How it works
There are three ways to get a Spanish NIE. This page explains all three honestly — including the parts we cannot do for you.
There are forms, documents and different routes depending on where you are and why you need it. We make it clear what you need and what happens next.
Only the Spanish authorities issue NIEs, and control how long it takes. What we change is the accuracy of your paperwork and the effort of finding an appointment.
Step one
Work out which route applies to you
This is the decision everything else depends on, and where most people go wrong.
In Spain, in person
Best if you're already in Spain or travelling anyway.
- Apply at a Policía Nacional office with a foreigners department
- A pre-booked appointment (cita previa) is required. You cannot walk in
- In quieter provinces the certificate is sometimes issued the same day
- We handle the appointment booking for you
At a Spanish consulate
Best if you live outside Spain and would rather not travel.
- Apply at the consulate covering where you live, not necessarily the closest one
- Appointments are usually requested by email
- The fee is paid in local currency at the consulate
- A consulate-issued non-resident NIE certificate is not valid for work, residence or study
Through a representative
Best if you can't travel and can't get to a consulate in time.
- You give someone in Spain a power of attorney to apply for you
- The power of attorney is signed in front of a notary
- Signed outside Spain, it normally needs an Apostille and often a sworn translation
- Your representative attends in your place — someone still has to attend
Someone always attends
The application is handed over in person — by you at a Spanish police station, by you at your local consulate, or by a representative you authorise under a power of attorney.
The honest version: there is no fully remote route. “Remote NIE” means someone attends for you, not that nobody attends.
The full process
What actually happens, in order
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Start your application
Seven questions about your situation. Nothing to pay, no account to create.
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We confirm your route and quote
Which of the three routes fits, and the full cost — our fee, the government fee, and any third-party costs.
If it's cheaper or faster for you to do it yourself, we'll say so -
Prepare the documents
EX-15 completed in Spanish, Modelo 790 código 012 generated, and your proof of reason checked — the document most often responsible for a failed application.
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Get the appointment
We search for and book the appointment on every package. Priority and Express are processed ahead of Standard.
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Attend and submit
You attend with your originals, or your representative does. You get a briefing first: what to bring and what you'll be asked.
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Receive the NIE certificate
Some offices issue it the same day, some take weeks. Once issued, the number is yours permanently.
What we do and don't do
QuickNIE does
- Identify the correct route for your situation
- Complete the Spanish forms accurately
- Generate and explain the government fee form
- Search for and book your appointment
- Check your documents before submission
- Arrange representation where you can't attend
- Answer your questions in plain English
QuickNIE does not
- Issue NIE numbers — only the Spanish authorities do that
- Guarantee that any application will be approved
- Provide legal, tax or immigration advice
- Act for the Spanish Government in any capacity
- Skip queues or access appointments the public can't
Find out which route applies to you
Seven questions, three minutes, and a document list built around your answers.