Latest news with #TarjetadeIdentidaddeExtranjero
Local Spain
31-03-2025
- General
- Local Spain
GUIDE: How to get a NIE in Spain
NIE stands for Número de Identificación de Extranjero. It's a 'Foreigner Identification Number' for non-Spanish citizens. You will need one to be able to do any financial transactions while living in Spain such as paying your bills, buying a property and opening a bank account. Even if you're a non-resident and buying a holiday home in Spain, you'll one, but it's important to remember that it does not authorise you to reside or work legally in Spain, only to make economic transactions. There are several ways you can get an NIE, depending on where you're from and the method you use to gain residency in Spain. If you're an EU citizen you'll be issued on one when you apply for your green residency certificate. If you're from a non-EU country you'll have to apply for one before you apply for your TIE - Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (Foreigner Identity Card), which you'll get during the first three months of living in Spain. The NIE consists of a letter, followed by seven digits, and ends with another letter. It will appear on either your EU green residency certificate or your TIE, whichever one applies to you. It can be requested either when you're Spain or at the Consular Office in your country of residence, if you need one sooner. The first step is to book an appointment online so you can go in person and give the necessary documents to get your NIE. You can apply for your appointment here. Be aware that the system will often say appointments are unavailable but keep trying at different times and you will eventually get one. They are free, so there's little point paying for an agency to make an appointment for you, unless it's urgent. Select the province you live in and then choose your nearest police office and the reason for your appointment. If you only need the NIE, you'll click on - Asignación de NIE or Certificado de registro de ciudadano de UE if from the EU and also applying for the green card or Asignación de NIE no UE if from a third country. In order to apply you'll need to complete form EX-15 and take it with you to your appointment. For this you'll need to complete all your personal details such as name, date of birth, nationality and address. Section four is the most important part. In the first section check the box for NIE and then under certificado, whether you're applying for it as a resident or non-resident. You need to complete modelo EX15 to get your NIE. Source: Spanish government Next you need to state your motive for applying – economic interests, professional interests or social interests, select one and give the reason below, like you're moving to Spain for a job or you want to buy a property. The following question asks where you're applying such as a foreigner's office or local police station or consular office. Lastly you need to state your situation in Spain, if you're just staying temporarily – estancia or if you have been granted residency – residencia. Then sign and date it and take it with you to your appointment. Once you have done this, there are also several other documents you need to take to your appointment including: Your passport, with your visa in (if from outside the EU) and a photocopy. Modelo 790-012 form in order to pay your fee. Proof of why you need an NIE such as real-estate contract or a job contract for example. If you're from the EU and coming to Spain without a specific proof and you plan on looking for a job once you get here, you'll also need to prove you have the financial means to support yourself and that you have private medical insurance. Make sure it's a plan with no co-payments, otherwise it won't be accepted. Once you have completed all these steps and have presented all the necessary documents, you will be issued with your NIE.
Local Spain
12-02-2025
- Local Spain
What to do when Spain's 'cita previa' website doesn't work
There are several different administrative processes you'll have to do when you move to Spain that involve making a cita previa (prior appointment) online first, before you can turn up at the office in person. One of the most common reasons is when you need to apply for your NIE or Número de Identidad de Extranjero, which is your foreign identity number. You'll need to get this within the first three months of living in Spain and can either do it by applying for your green residency card if you're an EU citizen or your TIE, which stands for Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (Foreigner Identity Card). There are two main issues with trying to get this appointment online. The first is that there often never seem to be any appointments available, and the second is that the website links don't always work to try and make the appointment in the first place. In this article, we'll be looking at the second issue. If you want to know more about trying to get an appointment when it seems there aren't any, read more here. The site you need to access in order to book your appointment is here ( but for some reason the link doesn't work for some people. Many readers have been complaining that official government websites aren't working properly when they come to trying to book one of these appointments and are ready to pay a legal firm to do it for them, when in reality it should be completely free. If this is the case for you, there are three things you can try. In some circumstances you can apply for your NIE at the Spanish Consulate back in your home country, before you arrive, but if you're moving here permanently this may not be an option. So how do you get the website to open? Firstly, accessing the links can usually only be done within Spain, so if you're trying from another country, you may have a problem. Wait until you get here so you can book an appointment. If you want to save time (as sometimes the only appointments available are several weeks or months away) get someone you trust who is in Spain to try to open the website and talk them through the process. Secondly, the sites are unlikely to work if you have a VPN turned on, as this changes your IP address to a different country and the website won't think you're in Spain. Although VPNs are sometimes used for security purposes, in this instance, it's best to switch it off. Thirdly, the issue may also be to do with the internet browser you're trying to access the site from. Several users of Reddit report that Safari only works half of the time for them. The Spanish government website themselves say that Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox 3 is required to book an appointment online, but Google Chrome also works for us here at The Local Spain. Once you have been able to access the site, then you have the fun challenge of trying to find out when appointments are available. To do this, you need to select your province and then the office you need from the drop down menu. You will then select the reason for your appointment. For example, it may be POLICIA - Asignación de NIE (POLICE - NIE Assignment) or POLICIA - CERTIFICADOS DE RESIDENCIA (Residence Certificates). If there are appointments available, it will ask you to fill out your details and select an appointment time and day.
