How to apply for a Spanish NIE from the Netherlands: which consulate to use
In this article
Short answer. To apply for a Spanish NIE from the Netherlands, start with your registered address: the Consulate General in Amsterdam is the only Spanish consular office in the country that runs NIE applications. 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 the Netherlands and its single office.
Which office covers your address?
The consular route from the Netherlands is tied to residence, and the office asks for a document proving residence in the Consular area. Amsterdam’s NIE page does not publish a province-by-province list for the country, so the practical starting point is your registered address in the Netherlands — not your nationality, and not an office in a neighbouring country.
| Where you live (registered address) | Office | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Your registered address in the Netherlands | Consulate General, Amsterdam | Amsterdam NIE page |
If your address does not map clearly onto this list, confirm it with the office before contacting it rather than guessing. The embassy’s official consular-office directory for the Netherlands shows Amsterdam as the country’s only Consulate General; honorary vice-consulates are not published as NIE application channels, so do not treat them as one.
The consular NIE route: what applies across the Netherlands
Amsterdam follows the same national procedure as other Spanish consulates, described on its own page. The shared points, as published by the office:
- A NIE may be requested directly in Spain or at the Consular Office of the applicant’s country of residence. From the Netherlands, that is the Consulate General in Amsterdam. Amsterdam’s NIE page states it in these terms.
- You apply in person or through a duly accredited representative — and the physical presence of the applicant or of the representative is mandatory in every case. 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 application form itself must indicate them.
- The published document set is an EX-15 standard application form (original and one copy), completed and signed by the applicant or the representative and preferably completed online and printed; the original of a valid passport with a copy of its biographical data page; a document proving residence in the Consular area; and Form 790, code 12, duly completed, with the corresponding fee paid.
- EU citizens identify themselves differently. Nationals of European Union member states may identify themselves with their identity document — original and one copy, front and back — instead of a passport.
- Representation has its own paperwork. If a representative presents the application, only the certified copy of the applicant’s document is provided; the original and a copy of the representative’s identity document or passport must also be presented, together with a power of attorney expressly stating that the representative is empowered to present the NIE application.
- A NIE is an identifier, not residence permission. The page states that a NIE obtained via the Consular Office identifies the bearer to all levels of the Spanish public administration, but does not entitle the holder to reside in Spain or prove residence there; EU citizens who do establish themselves in Spain must register at the Central Registry of Foreign Nationals.
- 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 Consular Office cannot shorten the processing time, 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
Amsterdam — consulate general
Amsterdam is the only Spanish consular office that handles NIE applications for the Netherlands, and its NIE page is published in Dutch. It restates the mandatory presence rule and the shared document list, and it adds what to bring when the applicant is a minor or is incapacitated: a copy of the family record book, the birth certificate or the guardianship document, plus the valid passport or identity document of the parent or guardian — and, if it applies, the identity document of the guardian.
Two things the page does not publish are a booking system and a current fee. It says that more information on how to apply for a NIE may be requested (by email) from this Consular Office, and the office’s published contact address is cog.amsterdam@maec.es — that is the published channel, so write before you travel. On the fee it carries an example from 2021 (9.74 €); do not rely on that figure — take the current amount from the office or the 790-012 payment form.
On timing the page is specific: the NIE is normally issued within two weeks, but the period may be extended by factors beyond the control of the administration, and the document is sent to the applicant by email. Amsterdam NIE page
Addresses and map links
| Office | Address | Open the map |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam (consulate general) | Frederiksplein 34, 1017 XN Amsterdam | 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
- A booking system. Amsterdam’s NIE page publishes no appointment calendar or booking platform. The published route is to ask the office by email, and no page reviewed here describes accepting NIE applications without an arranged channel.
- Current fees. The only figure on the page is an example from 2021 (9.74 €). Take the amount from the official payment form (790-012) and from the office on the day you pay.
- Waiting times for an appointment. The page describes about two weeks for issuing the NIE, but publishes no waiting time between your request and your appointment.
- The consular district in detail. The office asks for proof of residence in the Consular area but does not publish a province-by-province list for the Netherlands; if your situation is unusual, ask the office what will establish your residence.
- Alternative offices. Per the embassy’s official directory, Amsterdam is the only Consulate General of Spain in the Netherlands. This guide does not treat other Spanish representations as NIE channels.
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 the Netherlands covers my address?
Amsterdam — the Consulate General at Frederiksplein 34, 1017 XN Amsterdam. Spain’s official consular directory lists it as the only Consulate General of Spain in the Netherlands, and its NIE page is the consular route for the whole country. The office asks for a document proving residence in the Consular area, so your registered Dutch address is the starting point. Confirm your case with the office before contacting it.
Consular-office directory for the Netherlands · Amsterdam NIE page
Do I need proof of residence in the Netherlands to apply through Amsterdam?
Yes — the published document list includes a document proving residence in the Consular area. The page does not publish a province-by-province district list for the Netherlands, and it does not name one specific document. If your situation is unusual — a recent move, a second address, or a stay that is not yet registered — ask the office which document will establish your residence.
Can I use the consular route if I plan to move to Spain for more than three months?
Amsterdam’s NIE page does not publish the relocation restriction that some other consulates apply, so this guide does not add one. What the page does publish is the scope of the number itself: a NIE obtained through the Consular Office identifies the bearer to all levels of the Spanish public administration but does not entitle the holder to reside in Spain or prove residence there, and EU citizens who do settle in Spain must register with the Central Registry of Foreign Nationals. If you are moving, check the in-Spain route as well.
Amsterdam NIE page · Booking a NIE appointment in Spain
Should I sign the EX-15, and can a representative apply for me?
Amsterdam asks for the EX-15 standard application form, original and one copy, completed and signed by the applicant or the representative, and preferably completed online and printed. The form must indicate the economic, professional or social reasons that justify the application. The request may be made in person or through a duly accredited representative, and the physical presence of the applicant or of the representative is mandatory in every case — representation is not a route that removes attendance.
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 the processing time. Amsterdam’s page says a NIE is normally issued within two weeks, but that the period may be extended by factors beyond the control of the administration. Treat that as the office’s published expectation, not a guarantee, and note that the page publishes no waiting time for the appointment itself.
Amsterdam NIE page · National Police — NIE assignment procedure
Where do I get the EX-15 and how do I pay the fee?
Open the forms from the office’s NIE page: the EX-15 for the application and Form 790, code 12 for the fee. Amsterdam lists the 790-012 as part of the document set and asks for it duly completed with the fee paid, but the only amount its page shows is a fee example from 2021 (9.74 €) — too old to rely on. Take the current figure from the office or the payment form, and keep the receipt.
Amsterdam 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, once the office has confirmed the route, one visit in Amsterdam. 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 the Netherlands — the official directory that lists Amsterdam as the country’s only Consulate General.
- Amsterdam — Consulate General: NIE — document list, mandatory presence, email channel, delivery by email and the 2021 fee example.
- National Police — NIE assignment procedure — the national procedure behind the consular route.
Last checked: 29 September 2026.