NIE Document

In order to …

• buy property
• buy a car
• open a bank account
• sign up for a fixed telephone subscription
• sign up for a fixed Internet subscription
• have the right to vote in local elections
• take out an insurance
• apply for a loan or a mortgage
• work in Spain

… you should apply for a foreigner’s identification number (NIE). The result from your application will be a single sheet of paper. The NIE in itself is permanent and always stays the same after you have been assigned one, but it is recommended that you renew the document periodically.

Residence Card

If you are a EU citizen and intend to make Spain your country of residence you should apply for a residence card (residencia). The application papers also include an application for a NIE number. Once you become a resident your national medical insurance policy, your tax affiliation, and your drivers licence are placed under spanish authority.

You can get all the necessary information and forms for the NIE and the residencia applications at the foreigners department of the local administration (ayuntamiento) but you will have to turn the forms in personally at a national police station and you also have to collect your NIE-document and your residence card at the same police station, also in person. Be aware that not all national police stations offer these services, you have to make sure before going there.