How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Argentina: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Argentina, start with your registered address: five Spanish consular offices serve the country — consulates general in Buenos Aires, Bahía Blanca, Córdoba, Mendoza and Rosario. The office covering your address forwards your application, but the NIE itself is assigned by Spain’s General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, and it arrives by email.
This is an independent guide by E-Residence, a private service. It is not an official website of any consulate and does not control appointments; every procedure in it links to its official source. Recheck the official page on the day you act.
For the wider picture of how consular NIE applications work, see our guide to NIE applications at Spanish consulates outside Spain. Here, the focus is Argentina and its five offices.
Which office covers your address?
The consular districts follow Spain’s official division of Argentina. Residence is the starting point — not nationality, and not the office with the most convenient appointment. The list below matches each office’s published district.
| Where you live (registered address) | Office | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires and the northern/central zone of Buenos Aires Province (partidos not covered by Bahía Blanca) | Consulate General, Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires NIE page |
| La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego and the southern partidos of Buenos Aires Province | Consulate General, Bahía Blanca | Bahía Blanca NIE page |
| Córdoba, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Salta, Jujuy | Consulate General, Córdoba | Córdoba NIE page |
| Mendoza, San Juan, San Luis | Consulate General, Mendoza | Mendoza NIE page |
| Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Formosa, Chaco, Misiones | Consulate General, Rosario | Rosario NIE page |
If your address does not map clearly to one of these lists, confirm it with the office before contacting it rather than guessing. The embassy’s official consular-office directory for Argentina is the source of these districts.
The consular NIE route: what applies across Argentina
Every office here follows the same national procedure, with local differences in how you book and what you bring. The shared points, as published by the offices themselves:
- A NIE can be requested directly in Spain or at the consular office for your country of residence. From Argentina, that is the office covering your address.
- You apply in person or through a duly accredited representative — and the physical presence of the applicant or the representative is always mandatory. Do not read the representative route as one that removes attendance altogether.
- You must state the economic, professional or social reasons that justify the application, and offices may ask for documents proving them.
- The standard document set is an EX-15 form (original and one copy), a valid passport with a copy of the data page (EU citizens may use a national identity document), proof of residence in the consular district, and a completed Modelo 790, Código 012 with the fee paid.
- The consular NIE is identification, not residence. The offices state that a NIE processed through them is not valid to reside in Spain and does not accredit residence there, and that anyone planning to settle in Spain must check visa requirements first. Bahía Blanca adds its own warning: the NIE it issues is temporary and does not entitle you to work or reside in Spain.
- The consulate does not issue the number. It is assigned by the General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, part of Spain’s Directorate-General for the Police. The consulate cannot speed up processing, and the NIE is sent to the applicant by email — so put a working notification address on the form.
Prefer to prepare your application with E-Residence? Start an NIE enquiry — a private service that helps you organise the paperwork before you contact the office. An enquiry does not create, confirm or replace an official appointment.
Office by office: how each one runs NIE applications
Buenos Aires — consulate general
Buenos Aires runs NIE applications by prior appointment only, booked through its own appointment system at www.cgeonline.com.ar — the page states that the NIE is processed “mediante cita previa” and gives that site as the booking entry point. It restates the standard documents, including proof of residence in its district, and points to the “tasas consulares” section of the same site for the current fee. Buenos Aires NIE page
Bahía Blanca — consulate general
Bahía Blanca asks you to request the appointment by email: write to cog.bahiablanca.pas@maec.es. Its page carries two specifics worth reading in full: the residence proof is an Argentine DNI showing that your address is inside its consular demarcation, and the NIE issued there is temporary (“de carácter temporal”) and does not entitle you to work or reside in Spain. The fee value is on request from the same inbox. Bahía Blanca NIE page
Córdoba — consulate general
Córdoba also books by email: write to cog.cordoba.doc@maec.es. Its page carries the clearest processing warning of the five offices — the delay for processing and sending the NIE is around two months from receipt of the documents at the consulate, and it suggests handling urgent cases in Spain instead. On payment, it says to verify the current amount at the link it publishes, and that the fee is paid in cash, by transfer or with a debit card at the window where you process the application — credit cards are not accepted. Córdoba NIE page
Mendoza — consulate general
Mendoza publishes the shared document list and the standard rules, including a DNI and proof of residence. What its NIE page does not publish is a dedicated booking channel for NIE appointments: before travelling, write to the office at the general address in the consular directory (cog.mendoza@maec.es) and ask how it wants your appointment requested. The current fee is in its “Tasas Consulares” section. Mendoza NIE page
Rosario — consulate general
Rosario books by email with a fixed subject line: write to cog.rosario.pas@maec.es with the subject “SOLICITUD DE NIE”. Its page answers the fee question most concretely of the five — it lists the updated consular fee as 17,000 Argentine pesos, payable in cash — and carries a note that, given the high volume of NIE requests, replies may take longer than usual; it asks applicants not to send the same request repeatedly. Rosario NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | Guido 1760, C1016AAE Ciudad de Buenos Aires | Google Maps |
| Bahía Blanca | L.M. Drago 45, piso 4º, oficina B, Edificio Torre Bicentenario, 8000 Bahía Blanca | Google Maps |
| Córdoba | Bulevar Chacabuco 875, 5000 Córdoba | Google Maps |
| Mendoza | Agustín Álvarez 455, 5500 Mendoza | Google Maps |
| Rosario | Santa Fe 768, 2000 Rosario | Google Maps |
These are the offices’ published addresses. The map links are navigation aids built from those addresses — they do not confirm which service a building hosts, and they are no substitute for the office’s own page. Check the address there before travelling.
