How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Portugal: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Portugal, start with your registered address: two Spanish consulates general serve the country — Lisbon and Porto. 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 Portugal and its two offices.
Which office covers your address?
Portugal has two Spanish consular offices, both consulates general. Unlike some other countries in this series, the pages reviewed here publish no division of Portugal into consular districts, so this table cannot match a province or region to an office. Residence is still the starting point — not nationality, and not the office that answers first.
| Where you live (registered address) | Office | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Your registered address in Portugal | Consulate General, Lisbon | Lisbon NIE page |
| Your registered address in Portugal | Consulate General, Porto | Porto NIE page |
Because no district list is published, confirm with the office before contacting it that your address falls inside its consular district — both pages ask for proof of residence there. The embassy’s official consular-office directory for Portugal is the source for the two offices above.
The consular NIE route: what applies across Portugal
Both offices publish the same national procedure, worded identically on their pages, so the shared points below apply whichever one you use:
- A NIE can be requested directly in Spain or at the consular office for your place of residence. From Portugal, that is Lisbon or Porto. Both pages 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 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.
- The standard document set is a standardised EX-15 form (original and one copy), completed and signed by the applicant or the representative and preferably filled in online; the original valid passport of the applicant plus a copy of the biographical data page — EU citizens may identify themselves with their identity document, original and one copy of both sides; a document proving residence in the consular district; and a completed Modelo 790, Código 012 with the fee paid. Applicants under age or legally incapacitated add a copy of the family record book, birth certificate or guardianship document, plus the valid passport or identity document of the parent or guardian.
- A representative’s file is larger. If the NIE is requested through a representative, add the original and copy of the representative’s identity document or passport, and a power of attorney sufficient to show expressly that the representative is authorised to submit the NIE application.
- No appointment channel is published. Both pages say that more information on how to present the application may be requested by email sent to the consular service — that email is the published route (see each office below).
- A NIE is not a residence document. The pages state that it is not valid for residing in Spain and does not attest residence there. Anyone intending to establish residence in Spain must obtain a visa beforehand, and EU citizens must register with the Central Registry of Foreign Nationals once they are 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
Lisbon — consulate general
Lisbon publishes the shared procedure and document list described above. Its page, in Portuguese, restates the mandatory presence rule and the standard documents; it adds no local booking page and no district list. The published route is to ask how to present the application by email to the consular service at cog.lisboa@maec.es. On timing, the page says the NIE is issued on average within two weeks, that this period can be extended for reasons of force majeure, and that it is sent by email to the address given for notification. Its fee example dates from 2021; take the current amount from the office or the 790-012 payment form. The office also publishes the phone number + 351 21 322 05 00. Lisbon NIE page
Porto — consulate general
Porto publishes the same procedure and the same document list, word for word, and the same timing note: about two weeks on average, extendable for reasons of force majeure, with the NIE sent by email to the address given on the form. Its page publishes no phone number; the route it gives is to ask how to present the application by email to the consular service at cog.oporto@maec.es. Its fee example also dates from 2021 — treat it as old, and take the current amount from the office or from the 790-012 payment form. Porto NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon | Rua do Salitre 3, 1269-052 Lisboa | Google Maps |
| Porto | Rua Dom João IV 341, 4000-302 Porto | 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
- Which districts each office covers. The pages reviewed for this guide publish no division of Portugal into consular districts, so no district can be assigned to Lisbon or Porto from them. Both pages ask for proof of residence in the consular district — ask the office to confirm that your address is inside its own.
- An appointment channel. Neither office publishes a booking route or an online booking page. Both direct you to ask the consular service by email and give an address for it; neither page describes accepting applications without an appointment. Presence is mandatory, but agree the channel first.
- Current fees. Both pages carry the same fee example from 2021 (€9.74). Take the amount from the official payment form (790-012) and from your office on the day you pay.
- Waiting times. Both pages describe about two weeks on average, extendable for reasons of force majeure. Neither publishes current, office-specific waiting times; treat the figure as the published expectation, not a guarantee.
- Relocation and residence rules. Neither page publishes the “more than three months” restriction that some other countries’ offices carry, and neither sets out a procedure for applicants settling in Spain. The pages do state that a NIE is not valid for residing in Spain and that EU citizens must register with the Central Registry of Foreign Nationals once there. Ask your office about your own plans.
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 Portugal covers my address?
Portugal has two Spanish consular offices, both consulates general: Lisbon and Porto. The pages reviewed for this guide do not publish a division of Portugal into consular districts, so they do not state which districts each office covers. Both pages ask for proof of residence in the office’s consular district, so confirm with the office you plan to use that your address falls inside it before you write to it.
Consular-office directory for Portugal · Lisbon NIE page · Porto NIE page
Do I need proof of residence in Portugal to apply through a Portuguese consulate?
Yes — the document list published by both Lisbon and Porto includes a document proving residence in the consular district. The pages do not say which documents they accept as proof, and the districts themselves are not published, so ask your office what will establish your address.
Lisbon’s document list · Porto’s document list
Can I use the consular route if I plan to move to Spain for more than three months?
Neither office reviewed for this guide publishes a rule on moving to Spain for more than three months or settling there. They state only that a NIE can be requested directly in Spain or at the consular office for your place of residence. If you intend to live in Spain, raise it with the office before you apply.
Lisbon’s procedure · Porto’s procedure · Booking a NIE appointment in Spain
Should I sign the EX-15, and can someone else apply without attending in person?
Lisbon and Porto publish the same rule: a completed and signed EX-15, original and one copy, which should preferably be filled in online. The application may be made in person or through a duly accredited representative, but the physical presence of the applicant or of the representative is always mandatory. A representative also brings their own identity document or passport, original and copy, plus a power of attorney expressly authorising the NIE application.
Lisbon’s instructions · Porto’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 speed up processing. Both pages describe about two weeks on average, which can be extended for reasons of force majeure. Treat that as the offices’ published expectation, not a guarantee.
Lisbon’s delivery note · Porto’s delivery note · National Police — NIE assignment procedure
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. Both offices ask for the EX-15 completed and signed and preferably filled in online, together with the 790-012 with the fee paid. The only amount published on either page is a 2021 example of €9.74, so take the current figure from the office or from the payment form.
Lisbon NIE page · Porto 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 Portugal’s case, starts with an exchange by email with your office, since no appointment channel is published. 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 Portugal — the official list of the two offices used above.
- Lisbon — Consulate General: NIE — procedure, document list, email channel and fee example (in Portuguese).
- Porto — Consulate General: NIE — procedure, document list and email channel (in Portuguese).
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 29 September 2026.