What is a NIE number?

Key facts

Why Spain gives foreigners a number

Spain identifies every person in its tax, property and administrative systems by a single number. Citizens use their DNI; foreigners get a NIE. The moment you do anything with legal or economic weight in Spain — buy a flat, open a bank account, inherit, sign a work contract, register a business — the system needs your NIE to record it.

The legal ground is set out in Real Decreto 557/2011 (the Reglamento de Extranjería): foreigners "related to Spain by reason of their economic, professional or social interests" are assigned a NIE on request, provided they are not in Spain irregularly. You do not need to live in Spain, and you do not need to be an EU citizen. You need a reason — and the reason must be stated in the application.

What the NIE is used for

You will be asked for your NIE when you:

• Buy or sell property — the notary cannot execute the deed without it
• Open a bank account — required for resident accounts, and most banks ask for it even on non-resident accounts
• Pay any Spanish tax — the NIE doubles as your tax identification number (NIF) for individuals
• Sign an employment contract or register as self-employed
• Inherit assets located in Spain
• Set up a company, get utilities connected, buy a car, get a Spanish SIM on contract

One number covers all of it. There is no separate "tax NIE" or "property NIE".

What a NIE does NOT give you

Four points where the NIE is most often misread:

• ✗ It is not a residence permit. Holding a NIE says nothing about your right to live in Spain.
• ✗ It is not a work permit. You cannot take up employment on the strength of a NIE alone.
• ✗ It does not expire — but certificates age. The number is permanent. The old three-month "validity" of the paper certificate was abolished; in practice, some notaries and banks still ask for a recently issued certificate, which you can re-request with the same form EX-15.
• ✗ There is no public NIE lookup. No official website lets anyone find a NIE by name. Services offering to "check" or "find" someone’s NIE online are a red flag.

NIE, white certificate, green certificate — quick disambiguation

The number arrives on a white A4 certificate — that is the standard NIE document for non-residents and non-EU citizens. EU citizens who move to Spain for more than three months register separately and receive a green certificate (Certificado de Registro), which contains their NIE but is a different document with different requirements. Non-EU residents carry their NIE on the TIE card. If you’re unsure which document you’re looking at, see what a NIE number looks like.

How you get one

In short: form EX-15, the €9.84 fee (tasa 790, código 012), your passport, and a stated reason — submitted at a police station in Spain, a Spanish consulate abroad, or through a legal representative under Ley 39/2015. The police must resolve the application within five days of registration; the real waiting happens earlier, in the appointment queue. The full comparison of routes is in the NIE number in Spain guide, including getting a NIE from the UK, Ireland or the US.

⚠ Scams to avoid

• ✗ Paid "guaranteed cita" offers. Police appointment slots are free of charge; resellers monetise the queue — they cannot create slots.
• ✗ "Official express NIE". No express track exists — the five-day resolution rule is the same for every application.
• ✗ "Check anyone’s NIE by name". There is no public NIE registry; any site claiming to look up a NIE by name is not using an official source.