NIE, NIF, TIE and DNI

All six identifiers in one table

No comparison table needs memorising once you see the logic: the Policía issues identity (NIE, DNI, TIE), the tax agency issues fiscal identity (NIF, the old CIF), and social security issues its own number (NUSS). One person never needs all six.

Number versus card: NIE vs TIE

The single most expensive confusion in Spanish paperwork is number versus card. The NIE is a number on a white A4 certificate. It costs €9.84 (tasa 790/012), never expires, and is not a residence permit. The TIE is a card — the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero — issued to non-EU citizens who already hold residence authorisation. The card shows your NIE on its face, carries your photo, and expires together with the permit behind it.

That is why the fees differ: the TIE has its own lines on the same 790/012 form — €16.08 for first issue, €19.30 for renewal. Paying a TIE fee does not get you a NIE, and holding a NIE does not entitle you to a TIE; the card requires a residence permit first. The full fee table, line by line, is in NIE documents, forms and the fee.

Same digits, different purpose: NIE vs NIF

For individuals, the NIF is not a number you apply for — it is a role your existing number plays. The moment a Spaniard deals with the Agencia Tributaria, their DNI number acts as their NIF; the moment a foreigner does, their NIE acts as their NIF. Same digits, different purpose. There is no separate "NIF application" for a person, no second card, and no extra fee.

The exception is legal entities: companies identify with an entity NIF (letter + 7 digits + control character) issued by the Agencia Tributaria. That identifier was historically called the CIF, and the old name survives in everyday speech and in bank forms long after the law merged it into the NIF.

DNI: the citizens’ counterpart

The Documento Nacional de Identidad is what Spanish citizens carry: 8 digits plus a check letter, issued by the Dirección General de la Policía, on a card that is renewed periodically while the number stays for life. A foreigner never receives a DNI — the NIE is the foreigner’s equivalent, one digit longer and prefixed with a letter. X-series NIEs are exhausted; Y has been issued since 2008 and Z since 2022, so all three prefixes remain valid in circulation.

NUSS: the outsider on the list

The Número de Usuario de la Seguridad Social — 12 digits, issued by the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social — identifies you to the social security system, not to the police or the tax agency. You need it the first time you work in Spain or register for benefits, and it lives for life alongside your NIE or DNI without replacing either. Employers routinely ask for the NIE and the NUSS together; they are different numbers from different administrations.

Which one do you actually need first?

For almost every newcomer the answer is the NIE: banks, notaries, employers and the tax agency all key their records to it, and it works as your NIF from day one. How to request it — including without travelling, via a consulate or a power of attorney — is covered step by step in the NIE number in Spain guide and in getting a NIE from the UK, Ireland or the US.

⚠ Scams to avoid

• ✗ "Buy your separate NIF here." For individuals no separate NIF exists: your NIE (or DNI) is your NIF. A service selling a personal "NIF application" is selling a number you already have.
• ✗ "Upgrade to the TIE fee for a stronger NIE." €16.08 and €19.30 pay for the card procedures, not a better number. Paying a higher concept on the 790/012 gets your proof of payment rejected.
• ✗ "Your NIE has expired — renew now." NIE numbers never expire. Only the TIE card and the underlying permit have renewal dates; "NIE renewal" offers trade on the confusion between number and card.