Getting a NIE in Spain

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See also: Madrid Restaurant Menus

Who needs a foreigner's identification number in Spain?

All EU citizens planning to reside legally in Spain for three months or longer are expected to register with the Oficina de Extranjeros or the local police station (in towns without a Foreigner’s Office). Non-EU citizens holding a residence or work visa are also required to register.

 

Upon registering, the authorities will give you a NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros), which is your identification number for all transactions in Spain. You will need it to open a resident’s bank account, open a business, rent a flat, get a mobile phone contract, etc.

 

What you will need to submit when you register for a NIE in Spain

Your original passport and one copy.

Three passport-sized photos in color with a white background. Write your name on the back of each.

Completed and signed original copy of Modelo 14. Make yourself a copy as well.

 

(In the past, British citizens received a resident’s card when they registered with the foreigner’s office or police station. Now they receive only a certificate with their name, address in Spain, country of origin, NIE, and date of registration. This accompanies their national identity card or passport from their home country. It is not a valid form of ID as a stand-alone document.)

Carrying identification in Spain

Note that it is illegal NOT to carry ID with you at all times in Spain. On the rare occasion that the police stop you to ask for identification, you can be fined if you are not carrying any. That means that anyone with a NIE should always carry their national identity card from their home country and the certificate for their NIE. Non-EUers should carry their passport. Personally, I don't like the idea of carrying around my passport all the time (there are pickpockets everywhere in Madrid), so I carry a photocopy of the photo page of my passport. The chances of being stopped are quite small, unless you look like a criminal or illegal immigrant.

 

 

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passports -- schengen area -- prorroga -- visas -- work permits -- empadronamiento

spanish driver's license -- bringing pets to spain -- setting up a business

convalidación y homologación de títulos -- english-speaking lawyers in spain -- official translators in spain

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