Free guide for España
Apply for your NIE
Apply for your NIE, your foreigner identity number, if you need it for a procedure and do not have it yet.
Many procedures ask for your NIE. Note: having an NIE does not give you permission to live or work in Spain.
The essentials
- What it costs
- You pay fee 790-012. Get the form on the Police website and pay the amount shown. We do not give an amount here.
- How long it takes
- They must answer within five days at most from when you hand in the application. If you hear nothing in that time, the answer is no.
- To prepare it
- They must answer within five days at most from when you hand in the application
Is it for you?
Foreign nationals who need an NIE for economic, work or social reasons.
- Are you going to apply for a long-stay visa, a permit or EU citizen registration? You get the NIE there without asking for it separately.
- Are you in Spain without your papers in order? You cannot get it this way.
- Do you live outside Spain? Apply at the Spanish consulate for your area.
- Can't go yourself? Someone else can go with a power of attorney that says they may submit this application.
What to bring
Tick each document when you have it ready. Ticks are not saved.
Step by step
- Check whether you already have an NIE. If you have applied for a permit or a long-stay visa, the Police already assigned you one.
- Fill in form EX-15 and write down why you need the NIE.
- Get fee form 790-012 on the Police website and pay it.
- Ask whether the office requires an appointment (cita previa).
- Hand everything in at an Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office) or a police station. If you live outside Spain, at the Spanish consulate for your area.
- Keep the receipt. They must answer within five days at most.
Afterwards
- Keep the document with your NIE together with your passport.
- If you are going to live in Spain, continue with your visa, your permit or your EU registration.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the NIE is a residence permit.
- Handing in the application without explaining why you need the NIE.
- Bringing only one copy of form EX-15: they ask for two.
- Applying for the NIE separately when you already get it with your visa, your permit or your EU registration.
What this guide does not decide
The NIE is only a number. It does not give you permission to live or work. If you bring documents from another country, you may need to legalise and translate them: see the Migraciones information sheet.
Official links
- NIE assignmentRequirements, documents and where to apply, on the Police website.
- Form EX-15Official application form for the NIE and certificates.
- Fee 790, code 012Generate the fee payment form.
- Documentación de las personas extranjeras: NIEMinisterio del Interior
- Asignación de NIE a instancia de interesadoPolicía Nacional
- Formulario EX-15: solicitud de NIE y certificadosMinisterio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones