Get a NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) in Spain

Step-by-Step

1. 1

   Choose the right NIE acquisition path

   1. Consular route: you are outside Spain and need the NIE before arriving (typical for property buyers, investors, or pre-residence freelancers). Apply at the Spanish consulate with jurisdiction over your country of residence.
   2. In-Spain route: you are already in Spain on a short-stay basis and need a NIE for an economic, professional, or social reason. Apply at an Oficina de Extranjería or Comisaría de Policía Nacional.
   3. Automatic-assignment route (de oficio): you are starting a residence, work, study, family-reunification, or asylum procedure. Do not file a separate NIE application — the Dirección General de la Policía will assign the number as part of that procedure.

   💡 Tip: If you also need the physical residence card after your residence permit is granted, see the Spain Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE) guide. Slug: tarjeta-identidad-extranjero.

2. 2

   Book your appointment (cita previa)

   Cita previa

   1. Consular route: book through the Spanish consulate's own appointment system. Each Oficina Consular runs its own booking page and publishes its own document checklist.
   2. In-Spain route: book through icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es — the Cita Previa Cuerpo Nacional de Policía portal. Select your province and the NIE-related procedure (Asignación de NIE).
   Cita Previa Cuerpo Nacional de Policía (icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es ↗)
3. 3

   Prepare your application file

   1. Download the EX-15 form from the Sede Electrónica del Cuerpo Nacional de Policía and complete it in Spanish.
   2. Generate the modelo 790 código 012 fee form on the same Sede Electrónica.
   3. Pay the tasa at any collaborating bank or by online banking; keep the stamped receipt.
   4. Gather the supporting evidence for the reason you stated on the EX-15 — contract, escritura, employer letter, or equivalent.
   5. Translate any non-Spanish supporting document through a traductor jurado, and apostille or legalise it where the consulate or Comisaría requires.

   💡 Tip: The wrong modelo 790 código is the single most common cause of fee-credit failures. Double-check that you generated código 012 and not a similar-looking code such as 062.

4. 4

   Submit your application in person

   1. Consular route: present the file at the Spanish Oficina Consular. The consulate forwards the application to the Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras in Madrid.
   2. In-Spain route: present the file at the Oficina de Extranjería or Comisaría de Policía where you booked the appointment.
   3. Bring originals of the passport, EX-15, fee receipt, and the supporting evidence. Carry photocopies of every passport page.

   💬 Say:

   Vengo a solicitar la asignación de NIE.

   "I am here to apply for assignment of a NIE."

   📋 Use when: On arrival at the consular or Comisaría intake counter

5. 5

   Collect the NIE assignment certificate

   1. Consular route: the consulate notifies you when the certificate arrives back from the Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras. You collect it at the consulate.
   2. In-Spain route: the Comisaría or Oficina de Extranjería typically issues the certificate the same day or after a short notice; the intake desk tells you when to return.
   3. If you applied at a Spanish consulate abroad, expect to receive your NIE as a single A4 paper sheet — no card, no plastic, no photo. The page lists your NIE number (a letter X, Y, or Z, then seven digits, then a final letter), your name, and your nationality. Spanish banks and notaries routinely photocopy this sheet and may ask for an updated copy if it is more than three months old, even though the NIE itself never expires.

   💡 Tip: Photograph and scan the certificate the moment you receive it. It is a single A4 sheet, easy to lose, and you will reach for it again every time you sign a Spanish lease, open an account, or register with the Hacienda.