Getting Your NIE Number in Spain: How It Works

What the NIE is and what it is not

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is the Spanish identification number for foreigners. It is issued once, stays valid for life and never changes, not even if you leave Spain and come back years later. The national police assign it; what you receive is a white sheet of paper with your number, the certificado de NIE.

Just as important is what the NIE is not: a residence permit or an identity document. It allows you neither to live nor to work in Spain; it merely identifies you to authorities, banks and contract partners. Anyone staying for good registers as a resident on top. EU citizens receive the green certificado de registro, everyone else the TIE card. Both carry the same NIE.

Who needs the number

Practically anyone entering a legal transaction in Spain. The notary asks for it when you buy property, the registration office when you buy a car, the bank when you open an account; an inheritance or a contract with the utility company runs on the number too. A holiday needs no NIE — but the moment the holiday turns into an apartment, you do.

That is why the NIE matters to non-residents in particular: if you own a holiday flat on Gran Canaria, you have usually had the number since the purchase, and it reappears on every builder’s invoice after that. How hiring as a non-resident works is covered in its own guide.

Three ways to apply

The first route goes through the foreigners’ office on the island: the Oficina de Extranjería in Las Palmas or a designated Policía Nacional station. You need a cita previa, an appointment booked in advance through the government portal. Those appointments are the bottleneck: free slots appear irregularly, and it pays to check several times a week.

Applying at the Spanish consulate in your home country is often more convenient when the occasion is foreseeable, such as a planned property purchase: you apply for the number before you even fly. Allow lead time for the appointment here as well.

That leaves power of attorney: a lawyer or a gestoría applies for the NIE on your behalf. It costs a fee but spares you the hunt for appointments, and it is common in property purchases, where a power of attorney is often signed at the notary anyway.

The paperwork

The application itself is manageable: form EX-15, your passport with a copy, and the reason you need the number, such as the preliminary property contract or a letter from the bank. The reason is mandatory; the NIE is not issued just in case.

Added to that is an administrative fee, paid at a bank before the appointment using form Tasa 790 (Código 012); bring the proof of payment with you. The Spanish administration publishes the current amount and the forms; for consular applications, the consulate’s instructions apply.

After the appointment

If all goes well, you receive the certificate on the spot or collect it a few days later; offices handle this differently. Check the spelling of your name immediately: a typo on the certificate finds its way into every later contract.

The number does not expire. Some offices, banks above all, do insist on a freshly issued certificate and will not accept an old sheet. In that case you do not apply for a new NIE, only for a new certificate of the same number.

If you need more than the number because you are moving here altogether, the NIE is only the start. Registration, health cover and, depending on your country, a visa follow. For the route from the UK, see the guide on moving to the Canary Islands from the UK.

Frequently asked questions