How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Germany: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Germany, start with your registered address: six Spanish consular offices serve the country — a consular section at the embassy in Berlin, plus consulates general in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. The office 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 Germany and its six offices.
Which office covers your address?
The consular districts follow Spain’s official division of Germany. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia | Consular section of the Embassy, Berlin | Berlin NIE page |
| Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony | Consulate General, Hamburg | Hamburg NIE page |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Consulate General, Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf NIE page |
| Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland | Consulate General, Frankfurt | Frankfurt NIE page |
| Baden-Württemberg | Consulate General, Stuttgart | Stuttgart NIE page |
| Bavaria | Consulate General, Munich | Munich 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 Germany is the source of these districts.
The consular NIE route: what applies across Germany
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 Germany, that is the office covering your address. Berlin’s NIE page and Hamburg’s state it in these terms.
- You apply in person or through a duly accredited representative — and the physical presence of the applicant or the representative is 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.
- Relocating to Spain? The consular route may not be yours. Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt state that applicants who will stay in Spain longer than three months, or settle there, must apply in Spain itself — at the nearest police station or foreigners’ office. The other offices reviewed here do not publish that restriction; ask your office about your plans.
- 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
Berlin — consular section of the embassy
Berlin states that an appointment is required, and its NIE page carries the official booking entry points (“Solicitud de cita para NIE / Terminvereinbarung”). It restates the mandatory presence rule and the standard documents, and it adds two district-specific notes: applicants moving their residence to Spain for more than three months must apply in Spain directly, and EU citizens who do move must register with the Central Registry of Foreign Nationals once in Spain. Berlin NIE page
Hamburg — consulate general
Hamburg publishes the shared document list and says that more information on how to apply “may be requested (by email) from this Consular Office” — that is the published channel: write before you travel. Its page also carries a fee example that dates from 2021; do not rely on that figure — take the current amount from the office or the 790-012 payment form. Hamburg NIE page
Düsseldorf — consulate general
Düsseldorf’s page (in German) is the most specific of the six. Appointments are booked online only, and its page warns that if you cannot find a suitable slot in the booking window, email or phone cannot arrange an alternative — double bookings and cancellations free up slots short notice, so it is worth checking back. Its requirements:
- first residence in North Rhine-Westphalia;
- German ID card or passport, plus a Meldebescheinigung from NRW no older than three months — waived if your German ID card shows your address;
- the EX-15 filled in on a computer, in two copies, and not signed — handwritten forms are returned;
- readable photocopies of the ID documents and the registration certificate;
- the fee — €9.84, payable only by EC, V-Pay or Maestro card at the appointment.
Non-EU applicants add a passport, the Meldebescheinigung and Spanish documents proving the reason (for example a notary’s letter or a property purchase contract). Representatives need a notarised, bilingual German/Spanish power of attorney expressly authorising the NIE application, plus a certified copy of your ID. The page states plainly: the consulate does not issue the NIE — it forwards the application to the competent Spanish authority. Düsseldorf NIE page
Frankfurt — consulate general
Frankfurt runs NIE appointment requests by email and publishes a strict procedure:
- Fill in EX-15 on a computer and save it as a PDF named “NIE-Antrag” plus the first surname — do not print it.
- The email address on the form must match the address you send from, or the request is not processed.
- Scan each supporting document as its own legible PDF (colour ID scans, front and back on one page when there is no passport).
- Open the pre-addressed email draft published on the page — subject “SOLICITUD CITA NIE” plus surnames and names — attach the files and send without other changes.
