Free guide · for students already in Barcelona
The guide we wish someone had handed us
20 pages on the paperwork nobody explains: which route is yours, the 30-day clock, the padrón, and what to do when the appointment won’t come. Free, no email required.
The clock started the day you landed. This is everything it covers.
Read it here, chapter by chapter
The same guide as the PDF, one section per page, with the charts.
- 01Pick your routeStudent paperwork in Spain splits in two: an EU registration certificate (EX-18, €12) or a non-EU TIE card (EX-17, €16.08). Find which one is yours.
- 02The clockYour first 90 days in Spain, to scale: the one-month TIE deadline, the three-month EU deadline, and the appointment wait nobody controls.
- 03Your first weekEight things to do in your first week in Barcelona. None involve a government office, and all of them make the paperwork possible.
- 04NIE, TIE, padrónA NIE is a number, a TIE is a photo card and the padrón is an address record. Having one does not give you the others. What each means for students.
- 05Getting your TIEFive steps to a TIE for non-EU students in Barcelona: book the right appointment, pay fee 790-012 (€16.08), attend with originals, avoid the traps.
- 06EU registration certificateHow EU, EEA and Swiss students register in Spain: complete EX-18, gather four proofs, pay fee 790-012 (€12) and attend. No fingerprints.
- 07When the appointment won't comeThe portal has nothing inside thirty days. The one-month window is not a cliff edge. How to look, what evidence to keep, and why not to buy an appointment.
- 08Registering your address (padrón)The padrón is free and you don't need to own the flat or hold the lease. Four situations, accepted evidence, volant vs certificat and the two-year renewal.
- 09Health insuranceWill your health insurance survive the counter and your renewal? The four rejection criteria, CatSalut and the TSI, and what changes if you work.
- 10Money, bank account, SIMThe fees for TIE and EU registration (€16.08 and €12), the free padrón, a realistic total, and what to know about a Spanish bank account and phone number.
- 11Working while you studyUnder RD 1155/2024, higher-education students in Spain may work 30 hours a week without a separate work permit. Conditions, and the effect on health cover.
- 12Admin-day survivalSeven Spanish phrases for a government counter, Barcelona emergency numbers (112, 061, 092, 017), office-hours habits and Catalan versus Spanish.
- 13Counting the adminDocuments, official systems and in-person visits for the TIE, EU certificate, padrón, travel pass and bank account, counted from the official checklists.
- 14Let BCN Student fill it inAnswer a few questions and get your EX-17 filled in, a list of what to bring and one folder to take to the police station. Your first application is free; each further one is €19.99.
- 15The honest notesFive things worth knowing before you rely on any paperwork help: the unpaid 790, appointments nobody can guarantee, and what a filled-in form never covers.
Edition 2026/27 · checked 10 September 2026 · next review 15 January 2027
Read it and want the form filled in for you? Prepare your documents, free →