NIE Certificate

The rules have all changed alt when buying a property in Spain.  The government want to stamp out all the black money and illegal building in Spain.  The first steps have been made.  Before you go to notary, you need your original NIE certificate, a copy will not do, so make sure you keep it safe.  You also need a Spanish bank account in your name before completion.  You also need to produce evidence of all money transactions right from the first deposit.  Your bank will ask why you have a large amount of money place into your Spanish Bank account and what it will be used for and when.  You need proof of the money coming out of your account and paying the builder.  You can no longer just bring a bundle of cash from the UK and pay for your property, if you want to bring cash over, you need to deposit into your Spanish bank account first, then draw it back out to pay the builder.

Hope this helps!

Until recently it was possible for your solicitor to apply for this on your behalf but the rules were changed and now you have to apply in person.  Our solicitor was going to send someone with us at the cost of 200 euros to get the NIE number - so we did it ourselves!!  2 visits to Orihuela and about £10!4 Passport copies (of the back pages per person )

Most NIE offices take at least 8 weeks to process the paperwork and issue the NIE number so you need to go twice.

Documents needed to obtain the NIE number

4 Passport type photos

Passport

Original contract

2 copies of the original contract.

NIE form - available from your solicitor (and they should fill it out for you!)

Apparently your lawyer can apply for the NIE certificate on your behalf but you need to give power of attorney. This will cost around 70€

Alan

I have just spoken to our abogado who advises she can still get the NIE using POA but does need notarised copies of our passports.

£10 is very cheap but when you compare the cost of flying to Spain, the hotel costs involved, holiday time lost etc. etc. €200 is even cheaper.

Getting NIE, furniture, locks changed, snagging and the myriad of other things required when buying a property can be fairly easily acheived if you are onsite, or even in the same country, not so easy when you are not.

That said, your advise is very welcome, Fred39, and I am certainly not decrying you for it, the more information we get the better,  these things just emphasise the difference between being there and not. 

You do not need photographs for the NIE - only for Residencia. If you apply in Marbella I am told the NIE is now taking 6 to 8 weeks but that information comes from a client who has been told that by his lawyer and I suspect it is only because the lawyer does not want the aggro of queuing for 8 hours to get to the counter. If you apply in Estepona it takes 2 weeks for the certificate to be issued as evidenced by the fact that I collected one for a client two weeks ago that had been applied for 2 weeks previously.  You can do anything here by Power of Attorney as long as the POA is set up the right way. There is no ruling that you have tio have a copy of the purchase contract although I would recommend taking one with you as it is proof of genuine reason for the application. If anyone wants the NIE form I can e mail it to them as a PDF and instructions for completing it.

YOU DO NEED: application and a copy of the application

                            passport and a photcopy of the passport

As I say I recommend taking a copy of the PPC - you probably wont have the original anyway in most circumstances.

There is no on site copier and if you do not have the copies they will send you away (after you have queued for an hour or more). They need the passport copy so that they have a record on file and the need a copy of the application so that they can stamp the application as received and give you a reference number for collection of the official certificate.

sorry pressed enter key by mistake

It's pretty obvious each office has different rules for what you need to produce.  When we got ours we needed:

Original Passport

Copy of Photo page of passport

1 Passport sized photo

2 copies of application form

And that was it.  These requirements are posted on the notice board outside the Foreign office at the Orihuela Costa Ayuntamiento.  We took 4 photos and she gave us 3 back. 

For the application we waited about an hour (November 2006)

For collection we waited nearly 6 hours as the place was full of Rumanians who hadn't filled the forms in correctly (Jan 2007)

For the grand cost of £21 in cash and a trip to Manchester - we filled our application for NIE with the consulate.  10 mins later we were on our way and the NIE certicficates arrived a few weeks later.  the application neeed to be filled out in full - however because they were quiet they helped us with this - can't complain about the process and a lot better that the 200 euros and five hour wait we were quoted in Alicante.  the consualte web site has copied of all the forms etc and what is needed

Hi Guy's

Can I  take it then that my Lawyer can still apply for the Nie numbers for my two sons and myself?

Hi taffyboyo

Just a note of info - our lawyer got our NIE numbers successfuly.  When another family member used the same lawyer to buy a house, the lawyer refused to arrange his NIE number as the relevant town hall was across the border in a different administrative province.  Not far in terms of distance, but clearly not their usual practice.  He has to arrange to get his own.  Check yours is in the same province, or that your solicitor is more flexible than ours.

Hi guys

As far as I am aware - as of 1st January this year in Malaga provionce at least - NIE applications must be made in person, and can no longer be applied for with power of attorney

Regards

Jeannie

The info below has been copied from the Spanish Consulate General Website.   http://www.conspalon.org/legaleng.html#NIE

Hello all

As mentioned on this thread and elsewhere, the NIE application can be done in the UK by visiting one of the Spanish consulates in London, Manchester os Glasgow (I think).

£22 per application and ours came through in just a few weeks.

Hope this helps

Blimey, that was quick San Miguel!

I have heard horror stories of queues that stretch round the block and back.................you must have tipped the wink at someone!