How to apply for a Spanish NIE from Switzerland: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from Switzerland, start with your registered address: three Spanish consulates general serve the country — Berna, Ginebra and Zúrich. 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 Switzerland and its three offices.
Which office covers your address?
The consular districts follow Spain’s official division of Switzerland. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Basilea Campo, Basilea Ciudad, Berna, Friburgo, Jura, Neuchâtel y Solothurn | Consulate General, Berna | Berna NIE page |
| Ginebra, Valais y Vaud | Consulate General, Ginebra | Ginebra NIE page |
| Argovia, Appenzell Rhodes Exteriores, Appenzell Rhodes Interiores, Glaris, Grisones, Lucerna, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Soleura, San Galo, Turgovia, Ticino, Uri, Zug y Zúrich | Consulate General, Zúrich | Zúrich 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 Switzerland is the source of these districts.
The consular NIE route: what applies across Switzerland
All three offices follow the same national procedure, with local differences in how you book and what you pay. 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 Switzerland, that is the office covering your registered address — Berna, Ginebra or Zúrich. The three districts are not interchangeable.
- 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 the office 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.
- How you get in differs by office. Berna and Zúrich state that an appointment is required; Ginebra states that no appointment is needed and that you submit Monday to Friday during its public opening hours, 08:15–13:30. Check the route that applies to your district before travelling.
- The consular NIE here is a certificate, not a card — and it is identification, not residence. The offices describe the route as producing an NIE certificate in PDF, without validity for residence, and state that the physical card is only issued in Spain. 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
Berna — consulate general
Berna takes NIE applications by appointment: its page states that an appointment is required and directs you to request it as described on the consulate’s Horario, Localización y Contacto page, rather than publishing a booking link on the NIE page itself. The office’s contact details are published there, and the consular directory lists the address cog.berna@maec.es and the telephone 031 356 22 20 for enquiries. On the fee, the page states that the amount follows the consulate’s consular fee schedule — no figure is printed on the NIE page. Berna NIE page
Ginebra — consulate general
Ginebra is the exception among the three: no appointment is needed. Its page states that you submit the application Monday to Friday during opening hours, 08:15–13:30 — a published no-appointment submission window rather than a booking model. The office publishes the address cog.ginebra@maec.es and the telephone 022 749 14 60 for enquiries, and points to its consular fee schedule for the amount, which is not printed on the NIE page. Ginebra NIE page
Zúrich — consulate general
Zúrich asks you to request the appointment by email: write to cog.zurich@maec.es. The office also publishes the telephone 044 368 61 11 for enquiries, and states that the fee follows its consular fee schedule — the amount is not printed on the NIE page, so confirm it with the office. Zúrich NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Berna | Marienstrasse 12, 3005 Berna | Google Maps |
| Ginebra | Avenue Blanc 53, 2º piso, 1202 Ginebra | Google Maps |
| Zúrich | Riedtlistrasse 17, 8006 Zürich | 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
- Processing and waiting times. None of the three offices reviewed here publishes a processing time for a consular NIE application, and no appointment waiting time is listed either. Treat any estimate you read elsewhere as unconfirmed and ask your office.
- The fee amounts. All three offices state only that the amount follows their consular fee schedule; no figure is printed on the NIE pages reviewed here. Take the current amount from the office on the day you pay.
- How Berna books. Its NIE page says an appointment is required and then sends you to the consulate’s Horario, Localización y Contacto page rather than a booking link. Confirm the channel before travelling, because Zúrich books by email and Ginebra needs no appointment at all.
- Representative formalities at each office. The pages reviewed here do not itemise what a representative must bring beyond the general rule that the applicant’s or the representative’s physical presence is mandatory. Ask your office before sending anyone on your behalf.
- Walk-in service outside Ginebra. Ginebra states that no appointment is needed and gives submission hours of Monday to Friday, 08:15–13:30. Berna and Zúrich require an appointment, and no page reviewed describes walk-in NIE service at those two offices; 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 Switzerland covers my address?
It depends on your registered address. Berna covers Basilea Campo, Basilea Ciudad, Berna, Friburgo, Jura, Neuchâtel and Solothurn. Ginebra covers Ginebra, Valais and Vaud. Zúrich covers Argovia, Appenzell Rhodes Exteriores, Appenzell Rhodes Interiores, Glaris, Grisones, Lucerna, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Soleura, San Galo, Turgovia, Ticino, Uri, Zug and Zúrich. Confirm your district with the office before contacting it.
Consular-office directory for Switzerland
Do I need proof of residence in Switzerland to apply through a consulate?
Yes — the application is tied to the consular district where you live: the office covering your registered address is the one that can take it, and the standard document set includes proof of residence in that district. The NIE pages reviewed here do not itemise which Swiss documents are accepted as residence proof, so ask the office what will establish your address in its district.
Berna NIE page · Zúrich NIE page
Can someone else submit the application — do I have to attend in person?
The applicant or a duly accredited representative must attend, and the physical presence of the applicant or the representative is always mandatory. How you get in differs by office: Berna and Zúrich take NIE applications by appointment only, while Ginebra states that no appointment is needed and that you submit Monday to Friday during its opening hours, 08:15–13:30. If you use a representative, ask your office what it requires before sending anyone.
Berna NIE page · Ginebra NIE page
Does the consular NIE let me live or work in Spain?
No. The route through these offices yields an NIE certificate in PDF, not the physical card, and the pages describe it as without validity for residence: it is an identification number, not a residence permit. The card itself is only issued 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.
Ginebra NIE page · National Police — NIE assignment procedure
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. Delivery is by email, so put a working notification address on the EX-15. None of the three offices reviewed here publishes a processing time or an appointment waiting time for NIE applications.
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. None of the three Swiss offices prints an amount: each states that the fee follows its consular fee schedule, so take the current figure from the office on the day you act.
Berna NIE page · Zúrich 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 Switzerland, except at Ginebra, where submission is without an appointment during opening hours. 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 Switzerland — the official district list used for the table above.
- Berna — Consulate General: NIE — appointment required via the consulate’s contact page and the fee-schedule pointer.
- Ginebra — Consulate General: NIE — no-appointment submission window and the fee-schedule pointer.
- Zúrich — Consulate General: NIE — email appointment route and the fee-schedule pointer.
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 2 October 2026.