Hi there! I live in Spain with my husband who is studying here. We both have an NIE that expires when his program finishes, at the end of September. I’m wondering if it’s expected that we leave Spain right after the NIE expires, or if we can have 3 months after that (as in.. it kind of converts to a tourist visa?), or, if we leave the country and come back the next day we can get another three months? We want to take some time to travel around after he’s finished!

Thanks for any info you can give me 😊

Hi Kelly,

I think you have a couple of terms confused.

Your NIE is your foreigners identification number; it just helps the Spanish government identify you. Once you have a NIE, it never expires. However, this does not give you the right to stay in Spain. That’s where the visa comes in. If you don’t already possess a NIE, then the Spanish visa process automatically incorporates the NIE process into it. 2 for 1! But it’s the visa that gives you the time limit on your stay in Spain.

Unfortunately, you must always leave Spain before your visa expires. If you have some extenuating circumstances, you can apply for a special extension, but the desire to travel around Spain some more does not qualify as an extenuating circumstance.

In addition, leaving and re-entering Spain does not give you extra time to stay in Spain. That works in some places but not in Europe. They’ve caught onto that trick! 😊

I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but my advice is to do all of your traveling in Spain and leave before your visa expires. If you respect your visa terms, you can always come back to Spain at a later date.

Just my two cents.

OK, I’m a little bit confused then I think!

We both have Extranjero Cards that have our NIE on them (this is what I’m referring to when I say NIE). These cards expire at the end of September, 2012. Though my husband is here on a one year program, the visa he was issued was only for three months. I’ve left the country and come back after the three month initial period and all that was looked at was my Extranjero card. So you are saying that the Extranjero card= visa?

KellyM - 05 April 2012 02:18 PM

OK, I’m a little bit confused then I think!

We both have Extranjero Cards that have our NIE on them (this is what I’m referring to when I say NIE). These cards expire at the end of September, 2012. Though my husband is here on a one year program, the visa he was issued was only for three months. I’ve left the country and come back after the three month initial period and all that was looked at was my Extranjero card. So you are saying that the Extranjero card= visa?

tarjeta de extranjero are not visas.
you either have a visa or a card.
a residence/student card lasts longer than a visa.
the best would be to ask for a renewal of the card. the application extends the validity of the card until a decision (denial or otherwise) is sent you.
what are your nationalities?