Renounce temporary protection in Spain: when and how to file

In short: To renounce temporary protection in Spain (Ukraine), you file the renunciation only after the new residence permit has been granted. You use the official OAR form (Oficina de Asilo y Refugio, Ministry of the Interior), file it through an electronic register, addressed to unit EA0054388, with the subject line “RENUNCIA PT” plus your file number. The receipt from the register is shown to the police when you apply for the TIE of the new permit, and the old temporary-protection card is handed in.

In person or by representative? You do not need to go in person. The OAR page describes filing through an electronic register, and its guide to filing documents also accepts paper at a registry assistance office (oficina de asistencia en materia de registros) or by post (Correos). A representative can file it: the form has a “Representación legal” section. Because a right is being renounced on someone else's behalf, the representation has to be proved by any valid legal means. The law treats an apud acta authorisation and registration in the electronic register of powers of attorney as proof (art. 5.3 and 5.4 of Law 39/2015). If a lawyer or another professional who must belong to a professional body, or an organisation, files it, they must do so electronically (art. 14.2 of Law 39/2015, which the OAR guide recalls). If the person concerned is a minor, a parent or the legal representative signs. The TIE of the new permit is requested in person (art. 209 of RD 1155/2024).

When to renounce. The new permit comes first and the renunciation after it. The seventh instruction of the SEM Instructions 2/2026 is aimed at whoever obtains a new residence authorisation and asks for the renunciation to be shown when applying for the TIE, once that authorisation has been obtained. Until the favourable decision arrives, temporary protection is still what documents you (this is our reading of the Instruction). Neither the Instruction nor the OAR page sets a separate deadline for renouncing. The deadline that does exist is the one for the TIE: generally 1 month from when the permit is granted or takes effect (how to get the TIE). To choose the route to the new permit, see these cards: residence and work, EX-26, arraigo, family member of a Spaniard, EX-24, minor child, EX-25 and long-term residence.

What the rules say. The benefits of temporary protection “cesarán de forma automática” (end automatically) on the beneficiary's express renunciation (art. 24.1.d of RD 1325/2003). Art. 9 of Order PCM/169/2022 regulates the end of temporary protection. The seventh instruction cites both provisions.

How to fill it in and file it. The form is the same one used to withdraw a temporary-protection application; if protection has already been granted, the box that matters is “Renuncio a la protección temporal concedida”. Fill it in capital letters, preferably in electronic format. Mandatory fields are the NIE, the temporary-protection file number, surname, first name, the ticked box and the signature. The source does not say where the file number appears: look for it in your temporary-protection paperwork. In the electronic register, the NIE goes without hyphens (initial letter, digits and final letter together) and the subject line carries “RENUNCIA PT” and the file number. “DESISTIMIENTO PT” is the subject for someone withdrawing an application. One communication is filed for each adult's file. Neither the form nor the page mentions any fee. The procedure page does not name a specific register. The OAR guide on filing documents (PDF) points, with a digital certificate, to the Registro Electrónico General of the State administration, and on paper to a registry assistance office (oficina de asistencia en materia de registros) or the post office (Correos), addressed to the Registro General of the Ministry of the Interior. If you filed an administrative appeal against the temporary-protection decision and it is pending, the page says to use the form in the “Recursos” block instead of this one.

What you lose and what you keep.

• The benefits of temporary protection end with the renunciation (art. 24.1.d). Your right to reside and work is then based on the new permit: temporary protection included the residence and work authorisation (art. 5.1 of Order PCM/169/2022).
• Your NIE does not change: it is personal, unique and exclusive (art. 205 of RD 1155/2024).
• The temporary-protection TIE card has to be handed in (Order INT/96/2026; art. 209.8 of RD 1155/2024).
• Reception (acogida) system (housing, maintenance and support): RD 220/2022 gives access to temporary-protection beneficiaries without sufficient means (art. 3.1). This is our analysis, not an official confirmation: once you renounce you are no longer a beneficiary and that reception route would close.
• Healthcare, regional aid, the Minimum Income Scheme (Ingreso Mínimo Vital) and education: we have not checked what depends on temporary-protection status. Ask each body before you file the renunciation.

Minors and families. Each adult files their own renunciation. If the person concerned is a minor, the form must be signed by a parent or the legal representative. The child's permit is explained in residence for a minor child, EX-25. The form speaks of “one communication for each adult's file”: there is no official confirmation of whether you can renounce for the child alone, with the parents still on temporary protection, or how that would affect the parents.

Dates in context. Temporary protection is still in force. Temporary-protection TIE cards are valid until 4 March 2027 (Order INT/96/2026) and the EU extended the protection until 4 March 2028 (Decision (EU) 2026/1912, applicable from 5 March 2027). The Spanish order extending the cards beyond March 2027 had not been published on 3 October 2026. The renunciation does not depend on these dates: it depends on having obtained the new permit.

What is not confirmed.

• Withdrawing the renunciation. The official sources we read do not say whether, once filed, the renunciation can be withdrawn.
• Handing in the old card. The obligation is in the texts, but they do not say at what moment the card is handed in.
• Paper at the police station. Some people say they handed in the renunciation on paper at the police station (see community). The OAR guide mentions paper only at registry assistance offices or by post (Correos), not at the police station.
• Other benefits. We have not checked which aid, healthcare or benefits depend on temporary-protection status, nor whether the reception system closes completely (art. 32.2 of RD 220/2022 does not name renunciation as an express cause).
• Ukrainian driving licence. Regulation (EU) 2022/1280 (art. 3.1) recognises the Ukrainian licence while its holder enjoys temporary protection. It is our reading that after the renunciation this recognition no longer covers you; we have not found a DGT clarification for this case. Before renouncing, see our card on exchanging a Ukrainian driving licence.

Documents

• OAR form filled in and signed (official form in Word).
• Your NIE, without hyphens, and the temporary-protection file number.
• If someone else signs (a minor, a representative): their details in the “Representación legal” section of the form. If a representative acts, proof of the representation (art. 5.3 of Law 39/2015).
• The form has a section for the documents attached, but it does not say which; the source does not specify.
• For the TIE afterwards: the renunciation receipt, in addition to the usual items (EX-17, fee 790-012, passport, photo and the permit decision; full list in how to get the TIE).

Steps:

1. Wait for the favourable decision on the new permit and keep it.
2. Download the official OAR form, fill it in capital letters, tick “Renuncio a la protección temporal concedida” and sign it.
3. File the form through an electronic register: NIE without hyphens, destination unit EA0054388 (Subdirección General de Instrucción de Protección Internacional y Apatridia), subject “RENUNCIA PT” and your file number. Each adult files their own.
4. Keep the register receipt.
5. Apply in person for the TIE of the new permit, with the renunciation receipt. The old temporary-protection card has to be handed in.

Official source: Temporary protection: withdrawal or renunciation (OAR, Ministry of the Interior) · SEM Instructions 2/2026 (PDF) · RD 1325/2003, consolidated text.

Informational only; check the official source and a professional for your specific case.