Spain · Taxes · NIF
Apply for a Spanish NIF Number
The NIF — Número de Identificación Fiscal — is the identification number of the Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria). A foreign company cannot buy property, invoice with Spanish VAT, lease premises or complete an EPR registration in Spain until it has one. We handle the application for you 100% remotely: you send scans of your company documents, apostilled and sworn-translated into Spanish, and the number is typically issued within a few business days.
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A Spanish NIF for Your Foreign Company
Foreign entities doing business in Spain — a Dutch BV, a German GmbH, a French SARL, a UK Ltd — must hold their own NIF to deal with the Agencia Tributaria: for property purchases, commercial leases and invoicing in Spain.
A foreign company receives a NIF starting with N, the letter the AEAT assigns to foreign legal entities. It identifies the company to the Spanish authorities for its activities and obligations in Spain without making it a Spanish company. Typical reasons: transactions with Spanish tax relevance, Spanish tax or VAT registration where it applies, investing in or acquiring assets in Spain, authorities or registries that require a Spanish tax ID, and regulatory registrations such as MITECO/EPR.
Complete service€499
What Is a Spanish NIF, Exactly?
NIF stands for Número de Identificación Fiscal. It is the number you use in every tax procedure in Spain — from tax returns and payments to notarial deeds, business bank accounts and invoicing.
And the CIF? The CIF (Código de Identificación Fiscal) was the old tax number for companies, abolished in favour of the NIF for legal entities in 2008. You will still hear “CIF” in everyday Spanish business speech, but a company asked for its CIF today simply provides its NIF — no additional number exists to request.
Who Needs a Spanish NIF?
When do you need a NIF?
Managing tax matters in Spain requires a NIF. The classic example is a foreign entity — a UK Ltd, a German GmbH — buying Spanish property.
I need a NIF for my foreign entity
A foreign entity, such as a UK Ltd or a German GmbH, applies for a NIF of its own. The number is required for all tax-related transactions in Spain, property purchases included.
Sales, packaging, and EPR obligations
Selling goods on the Spanish market requires a NIF for tax and legal compliance. The same number underpins Spain’s packaging rules and EPR (extended producer responsibility) framework: registering packaging materials, contributing to recycling programmes, and joining waste management schemes are all tied to it.
How to Apply for a NIF, Step by Step
Your part is a single form; everything after that runs between us and the Agencia Tributaria. Step by step:
Complete the online form
Company details straight off your register extract — nothing to scan at this stage. About 2 minutes.
Send your documents and sign the Power of Attorney
After checkout, a second form collects the scans; the Power of Attorney is signed remotely while we complete the censal registration (Modelo 036) for your entity.
We file with the Agencia Tributaria
Directly with the Tax Agency, under the Power of Attorney you signed.
Receive your NIF by email
Within a few business days — ready for your notary, bank, accountant or waste-management scheme.
What Do You Need to Provide?
Two things, at two moments. The form on this page asks only for details you either know by heart or can read straight off your company register extract. The documents follow on a second form after checkout — and the Agencia Tributaria takes the corporate ones only with an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish.
| What to submit | Notes |
|---|---|
| Extract from the Commercial Register | Of the company’s country of incorporation |
| Articles of Association | Required |
| Apostille | You obtain it in the country that issued the document |
| Sworn translation into Spanish | By a traductor jurado — a translator officially authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC); we can arrange it, billed separately |
| Power of Attorney / Power of Representation | Required when the person acting for the company is not a director or legal representative evidenced by the corporate documents |
| Identification document of the representative | A valid passport or national identity document |
| NIE of the director or legal representative | Required — we can obtain it for you |
| Company electronic certificate (FNMT) | Required — the company’s own digital certificate (certificado de representante); we can obtain it for you |
The apostille is yours to obtain, in the country that issued the document. The sworn translation you can arrange yourself, or we can do it for you, billed separately. The person representing your company — its director or legal representative — also needs a Spanish NIE and a personal FNMT digital certificate; we can obtain both.
The NIF is free — you pay only for the filing
Agencia TributariaRegistered CollaboratorWhat you pay
- Spanish NIF€499
The NIF itself is issued free of charge by the Agencia Tributaria; the €499 covers our work to obtain it and file the application on your behalf. Apostille and sworn translation costs are not included.
