How to get a NIE number in Spain: the complete guide
What the NIE is, who needs one and how to apply from start to finish: the four steps, the exact documents and the point where almost everyone gets stuck.
Getting a NIE number in Spain takes four things, in this order: fill in the EX-15 form, pay the 790 012 fee at a Spanish bank, book an appointment with the National Police, and attend in person with the document that proves your reason. Depending on the office, the certificate with your number is handed over at the appointment or within a few days.
The NIE is the first piece of any administrative life in Spain. Without it you cannot sign an employment contract, buy a property, open a proper bank account or pay a tax. The good news is that the procedure itself is short. The bad news is that it is spread across three different websites, one form, a fee you pay at a bank counter, and an appointment that disappears within minutes of being released.
This guide walks through the whole thing, in the order you actually need to do it. It is written for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, who are the people we work with at NIExpress, though most of it applies to everyone.
What the NIE actually is
The Número de Identidad de Extranjero is your personal identifier with the Spanish administration. It is issued by the National Police, it is unique, it never changes, and it stays with you for life: leave Spain and come back twenty years later, and it is still the same number.
That last point causes most of the confusion. The NIE is a number, not a permit: it does not authorise you to live or work anywhere, it only identifies you. If you are staying longer than three months, what you need is the EU citizen's registration certificate, a separate document that also assigns you the NIE: see The green NIE. We cover the difference between all these documents in NIE, TIE and registration certificate: which one you need.
Who needs a NIE
Any foreign national with interests in Spain. In practice:
- You are going to work as an employee or register as self-employed.
- You are going to buy or sell a property, or sign a mortgage.
- You are going to open a bank account beyond a limited non-resident one.
- You are going to set up a company or be named as a director.
- You are going to inherit assets located in Spain.
- You have to pay any Spanish tax, even while living abroad.
- You are going to register a car, set up utilities or apply for a driving licence.
How long you plan to stay makes no difference. An investor who never sets foot in Spain needs a NIE just as much as someone moving for good.
The four steps
1. Prepare the EX-15 form
The EX-15 is the NIE application form. It is two pages, and the box that causes most trouble is the reason for the application. Writing “work” or “buying a house” is not enough; you have to state the economic, professional or social reason and bring the document that proves it. We go through the form box by box in The EX-15 form and the 790 012 fee.
2. Pay the 790, code 012 fee
You download it from the National Police's electronic office, fill it in on screen, print it and pay it at a Spanish bank. For a NIE it is €9.84 in 2026; the same form is used for other procedures with other amounts. The bank-stamped receipt is what you hand in on the day: without that stamp, you will not be seen.
3. Get the appointment
This is where the procedure stalls. Appointments are booked on the administracionespublicas.gob.es portal, under “Policía-Asignación de NIE”, and in the busiest provinces (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga) they vanish minutes after being released. There are patterns that help, and we have collected them in How to get a NIE appointment.
4. Attend the appointment
In person, and attendance is mandatory: either you go, or someone goes with a power of attorney that expressly authorises them to file the application. If everything is in order, the certificate with your number is handed over at the appointment or within a few days, depending on the office.
What to bring
- EX-15, completed and signed, original plus one copy.
- Valid passport or national ID card, original plus a copy of the data page. EU citizens may use their national ID card. If we handle your application, you need a passport.
- 790 012 fee, paid and stamped by the bank.
- Proof of the reason: employment contract or job offer, deposit contract, mortgage offer, deeds, company documents, whatever matches the box you ticked.
- If a representative attends: power of attorney plus their ID, original and copy.
Always bring an original and a copy of everything. The office keeps the copy and returns the original, and none of them will photocopy anything for you.
How long it really takes
| Stage | How long |
|---|---|
| Preparing the EX-15 and paying the fee | An afternoon, if nothing goes wrong |
| Getting an appointment | Days to several weeks, by province |
| Waiting for the appointment date | Whatever the slot you took gives you |
| The appointment and issue | 15 to 20 minutes; the certificate at the appointment or within days |
The real cost of the procedure is time, and all of it sits in the appointment: everything else is an afternoon's work. What makes it take longer or shorter is in NIE cost and processing time.
The five mistakes that send people back a second time
- An unproven reason. The box on the EX-15 says something the document in your folder does not back up.
- An unstamped fee. Paid through the banking app, with no printed, validated receipt.
- A name that differs from the passport. One surname too many or one accent too few, and the file does not match.
- The wrong appointment type. “Asignación de NIE” and “Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE” are different appointments and one will not do for the other.
- No copies. Turning up with originals and nothing else guarantees a second trip.
What comes after the NIE, or instead of it
If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland and staying longer than three months, you have to register with the Central Register of Foreign Nationals and obtain the registration certificate, the green paper (EX-18), with its own fee and its own appointment. That certificate already carries your NIE: if you are moving here and do not need the number earlier to sign a contract or buy a property, you can go straight to the EX-18 and skip the EX-15. If your NIE was only for a one-off transaction, a purchase or an inheritance, the assignment certificate is all you need.
One detail worth knowing: the number never expires, but the paper certificate usually carries a printed three-month validity. Plenty of notaries and banks accept it regardless; some ask for a recent one. If yours is refused on the date, do not apply for a new NIE: you request a fresh certificate of the same number.
If you'd rather we handled it, our green NIE service takes care of the whole procedure online, and you follow it on your own page.
Frequently asked questions
This guide is general information about the procedure, accurate as of the date shown. Fees and the criteria of each immigration office change; for a question about your own case, email us at info@niexpress.es, and if you would rather we handled it, open your application.