NIE number in Barcelona: how to get one

Every newcomer to Spain meets the same wall: the bank wants an NIE, the notary wants an NIE and the landlord wants a copy of it. Here is how to get a NIE in Barcelona without wasting appointments, with the official source for each requirement. We describe the fee and the rules only as the government pages state them, and we say clearly when a detail is not published.

NIE number in Barcelona

The NIE is a personal, sequential number that identifies a foreigner to the Spanish administration. The Spanish government's procedure page describes it as issued by the General Directorate of the Police for people with economic, professional or social interests in Spain.

In practice you need it to:

• buy a flat (see our guide to buying property in Barcelona);
• rent a home (see renting in Barcelona);
• open a bank account, sign a mortgage or a work contract;
• pay taxes, set up utilities or register a company.

The number stays with you. It is not a residence permit, and a NIE issued at a consulate states that it does not entitle you to live in Spain or prove residence, as the Spanish consulate in Edinburgh says on its page.

NIE, TIE or registration certificate: what is the difference?

The NIE is the number. The TIE is the plastic card for non-EU residents, and EU citizens get a paper registration certificate. They are three different documents, and mixing them up is the most common source of wasted appointments.

The Policía Nacional describes the TIE as the document that proves a foreigner's legal situation in Spain. The same site explains that EU citizens must register in the Central Register of Foreigners within three months of arrival if they will stay longer, using form EX-18, and that a registration certificate is issued immediately, showing the name, nationality, address, NIE and date of registration.

How to get a NIE in Barcelona

Prepare the documents, pay the fee, book an appointment and submit the application in person. The Policía Nacional procedure page lists the conditions: you must not be in an irregular situation in Spain, and you must state your reasons for requesting the number.

1. Download form EX-15 (application for NIE and certificates) and fill it in, signed, in duplicate.
2. Generate and pay form 790 code 012. You print it from the Police website and pay it at a bank, savings bank or credit union. You do not need an account there, but you must present the payment document.
3. Prepare your passport. The government page asks for a valid passport or national ID, original and copy.
4. Prove the reason. The form asks for the economic, professional or social reason. A purchase contract, a job offer or a rental contract is the sort of evidence people use.
5. Book the appointment through the government's appointment system (see the next section).
6. Attend in person. The application is registered, and the Police then have five days to resolve it. The Police page notes that without an answer in that time the request is treated as refused, which is one more reason to bring everything on the first visit.

Foreign public documents may need an apostille or consular legalisation and a sworn translation into Spanish or the co-official language, according to the same government page. If you pay for a gestoría, they check this list for you.

What documents do you need for a NIE?

You need the signed EX-15, the paid 790 code 012 form and your passport or national ID, plus evidence of why you need the number. Extra papers depend on your case.

If you are not an EU citizen and you enter Spain from a country with which Spain has removed border controls, the same government page also mentions an entry declaration, which can be made at the border or in person within three working days at a police station or Foreigners' Office. If that applies to you, ask the office what it wants to see.

Do you need a NIE before you buy or rent?

In practice, yes. Banks, notaries and many landlords in Barcelona ask for it, so we would not start a purchase without one. The law does not set the order of your paperwork, so the sensible plan is to apply for the NIE first, and then search for the flat.

• Buying: the NIE goes on the deed and on the tax return. Our guide to buying property in Barcelona shows where it fits in the sequence.
• Renting: many landlords and agencies ask for it with the contract. Read our guide to renting in Barcelona before you sign.
• Working: the government page notes that for the first six months of residence or stay you can register with Social Security using your passport if you do not yet have a NIE, so employment need not wait for it.

How do you get a NIE appointment in Barcelona?

You request it online in the Ministry's appointment system, choosing the province of Barcelona and the NIE procedure. The government's NIE page links to this system for booking, and says that every person needs their own appointment, so a couple needs two.

Officially, the central administration's appointment portal is the place to start. We cannot give you a waiting time, because none is published and availability changes from week to week. Do not pay a stranger for the "slot" itself. Paying a professional for the service of booking and preparing your file is different, and we cover that below.

Barcelona has more than one office that handles foreigners' paperwork, and the one that serves you is the one the appointment system assigns, so always read the address on your confirmation.

Common problems:

• the form EX-15 has no signature or the wrong reason;
• the payment document does not match the procedure you selected;
• you arrive without the original passport;
• you try to use the NIE as proof of residence.

Can you get a NIE from a Spanish consulate abroad?

Yes. The Police page says people outside Spain apply through the Spanish consular offices abroad, which forward the request. Each consulate sets its own process, so follow the page of the one that covers your home.

For example, the Edinburgh consulate asks for the passport, proof of address in its area and proof that you need a NIE for a procedure in Spain, then the EX-15, form 790 code 12 and a copy of the passport on the day. It says the applicant or their representative must be present in every case, quotes £8.65 for 2026, and says the NIE normally takes three to four weeks and arrives by email. Another consulate will differ, so treat that as an example of how it works, not as a rule.

Because this is not instant, buyers often ask a lawyer for a power of attorney: the consulate page requires the document to state expressly that the representative may present the NIE application.

Should you use a gestoría or a lawyer?

If you are short of time or abroad, yes. A gestoría handles the form, the payment and the appointment, and a real estate lawyer can do the same if you are buying and need the NIE as part of the purchase. Both can act with a power of attorney.

Ask each one three things before you hire:

• what exactly the quoted fee includes (government fee, appointment, form, travel to the office);
• whether they handle the whole process or only give you the forms;
• how they will send you the NIE once issued.

We do not publish professionals' prices, because they set their own fees and we cannot verify them. If you are moving to the city, a relocation agency often bundles the NIE with the rest of your arrival paperwork.

How long does it take, and what happens next?

The legal limit for resolving the application is five days from registration. That limit starts only when you submit in person. The longest waits are the appointment, and at a consulate the processing time quoted by that office.

Once you have the NIE:

• keep a paper and a digital copy, because banks and notaries ask for it constantly;
• check the name and number against your passport;
• if you are a non-EU citizen who will live in Spain, start the residence procedure, because the NIE alone does not give residence;
• if you are an EU citizen staying over three months, register with form EX-18.

The rules for appointments and fees change, so we recheck this page regularly. If an official page differs from ours, trust the official page and tell us through the form.