getting a nie number

I will be moving to spain with my family shortly, and would like to know if i can apply for a nie number whilst still in england 

You have to apply in person at a Spanish consulate in UK and take the following documents with you:

Original passport

A stamped (also at the consulate) photocopy of your passport

The fee of £22.
2 recent passport size photos. The background must be plain, and people who wear glasses and/or earrings must take them off for the photo
An original copy + photocopy of a document which explains why you need your NIE. This can be the private sales contract you have signed 

A NIE application form. This is not provided by the consulate and you will have to download it from the Spanish Interior Ministry website. Do not sign the application form as this has to be done in front of a consulate official who stamps it as valid.
A self-addressed envelope
An envelope big enough to contain all the above + NIE application form addressed to the central police HQ in Madrid: Comisaría General de Extranjería y Documentación, Dirección General de Policia, C/ General Pardiñas, 90, 28006 Madrid, Spain

Once the NIE application form with your signature and passport have been stamped, the consulate will send the envelope containing all the above to Madrid. Then you will have to wait to receive your NIE.

Depending where you live, you apply(in person) at one of the following:

Northern Ireland, Cheshire, Cleveland, Clwyd, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Durham, Manchester, Gwynedd, Humberside, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, the Isle of Man, Merseyside, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Tyne & Wear or Yorkshire, please apply to: The Spanish Consulate General, 1 Brooks House, 70 Spring Gardens, Manchester, M2 2BQ. Tel: 0161 236 1233

Scotland or the Scottish Islands, please apply to: The Spanish Consulate General, 63 North Castle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3LJ. Tel: 0131 220 1843

And if you live anywhere else within the UK apply to the London office: 20 Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ, Tel: 020 7589 8989, Fax: 020 7581 7888

It could take around a month to have the NIE number posted to you.

Phew! Maybe something that is easier done whilst in Spain.

Once you get to Spain, you can go to your local Policia place & apply for the NIE. 

I'd say it'd be less hassle to do it here than in England.  If you don't live near a Spanish Embassy in England & which have "bankers hours or better" you're likely to pay less here. 

showman    when I renewed mine in december went in on the wednesday ready to be picked up on the thursday. that was in the police station in antequera cost less than 9euros, same as the cost of the first one, needed completed NIE form (EX-15, do a search loads of places to download from and information on how to fill it in). my passport and a photo copy of it.

process was quick even though the woman behind the desk did not speak english, an my spanish not that great yet, but what I did do was to print out some questions in spanish and english to help me with that situation

Txakoli:-    Once you get to Spain, you can go to your local Policia place & apply for the NIE. 

It may vary from Region to Region but it is usually the Documentation Section of the National Police.  However, it is never the Policia Local,  they are a branch of the local town hall, they are not a Government dept. 

Incidentally:   The law has changed.  For the past month or so when one applies for the NIE, the certificate is valid for 3 months only (although the actual number is yours forever).  Within that 3 months one must either apply for residence status or non-residence status. Not doing so will incur a fine of up to 600 euros.

johnzx:  yes, you're right.  I called it Policia because in Bilbao that's what everybody calls it!

My situation is perhaps different to expats in that my wife is from here, & the house is in her name as it's where she was born, so I've never had any problem with documents.

It was not ‘Policia’ I was questioning but ‘Policia Local’. They are a branch of the town hall.   The policia is a general for 'the police'.

All EU citizens have a right to live in Spain. Being  married to a Spanish national makes no difference at all.

However, my wife is from outside EU,  so she has a ‘Residencia’ (unlike EU nationals who have residence status)

Hi ,

We went to the Spanish Conulate in London today to apply for our NIE number and found the process very easy and saved us a lot of money having not to fly over to Spain .

We filled out our EX-15 and one photo copy plus our passport and one copy then the Lady at the Conulate gave us a form which we filled out at the Conulate think its call "Centro Gestor Direccion General de la Policia y la Guardia Civil Modelo 790" then we paid £7.80 in cash pp and we were told that we should get our NIE Numbers within Two/Three Weeks sent by E-Mail.

Hope that help anyone.

Tanstevo,

When you applied, did they say anything with reference to :-  

Incidentally:   The law has changed.  For the past month or so when one applies for the NIE, the certificate is valid for 3 months only (although the actual number is yours forever).  Within that 3 months one must either apply for residence status or non-residence status. Not doing so will incur a fine of up to 600 euros.

Also,  when you get your number by emails, what happens re the certificate ?  Only the original is valid in Spain (not an email or any other copy) and as I said, it only lasts for 3 months now ?

I was of the understanding  you could also apply via a Vice Consulate.

Spanish Vice Consulate
23 Michael Drive
B15 2EL Birmingham - Edgbaston
West Midlands

?Phone: 0121 440 3930 Fax: 0121 440 3930

Maybe someone could confirm?

We got ours from the consulate in London, but that was 8 years ago!

Hi,

   I thought the consualte at Manchester closed a while ago?.

London it is then and a nice day out.

Nick

Can anyone recommend a good company to help me apply for an NIE number?  I had a terrible experience recently with Nie4SpainOnline.    Their website made it sound really easy but when it turned out that I would incur over £500 worth of legal costs in the UK, I decided not to go ahead.  But they refused to give me my money back even though all they had done is sent me a very simple document which the notaries I spoke to said was wrong anyway.  Could really do with someone who can handle the whole process and won't charge the earth, oh, and won't rip me off just because I paid in advance.

We recently purchased a property and these Lawyers did it for us no problem, not sure where you are though.

ABAD ABOGADOS

Centro Comercial Costa Zenia http://www.abadabogados.com/

Hi Griffitm1

Here is an extremely informative website for you.Hope it helps.

http://www.spanishpropertyinsight.com/legal/spanish-nie-numbers/

Good Luck

Grif:   Why not wait until you come to Spain.  

 Go to the National Police for the area where you are staying.    

You will need your passport and a copy, the application form EX-18 and the payment cert from the bank. About 10 euros,  and that is it.

The application for EX-18 can be downloaded from here http://www.interior.gob.es/en/web/servicios-al-ciudadano/modelos-de-solicitud/extranjeria

Hi All,

         As you see from my earlier thread I did do to London and it was simple, I am from Chester and was told by the Embassy that I should have gone to Scotland (I think all North of Manchester) but as I was there no problem.

Virgin return was less then £50 and I think I had to pay about £18 in the Embassy. Just take two copies of your passport and two copies of the form posted on this site.

A week letter I got an email with my form attached.

Nick

Like you I need an NIE number, so I asked the estate agent about it and they OFFERED to help me do it when I came out, Only 2 weeks ago for €120.00, hmmm. I booked a train to Dublin went to the embassy, €20.00 for return train and a few pints with friends, €9.45 to apply for the NIE number.