What this guide does not confirm
- Appointment waiting times. No office reviewed here publishes current waiting times for an appointment. Córdoba’s two-month processing warning and Rosario’s high-demand note are the only published figures; treat any other estimate as unconfirmed and ask your office.
- Current fees for every office. Rosario publishes 17,000 pesos and Bahía Blanca asks you to request the amount by email; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Mendoza direct you to a fee list or link. Take the amount from the office or the payment form on the day you pay.
- A booking channel for Mendoza. Its NIE page does not publish a specific appointment route for NIE applications; write to the office first.
- Walk-in service. No page reviewed describes accepting NIE applications without an appointment. Presence is mandatory, but arrange the channel first.
Want a second pair of eyes on your document set before you email the office? Send your situation through a short NIE enquiry. We flag gaps before the office does — an enquiry does not replace or speed up the official procedure.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish consulate in Argentina covers my address?
It depends on your registered address. Buenos Aires covers the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires and the northern and central zone of Buenos Aires Province (the partidos not included in the Bahía Blanca district). Bahía Blanca covers La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego and the southern partidos of Buenos Aires Province. Córdoba covers Córdoba, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Salta and Jujuy. Mendoza covers Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis. Rosario covers Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, Formosa, Chaco and Misiones. Confirm your district with the office before contacting it.
Consular-office directory for Argentina
Do I need proof of residence in Argentina to apply through a consulate?
Yes — the offices reviewed for this guide ask for evidence that you live in their consular district. Bahía Blanca asks for an Argentine DNI showing that your address is inside its district; Córdoba asks for a document proving residence in the consular demarcation. If your situation is unusual, ask the office what will establish your residence.
Bahía Blanca’s requirement · Córdoba’s document list
Can someone else submit the application — do I have to attend in person?
The applicant or a duly accredited representative must attend; the physical presence of the applicant or the representative is always mandatory, as every office here states. If you use a representative, the office asks for the representative’s identity document plus a power of attorney that expressly authorises them to file the NIE application — and the formalities differ by office, so check yours.
Buenos Aires NIE page · Rosario NIE page
Does the consular NIE let me live or work in Spain?
No. The NIE issued through a consulate is an identification number: the offices state that it is not valid to reside in Spain and does not accredit residence there. Bahía Blanca adds that the NIE it issues is temporary and does not entitle you to work or reside in Spain. If you plan to settle in Spain, check the visa and residence requirements first — that route starts in Spain, not at the consulate.
Bahía Blanca’s note · Buenos Aires NIE page
Who assigns the NIE, and how long does it take?
The number is assigned by the General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, under Spain’s Directorate-General for the Police — not by the consulate, which cannot shorten processing. The pages reviewed here describe an average of about two weeks, and delivery by email. Two offices publish longer expectations: Córdoba warns that processing takes around two months from receipt of the documents and suggests applying in Spain in urgent cases; Rosario notes that replies may take longer than usual because of high demand.
Córdoba’s warning · Rosario’s note
Where do I get the EX-15 and how do I pay the fee?
Open the forms from your office’s NIE page: EX-15 for the application and Modelo 790, Código 012 for the fee. Payment methods differ: Rosario lists 17,000 Argentine pesos in cash; Córdoba accepts cash, transfer or debit card at the window but not credit cards; Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Bahía Blanca direct you to their current fee list or ask you to request the amount from the office. Take the current figure from the office or the payment form on the day you act.
Rosario NIE page · Córdoba NIE page
Choose your next step
You can run the whole process yourself through the official channels above — it costs the official fee and, in most cases, one appointment in Argentina. Recheck your office’s page on the day you act, because document lists and fees change.
Prefer to prepare with E-Residence? Start an NIE enquiry and describe your purpose in one or two sentences. An enquiry does not replace the official procedure; it helps you arrive at it prepared.
For the full service picture, see NIE in Spain.
Editorial note: procedures, forms and local practice can change. Recheck the official links on the day you submit your application.
Official sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Spanish consular offices in Argentina — the official district list used for the table above.
- Buenos Aires — Consulate General: NIE — cgeonline.com.ar booking, documents and fee pointer.
- Bahía Blanca — Consulate General: NIE — email booking, DNI requirement and temporary-NIE warning.
- Córdoba — Consulate General: NIE — email booking, two-month processing warning and payment rules.
- Mendoza — Consulate General: NIE — document list and fee section.
- Rosario — Consulate General: NIE — fixed-subject email booking, published fee and demand note.
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 30 September 2026.