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: nothing to upload, no notary involved, no trip to Spain — 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, invoicing in Spain and hiring staff.
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.
The NIF is not a permit and not a residence document — it is a tax identifier, nothing more. It does not expire, and it stays with you for life.
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.
| Holder | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish citizen | DNI: 8 digits + a control letter | 12345678A |
| Foreign individual | NIE: X, Y or Z + 7 digits + a control letter | X1234567A |
| Company or other legal entity | A letter + 7 digits + a control character | B1234567R |
| Foreign entity without a permanent establishment | N + 7 digits + a control character | N9815734J |
| Temporary, before an NIE is issued | M + 7 digits + a control letter | M1234567A |
Who Needs a Spanish NIF?
Holders of a NIE number do not apply for a separate NIF: once the NIE is registered with the A.E.A.T. (Spanish Tax Agency), the same number serves as the NIF. If yours is not registered yet, we can take care of that by filing a censal declaration (Modelo 030) on your behalf. A foreign company is a different case entirely: it must obtain its own NIF before it can buy, sell, lease or hire in Spain.
When do you need a NIF?
Whether you act as a natural person, a legal entity or a non-legal entity, managing tax matters in Spain requires a NIF. The classic example is a foreign entity — a UK Ltd, a German GmbH — buying Spanish property.
My NIE number is not registered
This happens more often than you would think: the police issued your NIE, but the tax agency was never told about it — so the number fails checks at banks and notaries. We can register it for you. We file a censal declaration (Modelo 030) with the A.E.A.T., and once your NIE is in the tax census it works as your NIF.
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.
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.
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, nothing to upload. About 2 minutes.
Sign the Power of Attorney
Signed remotely — no notary involved — while we complete the censal registration (Modelo 036) for your entity.
We file with the Agencia Tributaria
Directly with the Tax Agency — you need no digital certificate of your own.
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?
Very little — you do not send us a single document. The application runs on a short set of details, each of which you either know by heart or can read straight off your company register extract.
| What we ask for | Where you find it |
|---|---|
| Company name as registered | Your national company register |
| Registration number | KvK (NL), BCE (BE), HRB/HRA (DE), SIREN/SIRET (FR), CRN (UK), EIN (US) |
| Registered address | Your register extract |
| VAT number | Your tax administration, or tick "no VAT number" |
| Date of incorporation | Your register extract |
| Contact details of the representative | Name, email, mobile |
What you do not need
Nothing gets notarised, apostilled, translated or shipped — the entire file is prepared from the details in the table above.
- No notarised documents
- No apostille or legalisation
- No sworn translations
- No digital certificate
- No trip to Spain — the Power of Attorney is signed online, without a notary
The NIF is free — you pay only for the filing
Agencia TributariaRegistered CollaboratorWhat you pay
The same lines you will see at checkout: the NIF itself costs nothing — you pay for the Power of Attorney and the censal registration.
- Spanish NIF (NIF-N)Free
Issued by the Agencia Tributaria free of charge, and we add no fee of our own for it — we file it on your behalf, entirely online.
- Power of Attorney (POA)€199 −€50
The Power of Attorney that authorises our team to apply for the NIF of your entity. Signed remotely — no notary involved.
- Censal registration (Modelo 036)€300 −€100
Preparation and filing of the censal declaration that registers your entity with the Agencia Tributaria.
Included in every application
- The whole procedure runs 100% remotely
- All official documents completed for you
- No notarised, legalised or translated documents
- 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 two-minute form is all it takes on your side. The NIF arrives by email within a few business days — with no documents, no notary and no trip to Spain.
Apply for NIF- A single form, about two minutes to complete
- 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.
What is the difference between a NIE and a NIF?
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) identifies foreigners in Spain and is used across administrative and legal procedures; the NIF (Número de Identificación Fiscal) is the number the tax system works with. For most foreign individuals the two end up being the same number: once your NIE is registered with the tax authorities it serves as your NIF, so there is no separate NIF to apply for. Companies are the exception — a foreign entity applies for a NIF of its own. See the NIE vs NIF guide for the full picture.
What is the difference between a resident and a non-resident NIF?
The number itself works the same way — what differs is the status recorded against it in the tax census. A resident is registered with a Spanish tax address, a non-resident with an address abroad. A foreign company with no permanent establishment in Spain is registered as a non-resident entity, and that is the NIF this service applies for. Individuals put their own status on record with the Modelo 030 filing.
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, hiring employees, 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 (also called NIF-N). It is intended for foreign companies and organisations without a permanent establishment in Spain that are still subject to taxation. By default it cannot be used for filing Spanish VAT returns (IVA), acting as a shareholder of an S.L., or requesting a NIF certificate from the AEAT — if you need it for one of those purposes, contact us first.
My NIE is not registered — what now?
A NIE that has never been registered with the A.E.A.T. (Spanish Tax Agency) does not yet work as a NIF. We can register it for you by filing a censal declaration (Modelo 030) — once your NIE is entered in the tax census, it serves as your NIF.
How does the service work, and how long does it take?
You start your application on this page. The NIF itself is free of charge — the fee covers the Power of Attorney that authorises us to act for your entity, signed remotely without a notary, 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.
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 or Cl@ve. 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. Before filing, we compare your answers against the register data and flag anything inconsistent; 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: August 2026
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