Expats Guide To The NIE Number In Spain - By: Robert Griggs

The NIE stands for Número de Identificación de Extranjeros, and if your Spanish is lacking then that translates to ‘identification number for foreigners’. Essentially, it is a piece of documentation that is required by everyone who wants to work or to buy property in Spain, and without one you will not be able to get started with the buying process. It is slightly different from the documentation that is used by nationals of Spain, which is known as the DNI.

Why Do You Need One?

There could be many reasons why you would need to get an NIE in Spain. As it is your identification number, the NIE is a requirement for many things in the country. If you want to live and work in the country, which will entail making payments into the social security system, then you will first need an NIE. It is also required if you need to apply for a business permit and to enable you to get healthcare.

However, you are probably reading this because you are thinking of buying a property in Spain, and again the NIE is a requirement for this. In fact, you cannot do anything until you have got yourself one, so the earlier you start to plan the application process the better, otherwise it could hold up your plans to move into a new home.

Getting Your NIE

So, how do you go about getting an NIE? There are a number of ways that you could go about the process of getting your number, including applying from your home country through your local Spanish consulate. However, in the following section we have provided information about applying for your NIE in Spain before you purchase your property.

You should try to apply for your NIE no later than one month before you are due to sign the deeds of purchase because if you do not get it in time then you might have to pay a fine.

The best place that we would suggest finding your NIE is at an immigration office. These can be found in a number of police stations, although not all, so the best thing to do is to look around the area in which you are planning to buy your property and find one as close as you can.

Alternatively, if there is no police station with an immigration office in your area then you can apply through any police station. However, as they have to send off the documentation to another station this is going to add more time onto the application process.

What You Need When You Apply

You will need some specific documents in order to apply for your NIE. If you take the time to prepare these properly then you are going to save yourself any delays in the future.

The most important part of the application process is the NIE application form. You should be able to download a copy of this online from your Spanish consulate website, and you will need to complete two copies to take along with you.

On top of that, you will also need your passport and a photocopy of the page with your photo, as well as two passport photos. You should also have details of an address in Spain through which you can be contacted, and this could belong to a friend or family member.

You will also have to take along a document regarding why you want to get an NIE number. If you are buying a property then this could be the deeds of sale or the contract, and you should take this with you along with a photocopy.

Completing The Process

After you have been to the police station and handed in all of your documentation you will be given a receipt. Take this receipt away with you and keep it safe as you will need it in order to collect your NIE when it is ready. Alternatively, send a third party to pick up the NIE for you. As long as they have the receipt with them then they will have no problems collecting it.

We would advise you that you will not be informed when your NIE is ready to collect, but instead you should head down to the police station after about 15 days and in this time it should have been completed. You may even want to wait a few days longer just to make sure because you do not want to end up waiting in the queue all over again for nothing.

The NIE stands for Número de Identificación de Extranjeros, and if your Spanish is lacking then that translates to ‘identification number for foreigners’. Essentially, it is a piece of documentation that is required by everyone who wants to work or to buy property in Spain, and without one you will not be able to get started with the buying process. It is slightly different from the documentation that is used by nationals of Spain, which is known as the DNI.

Robert writes for Alanda Homes who are a real estate agent based on Spains Costa del Sol. For assistance with NIE numbers or any aspect of purchasing property in the Costa del Sol Spain, please visit www.alandahomes.com