Moving to Spain means picking up an NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) early on - it’s the unique identification number every foreigner needs for almost any transaction here, from receiving a package to buying a house. What trips people up is that “NIE” gets used loosely for two different things: the number itself, and the green residency card that most people also end up needing. They’re two separate errands, at two separate offices, usually months apart. Here’s how both went for us, in the order you’ll actually do them.
Getting the NIE number
The process for the number itself is fairly simple. Fill in Form EX-15, pay the tax on Form 790 Code 012 (around 10 euros), and bring proof of that payment to your appointment.
You have two routes for that appointment: apply at the Spanish embassy in your home country before you leave, or book with the police office closest to where you’re staying once you’re in Spain. Appointments can only be booked about a week in advance, so you won’t be stuck waiting around for a slot months out.
Bring everything with you: the filled-out and paid forms, your passport, and proof you’ve actually arrived in Spain - a fuel receipt, a flight ticket, or a copy of your accommodation booking has all worked for people. The police office prints your NIE on the spot at the appointment, and that’s it - step one is done.
You can hire a gestor to handle this for you, and plenty of people do, but it costs more. Our take: give it a go yourself first. It’s a decent crash course in Spanish bureaucracy, and it saves you the fee.
Then, later: the green NIE card
Once you have your NIE number, the next step for most people is registering as a resident and getting the green NIE card - the document that’s accepted everywhere in Spain as proof you’re properly registered. This is a separate process, with a different form, and it’s the part that actually takes some preparation.
You’ll be doing this either because you have a job lined up in Spain, or because you’re covering yourself with savings instead. The paperwork differs depending on which applies to you.
What you’ll need
- Your NIE
- Your passport
- Proof of residence (empadronamiento - your registration at the local town hall)
- A filled-out EX19 application form
- Proof of payment for the tax (around 12 euros per person)
- Proof that you have enough funds to support yourself
Showing you have financial means
If you work for a company in Spain, or your employer already has a branch here, they handle registering you with social security, and that covers this requirement.
If you’re not employed, you’ll need to show savings instead, and sign up for a private health insurance plan - the logic being that you shouldn’t be relying on the public system before you’ve started paying into it. Once you’re working and contributing, you don’t need this proof anymore.
The savings figure is based on the IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples): about 7,200 euros per adult in 2025, and half that per child. For a family of two adults and one child, that works out to around 18,000 euros. You don’t need to actually hold that amount in cash, just show you can access it - a bank certificate covering the figure is what you bring to the appointment.
Booking the appointment
With your documents together, book an appointment at the foreigners’ police office. Slots fill up fast, so keep checking. Aim to get this done within three months of your first empadronamiento registration - offices tend to be fairly flexible about this given how stretched their staff usually are.
At the appointment itself, the decision is quick. If everything checks out, you walk away with your green NIE card. One thing worth knowing before you go: don’t laminate it. It’s against the rules and can cause problems later - a plastic sleeve does the job of keeping it safe instead.
The short version
If a friend asked what to expect:
- Fill in Form EX-15 and pay the tax (Form 790, Code 012).
- Book your NIE appointment - at a Spanish embassy before you leave, or with the police once you’re here.
- Bring your forms, passport, and proof of arrival, and collect your NIE number on the spot.
- Once you’re settled, gather your documents for the green card: NIE, passport, empadronamiento, the EX19 form, and proof of funds.
- Show you’re covered financially, either through employment or savings plus private health insurance.
- Book the green-card appointment within three months of your empadronamiento, and skip the laminator.
It’s a two-part errand, not a one-afternoon job, but neither part is as intimidating as the paperwork makes it look.
