Foreigner Documentation in Spain

Any foreigner staying longer than 3 months in Spain needs to apply for a NIE. The NIE, which stands for Número de Identidad de Extranjero, is basically an identification number for foreigners. It’s required for many transactions in Spain, such as buying or selling property, or paying taxes.

Getting it requires a bit of patience and a good deal of red tape; but then again, if you’ve been here for more than 3 months, you probably already guessed that it would!

First, you should go to the Foreigners Department (Departmento de Extranjeros) in your local National Police Station and ask for details. Here in Madrid, you can call 902 56 57 01 anytime from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to make an appointment.

How to get nationality papers in Spain

Keep in mind, this will all be done in Spanish, so if you’re Spanish isn’t up to snuff, ask a friend for help. Also keep in mind that calling 902 numbers involves paying a small fee.

You will be assigned a date (possibly a few months out) and a Foreigners Office to go to. When you go to the appointment, bring your passport and the filled out EX 14 form (you can download it here).

Also bring documentation explaining why you’re applying for the NIE (such as papers from your school or employer here). Also, just to be safe, bring copies of all these documents.

There is a small fee of about €10 to apply. You must pay that at a bank before going to the appointment, and bring the receipt to your appointment.

To do this, ask for the  “impreso 790″ form at the Foreigners Department of your local National Police Station. On the form there will be a list of banks where you can pay.