How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Romania: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Romania, the entry point is the Consular Section of the Embassy in Bucharest: it covers the country, and applications are submitted at its office in Bucharest. The Consular Section 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 Romania and its Bucharest Consular Section.
Which office covers your address?
The consular district follows Spain’s official division of Romania. Residence is the starting point — not nationality, and not the nearest honorary consulate. The list below matches the office’s published district.
| Where you live (registered address) | Office | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Romania (country-wide); honorary consulates in Timișoara (Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin), Cluj-Napoca (Cluj, Bistrița-Năsăud, Mureș, Suceava and others) and Chișinău (Republic of Moldova) | Embassy Consular Section, Bucharest | Bucharest NIE page |
If your address does not map clearly to this district, confirm it with the office before contacting it rather than guessing. The embassy’s official consular-office directory for Romania is the source of this district.
The consular NIE route: what applies across Romania
The Bucharest Consular Section follows the same national procedure as the other offices in this series, with its own local contact channel. The shared points, as published by the office itself:
- A NIE can be requested directly in Spain or at the consular office for your country of residence. From Romania, that is the Consular Section of the Embassy in Bucharest.
- 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.
- 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
Bucharest — embassy consular section
Bucharest requires an appointment, which is necessary and can be obtained by email at emb.bucarest.info@maec.es or by phone at (+40) 21 318 10 77. Applications are submitted at the Consular Section at 3, Arh. Louis Blanc, Bucharest, 011751; the consular section can also be reached on (+40) 213 181 085, and its page notes that documentation for a NIE can be requested from that section. On the fee, the page refers to form 790, code 12, with payment of the corresponding fee, and directs you to the office fee page rather than stating an amount. The Embassy covers Romania country-wide, with honorary consulates in Timișoara (Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin), Cluj-Napoca (Cluj, Bistrița-Năsăud, Mureș, Suceava and others) and Chișinău (Republic of Moldova). Bucharest NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Bucharest (Embassy Consular Section) | 3, Arh. Louis Blanc St., Bucharest, Sector 1, 011751 | Google Maps |
These are the office’s published address. 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 office reviewed here publishes no current waiting time for a NIE appointment. Treat any estimate as unconfirmed and ask the office.
- A published fee figure. The NIE page refers to form 790, code 12 and to the corresponding fee but states no amount; take the figure from the office fee page or the payment form on the day you pay.
- Processing time for the NIE. The NIE page reviewed here publishes no processing time; it describes only the assignment by the General Commissariat and delivery by email.
- Walk-in service. The office states that an appointment is necessary; no page reviewed describes accepting a NIE application without one. Arrange the appointment first.
- Which honorary consulate touches your file. The Embassy covers Romania, and the honorary consulates in Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca and Chișinău are listed for the country; the NIE page itself points to the Consular Section in Bucharest, so confirm the applicable channel before travelling.
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 Romania covers my address?
For a NIE, the Embassy Consular Section in Bucharest handles the country: it covers Romania, and applications are submitted at the Consular Section at 3, Arh. Louis Blanc St., Bucharest, Sector 1. Spain also has honorary consulates in Timișoara (for Timiș, Arad and Caraș-Severin), Cluj-Napoca (for Cluj, Bistrița-Năsăud, Mureș, Suceava and others) and Chișinău, in the Republic of Moldova. Confirm with the office which one applies to your address before contacting it.
Consular-office directory for Romania
Do I need proof of residence in Romania to apply through a consulate?
The standard document set for a consular NIE includes proof of residence in the consular district. Bucharest is the office that serves Romania for NIE purposes, so your proof of residence should establish an address it covers. If your situation is unusual, ask the office what will establish your residence.
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. 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.
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. If you plan to settle in Spain, check the visa and residence requirements first — that route starts in Spain, not at the consulate.
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 Embassy Consular Section in Bucharest does not publish a processing time on its NIE page, so treat any estimate as unconfirmed until the office states it, and note that the NIE is sent to the applicant by email.
Where do I get the EX-15 and how do I pay the fee?
Open the forms from the office’s NIE page: EX-15 for the application and Modelo 790, Código 012 for the fee — the office page refers to form 790, code 12, with the corresponding fee paid. No figure is published on the NIE page, so take the current amount from the office’s fee page or the payment form on the day you act.
Choose your next step
You can run the whole process yourself through the official channels above — it costs the official fee and one appointment at the Consular Section in Bucharest. Recheck the 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 Romania — the official district list used for the table above.
- Bucharest — Embassy Consular Section: NIE — appointment by email or phone, form 790 code 12 fee route and document note.
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 5 October 2026.