We got our foreigner ID cards
We're feeling elated after successfully completing the final requirement of our visas - the T.I.E., Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (Spanish foreign identity card), which proves we’re living in Spain legally. Navigating bureaucratic processes in a foreign country is not for the faint of heart and we've learned we're capable of next-level level patience, diligence, and perseverance.
The first step in the process was scheduling an appointment with the police to get fingerprinted. Seemingly a simple first step, appointments are notoriously challenging to schedule as there are a limited number of appointments and a large number of foreigners needing to schedule.
We read that visiting the online appointment site at odd hours could potentially be the key to locking in an appointment. Sure enough, we were up late one night not long after we arrived (thanks, jetlag) and managed to snag an appointment in late December, two months after we arrived.
The next step was registering with the city to obtain an empadrónamiento (padrón). We encountered a few bumps during that meeting (you can read about that here), relying heavily on the kindness of a city official - and Google translate. Little did we know that was just the beginning.
Then we needed to have passport photos taken which was easy peasy after googling and walking to the shop ten minutes from our flat.
Next up was paying the fee for the T.I.E. Research showed we could pay at any ATM. We inquired with a bank employee who confirmed this and directed us to an ATM. Initially the process moved along seamlessly - insert card, scan the barcode on our applications, select payment method - raising our hopes this would be a one-and-done deal. That was not to be, however. Each attempt (4 total) resulted in a "cannot complete this transaction" message on the last step. Off to another bank ATM we went. This time the machine wouldn't read the bar code on the application form and ended with us giving up on that ATM as well. Third time's a charm, yes? Guess again. That particular ATM wouldn't even accept our card. We went inside the bank, took a number and waited for a teller to call on us. Thankfully we only waited about 10 minutes before an employee called us over and said, "Dígame" (talk to me), which is a common request when getting service here. We showed her the applications, she nodded, scanned them, said the fee was €16.08 each, stamped our applications, and printed receipts in less than 5 minutes.
Two days later we walked to the police station, arrived 10 minutes early for our appointments, and breezed through by showing our passports, turning over the paperwork, giving them the passport photo, placing index fingers on a scanner, and showing proof we'd paid the fee. They pointed out a sign with info about how & where we could pick up the cards, showed us the lot number to look for on the website, and told us the wait would be 40 days.
We checked the website obsessively and less than one month later, our lot # became available for pickup! After our first attempt to pick up our ID cards was unsuccessful (the office was closed for a local holiday), we ventured back to the police station the next day, stood in a short line, gave the officer the required paperwork & received our cards.
Success!! To celebrate, we walked to the beach and went out for french fries & cava! Cheers, y'all! 📃🪪💃🕺🎉🏖️🐞🥂🇪🇸
