Autorización de Regreso Cartagena: TIE Pending

Autorización de regreso: a way back in while your card is pending

A journey abroad while your TIE is out of date and its renewal undecided, or while a lost or stolen card is being replaced, needs an autorización de regreso (return authorisation), requested before you go; policia.es lists it at the Comisaría de Cartagena, C/ Menéndez y Pelayo 6, and at the brigade in Murcia. It grants nothing new: it opens the way back to a residence you already hold, which a valid card would normally do on its own.

When to ask for it

A renewal has been filed and is still awaiting a decision
The card ran out during the renewal
The card was lost or stolen; the duplicate is pending
Not needed: your card stays valid until the day you return

What to bring

Passport, with a copy
The card that expired or, if it was lost or stolen, the denuncia (the police report)
The receipt for the renewal or the duplicate
The 790-012, paid
Your planned dates of travel

Where Cartagena lists it

Return authorisations (autorizaciones de regreso) are among the procedures policia.es gives for the Comisaría de Cartagena, C/ Menéndez y Pelayo 6, and for the provincial brigade at Cabezo Cortado. Reserve the trámite (procedure) through the cita previa for Murcia province: the city may well be offered, but the confirmation decides. Pay the Modelo 790 código 012 for it beforehand.

Planning the trip around it

Look for a date the moment a journey becomes likely: flights are easier to change than appointments. The authorisation carries an end date, and you must be back in Spain before it. Travel with it, your passport and the renewal receipt together. The new card itself still comes from a fingerprint appointment, as the first one did.

In Cartagena

Cartagena keeps this procedure in the city: policia.es lists return authorisations at the comisaría on Menéndez y Pelayo 6, alongside the NIE and TIE issue. If the booking offers a Cartagena slot, a card holder in Cabo de Palos or Los Urrutias is spared the road to Murcia.

Questions

My TIE runs until after I come back. Do I need this?

No. A card valid for the whole trip is enough to leave and return.

Can a relative ask for it on my behalf?

Plan on attending yourself, with your own passport, at the appointment booked in your name.

Does it let me stay away as long as I like?

No. It has an end date, and long absences can also weigh on the renewal of your residence.

Official sources

Last checked against these pages in October 2026.