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Obtaining a NIE in Barcelona

Updated July 2018

All EU visitors spending three months or more in Spain are legally required to sign on to the Registro Central de Extranjeros and if they comply with the legal requirement, they are given the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Union. This little green card, which cannot be used as an ID, details your name, nationality, address and issues you with your personal número de identidad de extranjero (NIE)—foreigner's identification number.

The NIE is required for a number of legal and other transactions, including:

All EU citizens can get a non-residential NIE number (number written on an A4 piece of paper) with their passport and evidence as to why they need the NIE number (buying car, house, setting up a company, etc). For a permanent residency NIE card they will need proof of one of the following: a) that they have employment or work for themselves in Spain, b) that they have sufficient financial resources to look after themselves, including health insurance, c) that they are enrolled as a student and have private health insurance or an EU health card, d) that they will be joining a family member according to the conditions in the Agreement on the European Economic Area. See here for details of what documentation is needed in each case and here is the list of the forms that you need to fill out.

You can apply for the NIE as an EU national at your local Oficina de Extranjeros (here is the list of offices in Catalunya). The office for Barcelona is located at Rambla de Guipúscoa 74. You will need your passport and a photocopy, plus the documentation according to your status in Spain (student, employed, family member, etc.). You need an appointment (cita previa) for the Oficina de Extranjeros. You can get this here. Click on "Barcelona" then "Certificados EU." As there is a limited number of appointments given every week, it can sometimes be tricky to get one.

Apart from all forms and documents you will also need to pay a state fee. You can find the form for the payment here. (€9,64 for NIE number or €12 for a permanent NIE card). Be aware, however, that many banks will only deal with this transaction if you have a bank account with them and sometimes only within specific hours of the day. There is also an option to pay by cash machine (it only accepts bills no coins, or in some by credit card). If all the required documents are presented, the permanent NIE card is given the same day and the non-residential NIE number is to be picked up the next working day.

NON-EU residents can apply for the non-residential NIE number with similar conditions as EU nationals (for administrative purposes) if they do not intend to live in Spain. The documentation is slightly more strict as for example notary letter or contrato de arras is needed in case of buying a property. The office to apply for the non-residential NIE number is located in Passeig Sant Joan, 189.

For NON-EU residents to stay in Spain for longer than three months, the application process is generally more complicated and depends on the type of visa (student, non-lucrative, work etc.). The visa must be obtained already in the home country. After the arrival to Spain the application process for the TIE card (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) should be started within the first 30 days. In Barcelona the office for the application (fingerprinting appointment) is located at Rambla Guipuzcoa, 74 (only different part of building then for EU). The office to pick up the TIE card after about four weeks from the fingerprinting appointment is in Calle Mallorca, 213. For more information about visas, you should contact the Spanish Embassy in your home country.

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