How to Apply for an NIE Number in Spain: Three Routes Explained

A Spanish NIE — Número de Identificación de Extranjero — is granted through one of three routes: in person in Spain after booking a cita previa at an Oficina de Extranjería, through a Spanish consulate in your country of residence, or remotely via a notarised Power of Attorney signed in favour of a Spanish legal representative. All three routes use the same application form, Modelo EX-15, and the same government fee, Tasa 790-012. The differences are who attends, where, and how the documents are routed.

At a Glance

Choosing Your Route

The three routes are not interchangeable. The most useful question to ask first: where will you physically be when the application is submitted?

Route 1: In person in Spain

Book a cita previa appointment, attend with a complete document file, and the NIE certificate may be issued the same day. The bottleneck is appointment availability — in Barcelona and Madrid, slots disappear within minutes of release. City-by-city details: NIE in Barcelona, NIE in Madrid, NIE in Malaga, NIE in Marbella.

Route 2: At a Spanish consulate abroad

Every Spanish consulate accepts NIE applications from foreign residents in its jurisdiction. UK applicants use the Embassy in London or consulates in Manchester or Edinburgh (only these three UK locations). The consulate forwards the file to Spain for processing; the certificate returns by email. Timing depends on consulate workload. See the NIE at Spanish consulates guide.

Route 3: Via a legal representative under Power of Attorney

Article 5 of Ley 39/2015 and Article 206 of Real Decreto 1155/2024 explicitly permit a Spanish lawyer or gestor to submit the NIE application on a foreign national’s behalf, holding a notarised Poder Notarial. You sign one document at a local notary, apostille it under the Hague Convention 1961, and the representative handles the rest. Full breakdown: NIE via Power of Attorney guide.

Documents — What You’ll Need

Same requirements across all three routes. The Common pitfall column flags the issue that most often triggers counter refusals.

EX-15, EX-17 and EX-18 — disambiguation

Modelo EX-15 = NIE assignment (NIE blanco). Modelo EX-17 = TIE residence card for non-EU nationals with residency authorisation. Modelo EX-18 = Certificado de Registro for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens registering as residents. Submitting the wrong form triggers immediate rejection. EU citizens buying property as a one-off use EX-15; EU citizens registering residence use EX-18 — see the NIE Verde guide for EU citizens.

Tasa 790-012

Paid using Modelo 790, código 012. Generate the form on the Spanish police portal; select “Asignación del número de identidad de extranjero (NIE) a instancia del interesado”; pay at any Spanish bank (no account needed). Fee is set annually in the state budget — see the NIE application cost guide for current amounts. Generate and pay close to the appointment date.

Justification of reason

Article 206 of Real Decreto 1155/2024: the NIE is assigned to foreign nationals with “economic, professional, or social interests” in Spain. The application must specify the interest and support it with a document.

Common combinations:

• Property purchase: letter from Spanish solicitor, estate agent or seller, or signed contrato de arras.
• Employment: offer letter or signed contract from Spanish employer on company letterhead.
• Self-employment: letter declaring autónomo registration intent, or draft registration docs.
• Inheritance: letter from Spanish notary or solicitor confirming beneficiary status.
• Banking / company formation: confirming letter. On its own, opening a bank account is sometimes thin — pair with a second concrete reason.

Apostille and sworn translation

For supporting documents issued by a public authority outside Spain:

• UK: sign before a Notary Public; apostille via FCDO Legalisation Office (postal or same-day premium in Milton Keynes).
• USA: sign before a state Notary Public; apostille issued by the Secretary of State of the relevant state. Federal documents go through the US Department of State.
• Other Hague countries: notarise locally, apostille via competent authority. Germany: Landgerichtspräsident. France: Cour d’appel. Italy: Procura della Repubblica.
• Non-Hague countries: consular legalisation required instead — notarise locally, certify via your foreign ministry, then via Spanish consulate.

Sworn translation: a Spain-certified traductor jurado (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores register). Notarial translations from other countries, general agencies, and machine translations not accepted.

A document that is incorrectly apostilled or accompanied by an unacceptable translation will be rejected at the counter regardless of how strong the underlying justification is.

Step-by-Step

1. Pick a route and assemble your file. Decide between in-person, consulate, or Power of Attorney. Gather passport with full photocopy, completed EX-15, justification letter with supporting document, apostille and sworn translation for any foreign public documents.
2. Book the cita previa, or have your representative do it. Use the central Spanish government appointment portal. Select province and procedure “Asignación de NIE”. Check availability regularly — in Madrid and Barcelona slots disappear within minutes.
3. Generate and pay the Tasa 790-012. Use the Spanish police portal, select the correct procedure code, pay at any Spanish bank. Keep all stamped receipt copies.
4. Attend the appointment with the complete file. Bring original passport, full photocopy of every page, signed EX-15, paid Tasa receipt, justification letter, supporting documents, carnet photos. For the Power of Attorney route, the representative attends in your place.
5. Receive the NIE certificate. At the appointment in Spain, by email from the consulate, or forwarded by your representative. The NIE number is permanent.

What People Wish They’d Known Before Applying

• Signature comparison is real. Officers compare EX-15 signature with passport signature. Sign both forms the same way.
• Booking in a province with no connection creates problems. Officers can refuse if no genuine connection (residence, property, employer) is shown.
• Bank account alone is often a thin justification. Pair with a concrete second purpose where possible.
• Tasa amount can change. Set by the annual state budget law. Generate and pay close to the appointment date.
• The “green NIE” suggestion is not always the right document. NIE blanco via EX-15 is correct for non-residents with a one-off reason.
• Photocopy every page of the passport, including blank pages. Copying only the photo page triggers returns at several offices.
• Justification letter should be recent and specific. Dated within the last few weeks; specific transaction, address, parties named.
• The contrato de arras is strong evidence for property cases. Already-signed reservation contract is among the strongest justification documents.

Common Reasons for Refusal and How to Avoid Them

• Incomplete file. Missing photocopy, missing photos when asked, missing stamped Tasa receipt.
• Wrong Tasa procedure code. Selected “TIE” instead of “Asignación de NIE” on the Modelo 790-012 generator.
• Vague or unsupported justification. “Various business matters in Spain” with no letter. Needs a specific letter on letterhead with supporting document.
• Justification mismatch with supporting document. EX-15 says “property purchase in Barcelona” but letter is about a Madrid bank account.
• Foreign document missing apostille. UK Companies House extract, US notarial certificate — these need apostille.
• Foreign document not translated. Apostille without sworn translation is not enough either.
• Passport expiring within months. Some offices treat near-expiry as grounds for refusal.
• Booking in the wrong province. No demonstrable connection to the province where the appointment is booked.

A counter refusal is not the end of the case. The officer typically explains what is missing. You can rebook once the issue is fixed.

After You Have Your NIE

• Banking, FNMT, Cl@ve? → NIE for banking and digital services
• Tax residency? → NIE and Spanish tax status
• Studying in Spain? → NIE for students in Spain
• Worried about expiry? → Does the NIE number expire?
• Lost certificate? → Lost or stolen NIE
• Want to see the document? → Example of the NIE document
• NIE vs NIF? → NIE vs NIF guide
• Technical definition? → What is an NIE in Spain?
• Cost breakdown? → NIE application cost
• Timing? → NIE processing timeline