machine used etc and validity of the prints etc. It then declares that your legal situation is that your TIE application is in process and that you collect the card by presenting the sheet of paper and passport. As you say it also shows validity of 45 days. I presume that's in case of an ID check (3rd country nationals ) to prove legal status in Spain. As after 45 days you would collect the card. I don't think there can be an issue if say day 48 you present that sheet with passport to collect the card given they say 45 days must have elapsed after printing to collect the card. For my wife I am going to see if I can make the Cita appointment now for the closest date after the 45 days and hopefully collect card. If I hear anything before then I will adjust or cancel that Cita. I really can't see any other way of doing it as there are no other contact details to enquire and if you turn up without a cita at our National police extranjera office to ask they will tell you to make a cita. As you said earlier it's Spain some things you just go with the flow and hope for the best.

inbarcelona

I know....Everything is SO difficult here. When we had our fingerprints taken why couldn´t they have told us a date to collect it.

You and I seem to have been told different things. As I said, the lady told me it would be ready in 4 or 5 weeks and to make an appointment to collect it. So we both have differing information.
Another problem is that it is so difficult to make an appointment. Many times I have tried but there is nothing available.

My other point...this being Spain...is that the receipt we have expires after 45 days. In my experience with public officials is that 45 days MEANS 45 days......not 46 or 47

I just hope I can get my TIE before 29 September...because I have an appointment on that date to change my English driving licence for a Spanish one. Have you thought about that?

inbarcelona

I suppose the receipt is valid for 45 days as proof of our legal residence in Spain and they assume that after 45 days the card itself is the proof.

That´s another way of looking at it

inbarcelona

Maybe we are reading it wrong.

inbarcelona

Actually now I´ve thought about it that does make sense.
If you were told 3 weeks to a month then I would make an appointment now to collect it.

They definitely WILL NOT contact you to let you know it is ready.

inbarcelona

You HAVE confirmed with the office that is carrying out the issuance of your card. They said 3 weeks to a month. So you should be ok.

bobd22

I have just hit a further hurdle.On the Cita booking site the option is to collect a TIE card when I put in Malaga province it shows totally different offices to the Police Station where we applied to which was booked and completed from the very same official site for booking the appointment for stage 2. Thwy certainly dont make things simple. By the way yes that is how I read the 45 validation of that piece of paper which is the same one we got.

inbarcelona

Maybe it´s because there are no appointments available at that office at the present time.
The website will only bring up locations that have appointments currently available. It´s the same here in Barcelona.
You just need to keep trying....at various times of the day. If an appointment becomes available at the office where you did Stage 2 it will show up. You need a lot of patience to make an appointment.

inbarcelona

There are probably tens of thousands of us Brits going through the process.
I must admit I came here in 2014....and this is the first time I´ve registered. On the plus side though they are issuing me a permanent residence card valid for ten years.

bobd22

Yes you are correct it now shows appointments but is offering only 2 which are at the end of this month and just before the required 45 days. So I will try again next week and hopefully get an appointment that fits in with my wifes 45 days. I am gladI started looking at this final bit otherwise we would have been waitig for a letter email that would never be sent. I will keep the site updated as to progress.

inbarcelona

Great. Keep me informed please. Thanks.

bobd22

Just another thought on the 45 day time limit on the paper they issue after fingerprinting. I guess that if the office say to you it will definately be ready in say 3 weeks then you could make the appointment. If not then I guess that they are sure the card will be ready on the 45th day at the latest hence they say unless informed otherwise dont apply before that or you could wast yours and their time. If the only day was say day 49 after fingerprinting that you could get an appointment and for some reason the card wasnt ready they would probably issue another 45 day receipt to keep ones application legal. This is the same procedure that 3rd country Nationals have to go through so the sheet of paper (certificate of application) may be more important to their legal standing in Spain than for us? Just a thought. Hopefully all will go well for us all.

inbarcelona

True. I guess that´s right....so you´re not left without something to say that you are here legally.