The Foreigner’s Identity Number, everything you need to know

The Foreigner’s Identity Number, everything you need to know

Foreigners who have economic, professional or social ties with Spain must be assigned a personal, unique and exclusive sequential number for identification purposes. The Foreigner’s Identity Number (NIE) is an identification document issued to each foreign person residing in Spain and is used as an equivalent to the National Identity Document (DNI) held by Spaniards. This document allows foreigners to be identified in all public institutions in the country.

The entity responsible for issuing the NIE in Spain is the Dirección General de la Policía. Therefore, to process your application, it is necessary to go to the Oficina de Extranjería (Immigration Office) at the nearest police station.

The documentation that must be submitted to apply for the NIE is as follows:

• Form EX15 filled out with the data of the interested party.
• Original and photocopy of the passport or identity card of the nationality of the interested party. 
• Written communication of the reasons for requesting the NIE. 
• Fee 790 paid. 

The number is composed of a letter followed by 7 digits and, finally, another letter.

We must not confuse the NIE with the TIE (Foreigner’s Identity Card) since the TIE is an identification card that accredits that a non-EU foreigner resides legally in Spain, either temporarily or permanently, while the NIE is a number that has some legal issue.

Every foreigner who has to carry out any legal procedure in Spain must get a NIE, whether he/she lives there or not, and the NIE also serves as a Spanish tax identification number. Not everyone who has a NIE has a TIE, but everyone who has a TIE will always have a NIE. That said, the NIE appears on both the certificate of registration of citizens of the Union and the TIE.

There are two types of NIE, the NIE for non-residents, which is the one granted to non-EU citizens who are going to start living in the country, or who are going to carry out any type of procedure in Spain, however, this type of NIE does not authorize you to reside or work legally in Spain. 

The NIE for non-residents that is granted to people who do not want to reside in Spain is granted in a document that has an expiration date of 3 months. 

After this period, if the foreigner wishes to carry out any other procedure, he/she must renew his/her document to maintain its legal validity. However, this does not imply that he/she must obtain a new NIE, since the number will remain the same, and only one is assigned throughout his/her life. If necessary, what is renewed is the document that accredits you.

As it is logical, the NIE of non-resident in Spain is requested by foreigners who are not in the country. The way to do this is through the drafting of a power of attorney that must be granted before a notary in the country of nationality of the interested party, which will have to be signed together with the passport of the same. Both documents will have to be apostilled and sent by mail to Spain, where the person empowered by the person granting the power of attorney is located, who will have to go to the police authorities with all the documentation and carry out the process of requesting the number, which will be given to him/her at the same time.