What this letter is
The tasa 790 código 012 (police fee, form 790 code 012) is not a letter you receive: it is the form you use to pay the Policía Nacional (National Police) for issuing foreigners’ documents. It covers the TIE (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero, foreigner identity card), NIE assignment, the certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE (EU citizen registration certificate), certificates, the return authorisation and other procedures. That is why many people call it “the fingerprint fee”: you pay it just before that appointment. You are not paying for the fingerprints, but for the document you are going to receive.
How to read it: the key parts
| What you see on the form | What it means |
|---|---|
| N.I.F./N.I.E. and Apellidos y nombre (surnames and first name) | Your details. If you don’t have an NIE yet, follow the form’s instructions |
| Domicilio (vía pública, código postal, localidad) (address: street, postcode, town) | Your address in Spain |
| Autoliquidación (self-assessment) | You calculate and pay the fee yourself; the amount appears automatically when you tick the procedure |
| Tramitación de autorizaciones / TIE / documentos (processing of authorisations / TIE / documents) | The list of procedures. You must tick one, yours |
| Importe (amount) | What you pay, according to the ticked box |
| Forma de pago: En efectivo / Adeudo en cuenta (payment method: cash / direct debit) | You pay at the bank or charged to your account (it will ask for your IBAN) |
| Sello del banco o NRC (bank stamp or NRC) | Proof that you have paid. Without it, the form is not valid |
Amounts on the official form in 2026 (the most searched):
| Procedure | Amount |
|---|---|
| TIE for the first grant of temporary residence, stay or cross-border worker | €16.08 |
| TIE for renewal of temporary residence or extension of stay | €19.30 |
| TIE for long-term residence or EU long-term residence | €21.87 |
| EU citizen registration certificate, EU family member card, TIE for a family member of a Spanish national, or Withdrawal Agreement (Brexit) TIE | €12.00 |
| NIE assignment at the applicant’s request | €9.84 |
| Certificates or reports (each) | €7.31 |
| Return authorisation | €10.72 |
What deadline you have
The fee has no deadline of its own: what matters is the appointment. You must arrive with the form already paid. If you have been granted an authorisation (arraigo, work, family reunification…), you generally have one month from notification to apply for the TIE. Months are counted from date to date.
Example: you are notified of the approval on 5 October 2026. You have until 5 November to apply for the TIE. Pay the fee a few days before the appointment, not on the morning of the same day.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in cash at a partner bank | You have no Spanish account or prefer paper | The bank stamps the form and gives you your copy |
| Pay by direct debit | You have an account at a partner bank | It is charged to your account and you get a receipt with an NRC |
| Redo the form | You ticked the wrong box or entered wrong details before paying | You generate a new one; the old unpaid one doesn’t count |
| Request a refund | You paid twice or paid a fee that didn’t apply | It is processed separately as an undue payment |
What happens if you do nothing
Without the fee paid, they won’t process your TIE or NIE: you lose the appointment and have to find another, and in many provinces appointments take weeks. If you had one month to apply for the TIE and miss it, you may have trouble proving your status, working or travelling.
Common mistakes
- Ticking “primera concesión” (first grant) when it is a renovación (renewal), or vice versa. The amounts are different.
- Confusing the 790 012 (Police) with the 790 052 (Immigration Office, for the authorisation).
- Bringing the form without a stamp or NRC: for the Police it is not paid.
- Misspelling your NIE or name, differently from your passport.
- Downloading the form from unofficial websites that charge to “fill it in”.
How to respond step by step
- Go to the sede electrónica de la Policía (Police online portal, form for tasa 790 código 012) via the official link.
- Fill in your details: NIE, surnames and first name, address.
- Tick only one box, the one for your procedure. Check the amount shown.
- Choose a payment method: en efectivo (cash) or adeudo en cuenta (direct debit).
- Download and print the form.
- Pay at a partner bank and keep the stamped copy or the receipt with the NRC.
- Take it to the appointment with the rest of your documents (passport, photo, resolution, etc.).
Cartamiga tip: before printing, compare the box with what your resolution or appointment says (“renovación”, “larga duración”, “familiar UE”…). It is the most common mistake and the one that costs the most appointments.