Last Update: September 2024
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How to get the NIE in Spain

A NIE number is a fiscal identification number given to anyone from any country who has any financial dealings with Spain. ‘The green NIE’ is the (incorrect) name sometimes given to the green Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la UE, which all EU citizens must obtain when becoming resident in Spain. This page explains both.

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NIE number vs 'the green NIE' and TIE.

If you have any financial dealings inside Spain, whether you are resident or not, you will be assigned a NIE number for life. For non residents, this might happen if you buy a holiday home in Spain, for example. If you are a non resident, to get the number you apply at the consular office that covers your normal place of residence. 

If you are planning to be a resident, in practice it is unlikely you will apply for the number on its own. This is because if you’re an EU citizen you will be applying for the, often incorrectly called,  ‘green NIE card’, (it’s  actually called a Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Union Europea) or, if you’re not an EU citizen, you’ll be applying for a TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero). The NIE number will be given to you automatically during either of these two processes, and it appears on each of the documents, too, so it’s not necessary to apply for a NIE number separately, if applying for one of these documents is the first interaction you have with Spainish bureaucracy, on your road to becoming more than a tourist. 

How to get just the NIE number

If you need just the NIE number you can apply at the Spanish consular office that covers the area where you are normally resident  (if you are outside Spain) or you can apply in Spain. In all cases you can apply in person, or you can give someone power of attorney so they can apply on your behalf. 

Documents needed to get the NIE number:

  • completed form EX-15
  • your original passport and a copy of the biographical data page or, for EU nationals, you can use your national ID document (original and one copy, front and back).
  • If the NIE is requested via a representative, the original and a copy of the representative’s identity document or passport, together with a power of attorney in which it is expressly stated that this representative is empowered to present the NIE application.
  • Document proving residence in the Consular area.
  • Form 790, code 12 duly completed, with the corresponding payment made. There’s an explanation of how to do this here. 
 

How much does it cost to get the NIE number?

It costs around €10 to get the NIE number, which you pay via form 790, code 12, as detailed above
 

How long does it take to get the NIE number?

The NIE is normally issued via email within two weeks. However, this time period is not guaranteed and may be delayed due to factors beyond the control of the administration. 

How to get the 'green NIE' (Certificado de registro)

To find out how to get the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadanos de la Comunidad Europea (sometimes incorrectly referred to as ‘The green NIE’), visit our dedicated page here. 

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