How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Italy: which consulate to use

Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Italy, start with your registered address: three Spanish consulates general serve the country — Milan, Naples and Rome. Each office covers its own consular district, and the office you use forwards your application. The NIE itself is assigned by Spain’s General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, and it reaches you 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 Italy and its three offices.

Which office covers your address?

The consular districts follow Spain’s official division of Italy. 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
Liguria, Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto — plus the former Genoa district since 1 June 2020	Consulate General, Milan	Milan NIE page
Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Sicily	Consulate General, Naples	Naples NIE page
Sardinia, Tuscany, Lazio, Marche, Umbria — also competent for San Marino	Consulate General, Rome	Rome 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 consulates general in Genoa closed on 1 June 2020, and its district was divided between Milan and Rome: the Tuscan provinces of Pisa, Lucca, Livorno and Massa Carrara, together with the Tuscan archipelago, went to Rome. The embassy’s official consular-office directory for Italy is the source of these districts.

The consular NIE route: what applies across Italy

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 Italy, that is the office covering your address. Naples and Rome 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. Rome asks for a municipal residence certificate; Naples for the certificate issued by the “anagrafe” of your town of residence.
• Represented applications carry extra formalities. Rome requires a power of attorney that expressly authorises the presentation of the NIE application — and if it is granted before an Italian notary, translated and apostilled.
• 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 states that it 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

Milan — consulate general

Milan’s NIE page carries the shared document list, a fee figure of 9,84 € payable in cash, and a standard two-week expectation for issuing the NIE. Two district notes matter here. Since 1 June 2020 the Consulate General in Genoa has ceased to exist and its district passed to Milan — except the Tuscan provinces and the Tuscan archipelago, which went to Rome. The page does not publish a step-by-step booking route in the material reviewed for this guide; the office’s public contacts are the phone (+39) 02 36 75 77 20 and the email cog.milan@maec.es, so ask there before travelling. Milan NIE page

Naples — consulate general

Naples asks you to book by email, and its page gives the address: cog.napoles@maec.es — write before you apply. The documents it lists are the standard set: a normalised EX-15 application (original and one copy) filled in and signed by the applicant or their representative, a valid passport with a copy of the biographical data page (EU citizens may identify themselves with a national identity document), and proof of residence in its consular district in the form of the certificate issued by the “anagrafe” of your town of residence. Add the completed 790, Código 012 form and the fee payment: the page states that the fee to pay in cash is currently 9,74 €. Processing averages two weeks and can be extended for reasons of force majeure; the NIE is sent to the applicant by email. The office states that it cannot speed up processing. Naples NIE page

Rome — consulate general

Rome’s page is the strictest of the three on how you get in, and it is worth reading twice. Applications are submitted in person at the Consulate General. Public counter hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 13:00, and that service works exclusively through the appointment system. Rome states plainly that it does not give appointments by phone and that it is not possible to attend without an appointment — so a walk-in will not work. To obtain a slot you send an email to cog.roma.nie@maec.es stating your name and surnames, a contact phone number and the procedure you want to carry out; the office confirms the date and time of your appointment by email.

On documents, Rome adds its own specifics: the form is preferably filled in online and then printed, and residence in the consular district is demonstrated with a municipal residence certificate. Representatives must accredit their representation with a notarial power of attorney; if it was granted before an Italian notary, it must be translated and apostilled. The fees are 9,84 € to assign the NIE and 7,31 € to renew it, and the fee is paid at the Consulate General. Processing averages two weeks and can be extended for reasons of force majeure. Rome is also the office competent for San Marino. Rome NIE page

Addresses and map links

Office	Address	Open the map
Milan	Via Filippo Turati, 29, 20121 Milan	Google Maps
Naples	Palazzo Leonetti, Via dei Mille 40, 80121 Naples	Google Maps
Rome	Via Campo Marzio 34, 00186 Rome	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. The two-week figure on these pages describes how long the NIE usually takes to be issued, not how long you wait for an appointment. No office reviewed here publishes current appointment waiting times; ask your office.
• A booking channel for every office. Naples and Rome publish email channels, and Rome excludes phone bookings and walk-ins explicitly. Milan’s page does not publish a step-by-step booking route; write or phone the office first.
• Current fees. Milan (9,84 € in cash), Naples (9,74 € in cash) and Rome (9,84 € / 7,31 €) each show figures on their pages, but consular pages can lag behind the official fee. Take the amount from the 790-012 payment form and your office on the day you pay.
• Walk-in service. No page reviewed describes accepting NIE applications without an appointment. Rome states the opposite in so many words. Presence is mandatory, but arrange the channel first.
• Relocation rules. None of the three Italian offices reviewed here publishes a rule for applicants who plan to stay in Spain longer than three months. This guide therefore asserts none — ask your office if your plans involve settling in Spain.

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 Italy covers my address?

It depends on your registered address. Milan covers Liguria, Valle d’Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, and since 1 June 2020 it has also covered the district of the former consulate general in Genoa. Naples covers Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise and Sicily. Rome covers Sardinia, Tuscany, Lazio, Marche and Umbria, and is also competent for San Marino. Confirm your district with the office before contacting it.

Consular-office directory for Italy · Milan NIE page

Do I need proof of residence in Italy to apply through an Italian consulate?

Yes — the offices reviewed for this guide ask for evidence that you live in their consular district. Rome asks for a municipal residence certificate (certificado municipal de residencia); Naples asks for the certificate issued by the “anagrafe” of your town of residence. If your situation is unusual, ask the office what will establish your residence.

Rome’s requirement · Naples’ document list

Can I book by phone in Italy, or turn up without an appointment?

No. Rome states that it does not give appointments by phone and that it cannot attend anyone without an appointment; you request a slot by email at cog.roma.nie@maec.es with your name, a contact phone number and the procedure you need, and the office confirms the date and time by email. Naples also books by email at cog.napoles@maec.es. Milan’s NIE page does not publish a step-by-step booking route; ask the office through its public phone or email before travelling.

Rome’s appointment rules · Naples’ appointment channel

Should I sign the EX-15, and can a representative apply for me?

Rome’s page is the most specific of the three: the EX-15 must be completed and signed by the applicant or their representative, in original and one copy, and is preferably filled in online and then printed. The applicant or a duly accredited representative must attend in person — physical presence is always mandatory. A representative needs a power of attorney expressly authorising the NIE application; if it was granted before an Italian notary, it must be translated and apostilled.

Rome’s document 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 states that it cannot speed up processing. The pages reviewed here describe a two-week average for issuing the NIE, a period that can be extended for reasons of force majeure. The NIE is sent to the applicant by email, so give a notification address that works. Treat those two weeks as a published expectation, not a guarantee.

Naples’ processing note · Rome’s processing 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. The offices list different amounts — Milan shows 9,84 € payable in cash, Naples shows a cash fee of 9,74 €, and Rome states 9,84 € to assign the NIE and 7,31 € to renew it, paid at the Consulate General. Take the current figure from your office or the payment form on the day you pay.

Milan NIE page · Naples NIE page · Rome 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 each case, one appointment in Italy. 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

1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Spanish consular offices in Italy — the official district list used for the table above.
2. Milan — Consulate General: NIE — document list, cash fee, two-week expectation and the district inherited from Genoa.
3. Naples — Consulate General: NIE — email appointment channel, “anagrafe” residence certificate and 9,74 € cash fee.
4. Rome — Consulate General: NIE — email-only appointments, counter hours, fees and representative formalities.
5. National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.

Last checked: 29 September 2026.