Frankfurt warns that at least four months can pass between the appointment request and receiving the NIE by email, and explicitly recommends applying in Spain instead where possible. It also notes that applicants who also hold Spanish nationality need a NIF, not a NIE. The fee listed: €9.84, or €7.31 for an update when you already hold a NIE. Frankfurt NIE page
Stuttgart — consulate general
Stuttgart publishes the shared document list, including proof of residence in its district, and says more information on applying may be requested by email from the office. Stuttgart NIE page
Munich — consulate general
Munich asks for an appointment by phone or by email (cog.munich@maec.es) and lists the standard documents, including proof of residence in the consular district and the 790-012 fee form. Munich NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Berlin (consular section) | Lichtensteinallee 1, 10787 Berlin | Google Maps |
| Hamburg | Mittelweg 37, 20148 Hamburg | Google Maps |
| Düsseldorf | Homberger Str. 16, 40474 Düsseldorf | Google Maps |
| Frankfurt | Nibelungenplatz 3, 60318 Frankfurt am Main | Google Maps |
| Stuttgart | Lenzhalde 61, 70192 Stuttgart | Google Maps |
| Munich | Oberföhringer Str. 45, 81925 München | 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. Frankfurt’s four-month warning is the only published figure; treat any other estimate as unconfirmed and ask your office.
- Current fees. Some consular pages still carry fee examples from earlier years. Take the amount from the official payment form (790-012) and your office on the day you pay — Düsseldorf, for one, takes card only.
- A booking channel for every office. Frankfurt (email draft), Düsseldorf (online only) and Munich (phone/email) publish specific channels. Hamburg and Stuttgart do not publish a step-by-step booking route; 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 Germany covers my address?
It depends on your registered address. Berlin covers Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. Hamburg covers Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. Düsseldorf covers North Rhine-Westphalia. Frankfurt covers Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. Stuttgart covers Baden-Württemberg. Munich covers Bavaria. Confirm your district with the office before contacting it.
Consular-office directory for Germany
Do I need proof of residence in Germany to apply through a German consulate?
Yes — the offices reviewed for this guide all ask for evidence that you live in their consular district. Düsseldorf specifies a Meldebescheinigung from North Rhine-Westphalia no older than three months, waived if your German ID card already shows your address. If your situation is unusual, ask the office what will establish your residence.
Düsseldorf’s requirement · Munich’s document list
Can I use the consular route if I plan to move to Spain for more than three months?
Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt state that applicants who will stay in Spain longer than three months, or settle there, must apply in Spain itself — at the police station or foreigners’ office for their province. Do not book a consular appointment first and treat the route as interchangeable; check the in-Spain procedure for your case.
Berlin’s note · Frankfurt’s note · Booking a NIE appointment in Spain
Should I sign the EX-15, and does anyone apply without attending in person?
Most offices here ask for a completed and signed EX-15 in original and one copy — but Düsseldorf explicitly wants the form filled in on a computer, in two copies, and not signed. The applicant or a duly accredited representative must attend; the representative route needs a power of attorney with the formalities each office lists. Do not apply one office’s signature rule to another.
Düsseldorf’s instructions · Frankfurt’s instructions
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. Most pages here describe about two weeks; Frankfurt warns that at least four months can pass between the appointment request and receiving the NIE by email. Treat those as the offices’ published expectations, not guarantees.
Hamburg’s delivery note · Frankfurt’s warning
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. Fill them in on a computer where the office asks for it, keep the payment receipt, and check the current amount — Düsseldorf, for example, accepts payment only by EC, V-Pay or Maestro card. Some consular pages still show fee examples from earlier years; take the current figure from the office or the payment form.
Hamburg NIE page · Munich NIE page · Spanish NIE requirements for non-EU citizens
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 Germany. 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 Germany — the official district list used for the table above.
- Berlin — consular section of the Embassy: NIE — appointment requirement, documents, relocation note.
- Hamburg — Consulate General: NIE — shared document list and email channel.
- Düsseldorf — Consulate General: NIE Beantragen — online booking, NRW registration, card-only fee.
- Frankfurt — Consulate General: NIE — email procedure and processing warning.
- Stuttgart — Consulate General: NIE — document list.
- Munich — Consulate General: NIE — phone/email appointment channel.
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 29 September 2026.