The NIE for buying property in Spain: when to apply

To buy a property in Spain you need a NIE before completion: the notary asks for it to identify the parties, and without it you cannot pay the purchase tax or register the deed. Apply as soon as the transaction becomes serious, not once completion already has a date.

In a Spanish property purchase, the NIE comes up late in the conversation and early in the calendar. Buyers discover it when the notary asks for the parties' details or when the bank starts the mortgage file, and by then completion already has a date. Because the NIE depends on an appointment you do not control, it pays to work the other way round: apply as soon as the purchase becomes serious.

Why you cannot buy without one

• The deed identifies the parties by document and NIE. Without it the notary cannot authorise it.
• The Land Registry needs the number to register the property in your name.
• The transaction taxes (transfer tax on resales, VAT and stamp duty on new builds) are self-assessed against a tax identifier, which for a foreigner is the NIE.
• The mortgage, if there is one, requires a NIE before signing; the bank will not open a file without it.
• Utilities and council tax afterwards are tied to that number too.

When to apply

The natural moment is right after signing the deposit contract (contrato de arras), which is also the document that best evidences your reason on the EX-15. If you wait until the bank asks, you will be hunting an appointment in the same week you are supposed to complete.

Which document proves your reason

The reasons box on the EX-15 needs evidence of an economic interest. For a purchase, these work:

• A signed deposit or reservation contract.
• A purchase offer accepted in writing.
• A land registry extract together with documentation of the transaction.
• A binding mortgage offer from the bank.

What does not work is an intention: “I am going to buy a house on the coast” with no paper behind it is the most commonly rejected reason of all. The form is covered in detail in The EX-15 form and the 790 012 fee.

If two of you are buying

Each buyer needs their own NIE. A couple buying jointly means two files, two forms, two fees and two appointments. There is no “family” NIE, and one spouse's number does not cover the other on the deed.

Buying without travelling before completion

Common in overseas purchases, and there are two routes: apply at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence, or give a power of attorney to someone in Spain to apply on your behalf. We compare them in Applying for a NIE from abroad.

One note that avoids surprises at the notary: the number does not expire, but the paper certificate usually states three months of validity and some notaries ask for a recent one. If yours is old, you request the same number again.