Guide · checked 17 October 2026

Getting your NIE (and the appointment)

The NIE is the number Spain uses to identify you for banks, property and tax, and you can get one before you move. Here is what it is, where to apply, which form and fee, and how the appointment fits in.

What the NIE is, and what it isn't

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is a number. Spanish law says foreigners who deal with Spain through economic, professional, social or other interests are given a personal, unique and exclusive number for identification, and that it must appear on every document issued to them (RD 1155/2024, art. 205). A NIE from a consulate lets you deal with the Spanish authorities, but it is not a residence permit (Spanish consulate in London).

• The TIE (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) is a card, for foreigners given a visa or an authorisation to stay for more than six months. It is the card non-EU citizens, which includes UK nationals, get when they become resident, and you must ask for it in person within one month (RD 1155/2024, art. 209.1). The police fee table also lists, at the same €12.00 fee as the EU certificate, a TIE for British citizens covered by the Withdrawal Agreement (Policía Nacional).
• The EU registration certificate is the certificate given to EU and EEA citizens, and Swiss citizens, who will live in Spain for more than three months. It shows your NIE (Policía Nacional).

Which applies to you depends on your situation:

• Buying from abroad, or another reason to deal with Spain without living here: you apply for a NIE on its own, which is what the rest of this guide covers.
• Moving as an EU citizen: you register in person within three months of arriving, with the documents showing you meet the conditions in RD 240/2007, art. 7, and are given the certificate with your NIE on it (Policía Nacional).
• Moving as a non-EU citizen: the police assign the NIE automatically (de oficio) when a procedure to stay in Spain is under way (RD 1155/2024, art. 205.1 and 205.3), then you get the TIE. Residency itself is not covered here yet. If you are applying for a non-lucrative or digital nomad visa, the health insurance guide covers the cover those visas ask for.

Who can apply, and where

You can ask for a NIE if you are not in Spain irregularly and you tell the authorities the reasons, economic, professional or social, why you need one (Policía Nacional).

• In Spain: you apply to the police, directly or through a foreigners' office (Oficina de Extranjería) or a police station (art. 205.4).
• Not in Spain: you apply at a Spanish consulate abroad, which passes the application on to the police headquarters for foreigners in Spain (art. 205.4). The London consulate, for example, has its own NIE page with its own steps (Spanish consulate in London). Procedures and fees vary by consulate, so use the page for the one you will visit.

Through a representative: the London consulate accepts one, who must show a power of attorney that expressly allows them to apply for the NIE, and either you or your representative must be there in person (Spanish consulate in London). If you use a gestor or lawyer, they would apply as that representative. For applications at a police office in Spain, article 205 speaks of you applying personally.

Once an application reaches the office that decides it, the law gives 5 days to answer, and no answer within that time counts as a refusal (art. 205.4). The London consulate says that in practice it takes about two weeks on average, that the NIE is emailed to you, and that the consulate cannot speed it up (Spanish consulate in London).

The form, the fee and the documents

• Form EX-15 is the application for a NIE (and for resident and non-resident certificates). The police list it, together with proof that you have paid the fee, as the documents for a NIE (Policía Nacional). The EU registration certificate uses form EX-18 instead (Policía Nacional).
• The fee is paid with Modelo 790, código 012. On 17 October 2026, the police fee table showed €9.84 for a NIE requested by the person concerned, and €12.00 for the EU registration certificate (Policía Nacional, fees). Check the amount the form calculates before you pay.
• How to pay it: fill in the Modelo 790 código 012 form on the police website, print it, and pay at a bank, savings bank or credit cooperative; you don't need an account there. Take the payment document with your application (Policía Nacional).
• At the London consulate you still fill in the Modelo 790 código 012 form beforehand. On 17 October 2026 the NIE fee there was £8.65, paid by card at the consular office on the day of your appointment (Spanish consulate in London).

The London consulate lists these documents (Spanish consulate in London):

• form EX-15, original and one copy, filled in and signed by you or your representative, stating the economic, professional or social reasons for the application
• your valid passport (original, plus a copy of the page with your details); EU nationals may use their identity card instead (original, plus a copy of both sides)
• proof of residence in the consular district
• form 790, code 12, filled in beforehand; the fee is paid by card at the consulate on the day of your appointment
• if a representative applies: only a certified copy of your passport or ID is needed, plus the representative's ID or passport (original and copy) and a power of attorney that expressly authorises them to apply for the NIE; powers made before a local notary must be legalised or apostilled
• if the applicant is a minor or an incapacitated person: a copy of the family book, birth certificate or guardianship document, and the valid passport or ID of the parent or guardian

Other consulates and police offices may ask for different documents, so read the page for the office you will use.

The appointment

The official online appointment service for foreigners' matters (cita previa de extranjería) is on the Administraciones Públicas website: Cita previa de extranjería. It covers two kinds of appointment: at foreigners' offices, run by the Government delegations, and with the Policía Nacional, run by the Ministry of the Interior (Administraciones Públicas). For a NIE you may deal with either a foreigners' office or a police station (art. 205.4), so look at which offices in your province take NIE applications. Offices and provinces differ, so we can't tell you which to pick for yours.

If you are not yet in Spain, the consulate is the alternative: at London you ask for an appointment by email, and pay the fee on the day (Spanish consulate in London).

After you get it

• It is personal. The NIE is a unique and exclusive number, and it must appear on every document issued to you (art. 205.1 and 205.2).
• Banks ask for it. The Banco de España says EU citizens opening an account may be asked for their passport or ID together with their NIE (Banco de España). See opening a bank account in Spain.
• Buying a home? Read finding and buying a property in Spain and getting a mortgage in Spain as a foreigner, and add up the taxes and fees with the property purchase costs calculator.

Not covered yet

Residence (the TIE and the EU certificate once you live here) and citizenship are not covered by our guides yet.

In short

1. The NIE is a number; the TIE and the EU certificate are the residence documents.
2. Apply on form EX-15 with the Modelo 790 código 012 fee, at a police office in Spain or at a consulate abroad.
3. Say why you need it, and check the amount the fee form calculates before you pay.
4. Use the official appointment service in Spain, or your consulate's own method abroad.