The NIE for opening a bank account and working in Spain

To open a resident bank account and to sign an employment contract in Spain you need a NIE, and you need it before anything else: the social security number and the padrón come afterwards. As an EU citizen, the NIE is already enough to work and register.

Anyone moving to Spain meets the same loop early on: the bank wants a NIE, the employer wants a social security number, social security wants a NIE, and the town hall wants a rental contract the landlord will not sign without a bank account. The loop has an entry point, and it is the NIE.

The order that works

1. 1NIE. The piece everything else takes for granted.
2. 2Bank account. With a NIE you can open an ordinary resident account.
3. 3Padrón registration, at the town hall where you live.
4. 4Social security affiliation number, which requires your NIE.
5. 5Employment contract and registration. Your employer registers you with those details.
6. 6EU registration certificate, if you are staying beyond three months.

Not every step is strictly sequential, since some people sign the contract first and sort the rest out afterwards, but all of them run through the first one.

Opening a bank account

Spain has two kinds of account for foreigners: the non-resident account, which can be opened with a passport and a non-residence certificate but carries higher fees and tighter limits; and the resident account, the ordinary one, which requires a NIE and, at most banks, proof of address or income.

Note that for banking purposes your NIE is your NIF. When the account form asks for a NIF, that is the number that goes there; there is nothing extra to apply for. Explained in NIE, TIE, registration certificate and NIF.

Working as an EU citizen

As an EU citizen you have the right to work in Spain without a work permit. What you need is to be identified and on the right registers:

• A NIE, for the contract and the payroll.
• A social security affiliation number, requested from the Tesorería General with your NIE.
• The registration certificate, if the job runs beyond three months.
• If you register as self-employed, also the tax registration and RETA affiliation.

Without a NIE an employer cannot complete your registration: the system will not accept a worker with no identifier. That is why many job offers ask for a NIE “in progress” at minimum before fixing a start date.

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.

The padrón, that parallel errand

Registering on the padrón means joining your municipality's register of inhabitants. It is run by the town hall, not by immigration, and it is what gives you access to the local health centre and school. It usually requires a rental contract or deeds, a passport and, in many town halls, the NIE. It is also one of the documents that evidences your address for the registration certificate.