An NIE is the number Spain uses to identify you in any economic, professional or social matter. You will be asked for it before you can buy a property, open most bank accounts, register a car, start work or deal with the tax office. This guide covers how to get one.
First, decide which route applies to you
There are three, and picking the wrong one is the most expensive mistake you can make — usually in wasted flights and missed deadlines rather than money.
1. In person in Spain
You apply at a Policía Nacional station with a foreigners department. It needs a pre-booked cita previa; you cannot walk in.
Quieter provinces sometimes hand the certificate over the same day. On the coast and in the big cities, the wait for an appointment alone can run to several weeks, and slots are released unpredictably.
2. At a Spanish consulate where you live
Outside Spain, apply at the consulate covering your area. It is the catchment that matters, not which is nearest. Appointments are usually requested by email, not booked online.
One limitation: a consulate-issued non-resident certificate identifies you to Spanish administration, but is not valid for work, residence or study.
3. Through a representative in Spain
You can appoint someone in Spain to submit the application on your behalf. It requires a power of attorney signed in front of a notary. Sign outside Spain at a local notary and it normally needs an Apostille, often with a sworn Spanish translation.
It does not mean nobody attends. Consulates state that the applicant or an accredited representative must be physically present in every case.
The documents you need
- Your passport and a photocopy. The original plus a copy of the photo page. Some offices want copies of every stamped page.
- Form EX-15, completed in Spanish. The official application form. English versions exist only as translation aids.
- Proof of why you need it. A deposit contract for a property, a letter from a bank, an employment contract, company paperwork, a vehicle sale contract, or a letter from a notary or tax adviser.
- Modelo 790 código 012, paid. The government fee form, with the correct procedure selected and the payment stamped.
Some offices also ask for a passport-sized colour photo. Take one regardless. It costs a few euros and saves a wasted appointment.
Paying the government fee
The fee is currently around €10. Generate Modelo 790 código 012, select assignment of an NIE at the applicant's request, print it and pay. At a collaborating Spanish bank if you are in Spain, at the consulate if abroad.
Read the amount off your own form. It covers more than ten procedures at different prices, and rates are revised periodically.
Getting an appointment
In Spain, book through the official government portal: choose your province, then the NIE certificates and assignment procedure.
Availability is the hardest part in high-demand provinces. New slots appear early in the morning Spanish time and go quickly.
Persistence works. There is no legitimate way to jump the queue, and anyone promising one is not being straight with you.
On the day
Take originals and photocopies of everything, and arrive early. You hand over the documents and usually get a receipt, the resguardo.
Depending on the office, the certificate is printed on the spot, ready in a few days, or sent later. Often someone else can collect it with the receipt.
How long it takes
It depends. Same day in some smaller Spanish offices, a few weeks in others, longer through a consulate where processing is added to the appointment wait.
Anyone guaranteeing a date is guaranteeing something they do not control. If you have a completion or job start date, begin early and build in slack.
Once you have it
The number is permanent. It does not expire and there is nothing to renew.
The certificate is different. Some banks and notaries only accept one issued in the last three months or so. Keep a scan somewhere findable, because you will be asked for the number repeatedly.
Common reasons applications fail
- No proof of the reason for the application, or proof the office does not accept
- The wrong procedure selected on Modelo 790, so the wrong amount was paid
- Details on the EX-15 that do not match the passport exactly
- Photocopies missing
- Signing the form in advance where the office requires it to be signed in front of an official
- Applying through the wrong route for the purpose — for example a consulate NIE where a residency process is what's actually needed