Recover your long‑term residence in Spain (recovery of the authorisation)

What you need to have to hand

1. Cl@ve or a digital certificate (FNMT certificate works perfectly) to access Mercurio.
2. Valid passport scanned in full.
3. Your old TIE or the resolution that proves you had long‑term residence (if you kept it).
4. Bank card to pay tasas 790-052 and, later, 790-012.

Documentation

• Modelo EX-11 completed and signed.
• Passport complete, with legible stamps.
• Empadronamiento recent if you’re already in Spain.
• Proof of payment of tasa 790-052 (epígrafe 2.6).
• Criminal record certificate from the country where you lived while outside Spain, with Apostille/legalisation and sworn translation (if you do it from abroad they will ask for this; in Spain some Oficinas also ask if you were away for years).
• Copy of previous TIE or the concession resolution (this helps speed things up).

Step by step

1. Go to Mercurio Extranjería: https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/mercurio/inicioMercurio.html and log in with Cl@ve/certificate.
2. Select the recovery of long‑term residence procedure (EX-11), fill in the fields and upload the PDFs of the documents.
3. Generate and pay the tasa 790-052 at https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/tasas (choose epígrafe 2.6). Upload the receipt (NRC or PDF).
4. Sign and submit. Save the registration receipt and activate electronic notifications (DEHú) so you don’t miss the decision.
5. Once granted: book fingerprints (TIE) at https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpplustiem, pay the tasa 790-012 at https://sede.policia.gob.es/Tasa790_012/ and take passport, photo, resolution and padrón if requested.
6. Go back to collect the TIE when they tell you (2–4 weeks). Check your details are correct when you pick it up.

Time‑saving tricks

• Upload documents as a single PDF per category and use clear filenames ("Pasaporte_completo.pdf"). Fewer requerimientos, fewer delays.
• If you’re abroad, check your Consulate website: recovery visa requirements vary and some need an email appointment.
• The Policía appointment site tends to work better at dawn and with Chrome. Your patience will thank you.
• If you need to start working urgently, ask your employer to register you using the resolution while you wait for the TIE.

Common mistakes that can wreck your application

• Submitting criminal records without an Apostille or without a sworn translation: guaranteed denial or a requerimiento.
• Paying the wrong fee (don’t confuse 790-012 for the TIE with 790-052 for the authorisation).
• Not attaching proof you had long‑term residence: they can request a subsanación and you’ll lose a month easily.
• Not checking DEHú or your notification email: they’ll send a requerimiento and you can miss the deadline.
• Leaving the fingerprints appointment until the last minute: some cities have months of waiting; book it as soon as you have the resolution.