u/iviveljk

Hi everyone! I’m moving to Madrid for my studies and I’m a bit confused about the TIE application deadline.
My Spanish student visa starts on 25 August, but I’m planning to travel to Madrid on 20 August. I’ll be travelling from the Netherlands, where I currently live, and I have a valid Dutch residence permit until November, so I’m legally allowed to enter Spain before my Spanish student visa starts.
My understanding is that students have to apply for their TIE within one month of entering Spain.
My question is: how does the Spanish authorities determine the date I entered Spain if I’m travelling from another Schengen country? There won’t be a passport stamp or border control showing that I entered on 20 August.
Should I consider my entry date to be 20 August, or does the one-month TIE period effectively start from 25 August when my Spanish student visa becomes valid? I am also worried that there will be an issue when applying for TIE because there’s no passport stamp.
Has anyone been in a similar situation, entering Spain from another Schengen country before their Spanish student visa started? How did it work when you applied for your TIE?

I just received my Spanish student visa from the Spanish Consulate in Amsterdam, and when I collected my passport with the visa, none of the original documents I submitted with my application were returned to me.
I went back and specifically asked the consulate about it, and they told me that they would not be returning them.
This includes important originals such as my apostilled criminal record certificate and my notarised/apostilled financial support documents.
Is this normal for the Spanish Consulate in Amsterdam? Did anyone else who applied for a Spanish student/national visa there have their original documents kept?
I understand that consulates may keep copies for the application file, but I'm surprised that they would keep the original apostilled documents. I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has recently gone through the Amsterdam process and can tell me what happened to their originals.

Hey everyone!
I’m moving to Madrid this week and I’m wondering what shops you’d recommend knowing about, especially for good value for money.

I’m particularly looking for affordable everyday essentials like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, creams, deodorant, etc.

Until now I’ve lived in the Netherlands, where the main supermarket chain, Albert Heijn, has its own budget brand called Care. The products are surprisingly good quality and really cheap - I’m talking around €1 for a full bottle of shampoo.

Is there anything similar in Madrid? Any particular supermarket chains, drugstores, or other shops that have cheap but decent-quality toiletries and household essentials?

I’d also love to hear about any other shops you think are useful to know about as a new Madrid resident - especially places with good prices! 😊
Thanks!