Residence Card Lost
If you lose your residence card, whether by accident or by theft, the first thing you should do is to report it to the police (“denuncia”).
You should be aware that you will need to file a police report in order to renew your residence card.
The police officer will ask you for your identity, address and other personal information. All you need to do is to tell them how, where and when you lost your document.
Note : The report can be made at any police station, not necessarily the one where the loss occurred.
Preventing identity theft
Although the procedure to apply for a new residence card is the same regardless of whether it was accidentally lost or stolen, you should be careful to explain the circumstances of the loss of your residence permit when you report it. If someone with bad intentions gets hold of the document and performs some illegal act as the person who lost it, then if you have a report form, you can prove that it was not done by you. Unnecessary troubles would be avoided.
Process to apply for a new residence card
1.Go to the government website (click here ). Select your province, click on “aceptar” and then select the procedure “Toma de huellas” (fingerprinting). Fill in the information according to the computer.
2.Fill out and download the administrative fee form TASA 790-012 online.
3.Go to the police station for fingerprinting at the designated time of the appointment. And bring the following documents with you:
-ID photo (we recommend to bring at least 2 photos)
-Police report form (“denuncia”).
-Proof of residence (padron in Spanish).
Note: Although it is not explicitly required by law to submit a certificate of residence to issue a new residence card, in the event of a change of residence, a new certificate of residence is required.
4. It takes about 1 month to issue the new card.The exact time depends on the workload of the police station, so you can ask yourself.
5.After the fingerprinting, the police station will give a receipt to the applicant. This receipt serves as a temporary ID card.
