Residence Permit Renewal in Barcelona

Most temporary residence permits in Spain are renewed in the two months before they expire. Applying in that window keeps your current permit valid until the decision arrives. You can still apply up to three months after the expiry date, but then a penalty procedure can be opened against you. We review your documents against the requirements of your route, file the renewal, and book the appointments for your new TIE card.

A renewal is not a repeat of your first application. The office no longer checks whether you could come to Spain; it checks whether you did what your permit required while you held it: the money, the insurance, the days you spent in Spain, the job or the business. That is where renewals are refused, and it is why we look at the period you have just lived, not only at the documents you have today.

When to apply

Royal Decree 1155/2024, the Immigration Regulation in force since 20 May 2025, sets the same window for the main routes:

• Two months before expiry: the normal period. The application extends the validity of your current permit until the procedure is resolved.
• Up to three months after expiry: still accepted, and your permit is also extended until the decision, but a penalty procedure for staying without a valid permit can be started.
• After those three months: the renewal route is closed and other options have to be studied.

Our advice is to start preparing three months before the date on your card, so that the file is ready the day the window opens.

Renewals by route

Non-lucrative residence

To renew, Article 64 of the Regulation asks you to show that you still have sufficient financial means for yourself and your family for the period of the renewal, that you have kept your health insurance throughout your current permit and will continue with it, that children of compulsory school age have been schooled, and that you have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year. The renewed permit is valid for two years, unless you already qualify for long-term residence. The two conditions that look backwards, the insurance and the days in Spain, are the ones we check first, because they cannot be fixed at the last minute. For the full list of documents and the two conditions that look backwards, read our guide to renewing a non-lucrative residence permit.

Digital nomad (international telework)

The digital nomad permit is governed by Law 14/2013 and is renewed for periods of two years, as long as the conditions that gave you the permit continue: the remote work relationship, the income and your Social Security cover. It is not filed at the Oficina de Extranjería: digital nomad renewals go to the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE), through its electronic office for international mobility. We prepare and file it there for you.

Student stay extension

A long-term stay for studies is extended rather than renewed. Under Article 55, you apply in the two months before it expires, and the extension lasts as long as the course you are enrolled in, up to one year. You will need proof of enrolment for the next course and to show that you still meet the conditions of your stay.

Work as an employee

Article 80 lists the situations in which a residence and work permit as an employee is renewed: the job that gave you the permit continues; you have a new contract and are registered with Social Security; or you lost your job for reasons beyond your control and have stayed registered as a jobseeker, among others. We confirm the exact period of the renewed permit in your case study.

Self-employed

Under Article 86, a self-employed permit is renewed when you can show that the activity continues, and the office checks your tax and Social Security compliance itself. We review your filings and contributions first, and confirm the exact period of the renewed permit in your case study.

Family reunification

A family member who came through reunification renews their permit under Article 71. The renewed permit is valid for four years and allows them to work as an employee or self-employed without limitation, while the sponsor’s own permit remains in force.

Your new TIE card

Once the renewal is granted, you need a new card. That is a separate step at the police, with a fingerprint appointment and a second appointment to collect the card. It is included in our renewal service; if you only need the card, see our TIE card service.

After five years: long-term residence

When you have lived legally in Spain for five years, the next step is usually not another renewal but long-term residence, which does not need to be renewed again. Under Article 184, you apply in the two months before your current permit expires, and where applicable you provide a criminal record certificate from the countries where you have lived in the previous five years. After that, only the card is renewed: every five years until you turn thirty and every ten years from then on, as set out in Article 185.

Mistakes we see most often

• Waiting for the card to expire before starting, and then filing in the three months after, with the risk of a penalty procedure.
• Gaps in the health insurance of a non-lucrative permit, which cannot be fixed afterwards.
• Too many days outside Spain for a non-lucrative permit, below the 183 days in the year.
• Filing a digital nomad renewal at the wrong office: it goes to the UGE, not to the Oficina de Extranjería.
• Forgetting the new card after the renewal is granted, or applying for it late.

For a general picture of how renewal files are reviewed, read our guide on renewing a residence permit in Barcelona. If you are applying for the first time, start with our residency applications page.

How we help and what it costs

• Residence permit renewal: 300 € + VAT, new TIE card included. The renewal application with a full review of your documents, the forms and fee forms, filing, follow-up, and the fingerprint and collection appointments for your new card. Booked separately, the application or renewal file (200 €) and the TIE card (120 €) would cost 320 € + VAT.
• Long-term residence after five years: 300 € + VAT, or 450 € + VAT for EU long-term residence, which requires proof of means and health insurance.

Official fees are paid separately. All our prices are shown without VAT; Spanish VAT applies to clients resident in the EU.

Frequently asked questions

When should I apply to renew my residence permit? In the two months before it expires. Applying in that period keeps your current permit valid until the decision.

Can I still renew after my permit has expired? Yes, within the three months after expiry, but a penalty procedure can be opened. After those three months the renewal route is closed.

How long is a renewed non-lucrative permit valid? Two years, unless you already qualify for long-term residence.

Where do digital nomads renew their permit? At the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE), through its electronic office, not at the Oficina de Extranjería. The renewal is for periods of two years.

What does the 300 € renewal service include? The renewal application with a full review of your documents, filing and follow-up, and the appointments for your new TIE card. Official fees are paid separately.

Requirements, periods and procedures can change, so we confirm the current ones for your route before you file.