Included in every application
- The whole procedure runs 100% remotely
- All official forms completed for you
- Filing directly with the Agencia Tributaria
- Your NIF by email within a few business days
- English-speaking support throughout
100% money-back guarantee if we cannot deliver your NIF
Ready to Get Your Spanish NIF?
A short form is all it takes to start, and the documents follow on a second form. The NIF arrives by email within a few business days.
Apply for NIF- A short form now, the documents at the next step
- Filed directly with the Agencia Tributaria
- NIF delivered by email within a few business days
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Spanish NIF?
The NIF — Número de Identificación Fiscal — is Spain's official tax identification number. The Agencia Tributaria uses it to identify a taxpayer in every financial, legal and administrative matter: tax returns and payments, invoicing, notarial deeds, bank accounts and property transactions. Individuals and companies, Spanish and foreign alike, all need one, and the number does not expire.
What does a Spanish NIF look like?
It depends on who holds it. A Spanish citizen uses their DNI — eight digits and a control letter. A foreign individual uses their NIE, which begins with X, Y or Z, followed by seven digits and a control letter. Companies and other legal entities hold a NIF of their own: a letter, seven digits and a control character, with the N series reserved for foreign entities that have no permanent establishment in Spain. There is also a temporary M number for people who need a tax number before their NIE is issued.
Does my company need a NIF?
A foreign entity needs a NIF to do business in Spain — opening a bank account, purchasing or renting real estate, invoicing, or carrying out other financial and tax transactions. If your company is registered in the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) system, a NIF has already been assigned automatically; check with the OSS contact point in your country to verify.
What type of NIF will I receive?
A company NIF obtained through this service starts with N98. It is intended for foreign companies and organisations without a permanent establishment in Spain.
How does the service work, and how long does it take?
You start your application on this page with your company details. After checkout, a second form collects scans of your company documents — the register extract and the Articles of Association, each carrying an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish. The NIF itself is free of charge — the fee covers the Power of Attorney that authorises us to act for your entity, signed remotely, and the preparation and filing of the censal registration (Modelo 036). The request is then submitted to the Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria), and within a few business days the NIF is issued and emailed to you.
What documents does my company need to provide?
Scans, attached on a second form after checkout: an extract from the Commercial Register of your country of incorporation; the Articles of Association; an apostille on the relevant corporate documents; a sworn translation into Spanish by an official sworn translator (traductor jurado); a Power of Attorney, required when the person acting for the company is not a director or legal representative evidenced by the corporate documents; and a valid passport or national identity document of that representative. The apostille is yours to obtain in the country that issued the document; the sworn translation you can arrange yourself, or we can do it for you, billed separately. Beyond the documents, the company needs its own FNMT electronic certificate, and the person representing it — its director or legal representative — needs a Spanish NIE and a personal FNMT digital certificate. We can obtain all three.
How can I verify a Spanish NIF number?
The Agencia Tributaria offers a NIF verification service in its Sede Electrónica, but accessing it requires a digital certificate. For intra-EU VAT numbers, the European Commission's VIES database is the public alternative — note that an N-type NIF only appears in VIES once the entity has been registered for intra-EU transactions.
Is the CIF still a thing?
No. The CIF was replaced by the NIF for legal entities in 2008. The term lives on in everyday Spanish business language, but there is no separate number to request — a company asked for its CIF today simply provides its NIF.
Do I need a NIF to sell on marketplaces in Spain?
If you hold stock in Spain or invoice with Spanish VAT, yes. Marketplaces also increasingly ask sellers to prove EPR registration for packaging and other waste streams, and waste management organisations will only register companies that hold a Spanish NIF — in practice, everything starts with the NIF.
What if my application is rejected or delayed?
Almost every rejection is caused by details that differ from the official register entry. If the Tax Agency later requests clarification, we correspond with them on your behalf.
Reviewer and Sources
Reviewed by: E-Residence Team · Licence No. 62802L · Last updated:
Spanish tax registration procedures and document practices can vary by office and applicant profile. Always check official sources and obtain case-specific advice before submitting documents.
Official sources
- Agencia Tributaria (AEAT) — NIF assignment and census procedures
- BOE — Real Decreto 1065/2007, tax identification regulations
- European Commission — VIES VAT number validation
- Dirección General de la Policía — NIE procedures for foreign nationals