Expat paperwork across the Valencian Community

Immigration law is national, so a NIE, a TIE or a residence renewal follows the same Royal Decree 1155/2024 whether you live in Valencia, Alicante or Castellón. What changes is the office: each province has its own Oficina de Extranjería under the Subdelegación or Delegación del Gobierno, its own police desks for fingerprints and certificates, and every town keeps its own padrón. We work online for the three provinces, check your documents, prepare the forms and fees and book the desk that corresponds to your address.

Valencia province

For Valencia city, the TIE fingerprints and collection are at the Comisaría de Patraix, C/ Els Gremis 6, and NIE and EU certificates at the office in C/ Bailén 9. Outside the capital, the National Police list TIE issue at Alzira, Gandia, Ontinyent and Sagunto, while stations such as Burjassot, Mislata, Paterna, Torrent, Xàtiva and Xirivella deal with NIE and residence certificates. Residence files are decided by the foreigners’ office in Valencia city, which the police list at C/ Motilla del Palancar 23, and are filed online. The padrón is handled by each town hall: in the capital, the Ajuntament de València, explained in our empadronamiento guide.

Alicante province

Alicante spreads the work across more desks than any other province of the region. In the capital, the Brigada de Extranjería in C/ Ebanistería 6 issues NIE and residence certificates, while TIE cards are handled at its unit in C/ Campo de Mirra 6; Benidorm, Elche, Orihuela and Alcoy also assign NIE numbers. The Ajuntament d’Alacant states that its padrón procedures are free. Details, addresses and sources are on our page on expat paperwork in Alicante.

Castellón province

Castellón concentrates almost everything in the capital: the Oficina de Extranjería at C/ Escultor Viciano 2, and police offices in Pl. Teodoro Izquierdo 6 and C/ Río Sella 5 for the TIE, the NIE and the EU certificate. Residents of Vila-real, Burriana or Vinaròs usually travel to Castelló de la Plana for their police step. See expat paperwork in Castellón.

Where each step happens, province by province

• NIE certificate or assignment. Valencia: C/ Bailén 9 in the capital and stations such as Burjassot, Mislata, Paterna, Torrent or Xàtiva. Alicante: C/ Ebanistería 6 and the stations of Benidorm, Elche, Orihuela and Alcoy. Castellón: the two police offices in the capital.
• TIE fingerprints and collection. Valencia: Patraix for the capital, and Alzira, Gandia, Ontinyent or Sagunto for parts of the province. Alicante: C/ Campo de Mirra 6. Castellón: Pl. Teodoro Izquierdo 6 or C/ Río Sella 5.
• EU registration certificate. Valencia: C/ Bailén 9 and the stations that list it, such as Gandia or Sagunto. Alicante: C/ Ebanistería 6 and the local stations that handle EU residents. Castellón: the capital.
• Residence permits and renewals. The foreigners’ office of your province, with online filing through Mercurio in all three.
• Padrón. Always the town hall of the municipality where you live, never the provincial capital on your behalf.
• Social Security and tax. Both have provincial directorates and local offices, but the steps a newcomer needs, the Social Security number and the autónomo and Beckham filings, are normally done online.

Choosing where to live, from a paperwork angle

Paperwork should not decide where you live, but it is worth knowing how the provinces differ. In Valencia province, people in the south around Gandia or inland around Ontinyent and Alzira can often complete the TIE without going to the capital. In Alicante, the work is spread across many desks, so the coast from Benidorm to Torrevieja has offices nearby for NIE and residence matters, while the TIE card is concentrated in Alicante city. In Castellón, the capital handles nearly everything, so residents of the northern coast should plan a day trip for their police step. In all three, the padrón comes first, so a lease or deed that the town hall accepts is the real starting point.

Moving between provinces

A move from Valencia city to Alicante or Castellón, or the other way round, does not cancel your residence. Your authorisation and your NIE stay the same; what changes is local. You register on the padrón of your new town, and from then on fingerprints, collections and any renewal are handled by the offices of the new province. Timing matters when a renewal window is close, because the file follows your address at the moment you apply. We plan the order with you so that nothing is filed in the wrong province, and we tell you which of your current appointments, if any, should be cancelled and booked again near your new home.

What stays the same everywhere

• The order of steps. Padrón first in most cases, then the police step: the TIE for non-EU residents, the EU registration certificate for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens.
• The deadlines. One month to request the TIE after entering on a long-stay visa or after approval in Spain, and three months for EU citizens to register (RD 240/2007, art. 7).
• The fees. State fees are paid with form 790 code 012 for police procedures and code 052 or 062 for authorisations, at the same amount in every province.
• The booking system. Police and foreigners’ office appointments go through the national cita previa website, province by province. Nobody can promise a date, and we do not.

What we do in any of the three provinces

We confirm which procedure fits you, send a list of documents for your case and a fixed fee in writing, prepare the forms, and book the office that serves your address. The services most people need are the NIE number, the TIE card, padrón registration, the Social Security number, autónomo registration, the Beckham Law regime and the non-lucrative and digital nomad visas. All our prices are listed on the services page, and you can reach us through the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Oficinas de trámites de extranjería by province, Policía Nacional
• Royal Decree 1155/2024 (BOE)
• Royal Decree 240/2007, article 7 (BOE)
• Cita previa for immigration procedures, Ministry for Territorial Policy

Checked against these official pages on 13 November 2026. Offices do change; we recheck them for your address before booking.