Get your 'Green NIE' (Certificado de Registro)

The Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Comunidad Europea, often (incorrectly) called ‘The green NIE’ is a document that all EU/EFTA citizens need to apply for if they intend to become resident in Spain.

Why is it sometimes called 'The Green NIE'?

The certificado de registro de ciudadano de la comunidad europea is often called ‘the green NIE’ because it’s a small green certificate which features the holder’s NIE number. So when an EU/EFTA citizen resident in Spain is asked to show their NIE, they show this green certificate. However, the NIE itself is just a fiscal identity number, which is assigned to people from any country who have dealings in Spain. You can get it (via email) if you are not resident but need it in order to buy a holiday home, and you will also get it on your TIE card (which is not green) if you want to become resident and you are not a member of the European community.

Who needs 'the green NIE' (Certificado de Registro)?

The green NIE (Certificado de Registro) is needed by citizens of European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) countries. These are the 27 countries of the European Union, plus 4 non-EU european countries (see below).

Countries whose citizens require the 'Green NIE' (Certificado de Registro)

Citizens with passports from European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) countries can visit Spain for up to 90 days without the need for a visa. For stays of more than 90 days, they still do not need a visa, but they do need to apply for the ‘ green NIE’ (certificado de registro de ciudadano de la comunidad europea), to register themselves as resident in Spain.

What are the EFTA Countries?

The 31 countries of the EFTA include:

4 non-EU countries:

Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

Plus the 27 countries of the European Union:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

What are the requirements to get 'the green NIE' (Certificado de Registro)?

Every citizen of a Member State of the EU/EFTA has the right of residence in the territory of the Spanish State for a period of more than three months if:

You are an employed worker in Spain, or
You are a self-employed worker in Spain, or
You are a student enrolled in a public or private center recognized or financed by the educational administration to pursue studies or vocational training
You are the family member of one of the above* or
You have sufficient resources** for yourself and your family members to not become a burden on Spain’s social assistance during your period of residence

You must also provide public or private health insurance, contracted in Spain or another country, that provides coverage in Spain during your period of residence equivalent to that provided by the National Health System.

*The family member may be:
For students: spouse or registered partner and/or the children of the student and his or her spouse or dependent partner.
In other cases, the spouse or registered de facto partner, their direct descendants and those of their spouse or partner who are under 21 years of age or disabled, or over that age who live in their care, and their direct ascendants (dependant parents) or those of their spouse or partner. Dependancies claimed in applications must have already occurred in the country of origin.

**The assessment of the sufficiency of financial means will be carried out on an individual basis and take into account the personal and family situation of the applicant. If your resources per person are greater than the minimum established each year by the General State Budget Law (ie the minimum income below which Spaniards are given the right to receive a non-contributory benefit), taking into account the personal and family situation of the person, it will be considered that you have sufficient funds. In 2024 the minimum per person established by this law was €517.90 per month

How and where to get the green NIE (Certificado de registro)

This should be obtained at an office of Extranjeria in the province where you are intending to reside, within 3 months of your entry into Spain. In practice, if you know you intend to stay more than 90 days, it’s a good idea to get started with the process as soon as possible.

Getting an appointment.

This can be quite difficult in provinces where lots of foreigners have settled, as groups of people have been taking appointments and then forcing others to pay for them. If you like you can pay a gestor or lawyer to get you one (see recommendations under trades and services). However, things have apparently been improving lately, and if you don’t mind being persistent here is the process (if you have no luck, try at exactly midnight when new appointments become available, and/or try other offices near where you live):

Visit the sede electronica site for extranjeria here
Click Acceder al procedimiento at the bottom of the page
Select your province at the top of the next page and hit ‘aceptar‘
Under ‘oficina‘ scroll down to one near where you live
Then, next to ‘Tramites Cuerpo Nacional de Policia‘ select ‘Policia- Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la UE‘ and click ‘Aceptar‘
On the next page, scroll directly to the bottom and click ‘Entrar‘
Select the ‘pasaporte‘ option then fill in your passport number and name and click ‘Aceptar‘
Then on the next page click ‘solicitar cita‘
Then fill in your details on the next page and click ‘Aceptar‘
Then choose one of the date options that is given to you. If there are none available, you can try a less popular location, or try the approach outlined in Spanish here, or pay someone to get one for you.

Once you have the appointment

Fill out the application form EX18 available here
Pay the tasa of around 12 euros by filling out the form here (click option ‘Certificado de registro de residente comunitario o Tarjeta de residencia de familiar de un ciudadano de la Unión’).
Once you have filled in the form, print it out and take it to any bank, where you can then pay in cash or have the money taken from your account (depending which option you chose when filling it in).
Gather proof of sufficient funds (sometimes this isn’t asked for, but it always could be, so it’s best to have it). This could be a job contract; or proof that you are registered as self employed or have started a company which is registered in the registro mercantil (no minimum income required for any of these options) or proof that you are studying at a recognised institution. If none of these apply, you must show proof of an available amount of around 10k per year, with 4k more for each dependant. If you are a student or someone who is not employed or self employed, you must also show proof of private medical insurance.

At the appointment:

Take your passport or EU ID card; proof of funds; proof of payment of the application fee (tasa): and completed application form.

How long does it take to get the green NIE?

For stays of more than 90 days in Spain, you must do the following:

Citizens of countries that require ETIAS or a Schengen visa to visit Spain: You must apply for the appropriate residence visa. Once you have this, you must also apply for a NIE and TIE. Find out more about residence visas here. Find out more about the TIE and other associated requirements here.
Citizens of countries that do not require ETIAS or a Schengen visa to visit Spain (EFTA countries). You must apply for a certificado de registro and NIE. Find out more about these and other associated requirements here.

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