Spain · NIE
An NIE (número de identidad de extranjero) is the personal number Spain gives foreigners with financial, professional or social dealings there, and you need one before you can buy a home. From the UK you can apply at the Spanish consulate in London or Edinburgh, in person at a police office in Spain, or through a representative with power of attorney. In 2026 the fee is £8.65 at the consulates and €9.84 in Spain.
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See what fits →Spanish regulations describe the NIE as a personal, unique and exclusive number, and it appears on the documents Spain issues to you. For tax purposes it doubles as your NIF, the tax number a foreigner uses instead of a Spanish ID number.
That is why a purchase cannot go ahead without one. Anyone signing a deed that transfers property must show their tax number to the notary, who records it, and the Land Registry turns away any deed that lacks those numbers. A couple buying together therefore need an NIE each.
The Foreign Office adds that opening a Spanish bank account requires one, and you will quote it on every Spanish tax you pay as an owner; utility companies generally ask for an identity number too. How it fits into the whole purchase is set out in buying property in Spain as a UK citizen.
The NIE is a number, not a residence permit. The consulates state plainly that it does not entitle you to live in Spain or prove that you do, so the 90-days-in-180 limit on visits still applies; our 90-day rule and EES page explains the count.
The TIE (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) is the identity card for non-EU nationals allowed to stay more than six months, applied for in person within a month of arriving, and it carries the same NIE. For UK nationals living in Spain before 2021 it is the residence document the Withdrawal Agreement recognises; anyone moving now needs a visa first, covered on our Spain visa page, and our move checklist covers the rest.
Living in the UK, you apply at the consulate that covers your address, and each asks for proof that you live in its district. Edinburgh's covers Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley; if you live elsewhere, check the London consulate's district before you book.
Both book NIE appointments by email. London uses [email protected]; Edinburgh asks you to email PDFs of your passport, a Council Tax bill and proof of why you need the number. You or your representative must attend in person, and the £8.65 fee is paid by card at the appointment, with Modelo 790 código 012 filled in beforehand.
The police in Spain assign the number, not the consulate, which cannot speed it up. London says it is normally issued within three weeks and Edinburgh within three to four, both warning that it can take longer. The certificate reaches you by email.
If you are in Spain, perhaps on a viewing trip, you can apply to the Policía Nacional at a foreigners' office (Oficina de Extranjería) or a police station. Appointments (cita previa) are booked online, province by province, and how soon one is free varies from place to place and week to week.
Fill in form EX-15, then generate Modelo 790 código 012 on the Policía Nacional's fee page and pay the €9.84 at a Spanish bank before the appointment; you do not need an account there. You must not be in Spain irregularly, and you must say why you need the number.
The regulation gives the police five days from registering your application to decide, and silence counts as a refusal. Ask at the appointment when the certificate will be ready.
A duly accredited representative, such as your Spanish lawyer or a gestor, can apply for you at a consulate or in Spain. The power of attorney must say expressly that they may apply for your NIE, and the London consulate requires it to carry an apostille. They bring their own passport or ID with a copy, and a certified copy of your passport instead of the original.
If you use a gestor, the Foreign Office notes that only a gestor administrativo with the GA mark is qualified to deal directly with the Spanish administration. Their fee comes on top of the official one.
| Document | UK consulate | Police office in Spain | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form EX-15 | Completed; London wants it unsigned, Edinburgh signed with a copy | Completed and printed | As for the office used |
| Passport | Original and a copy of the photo page | Original and a copy | Certified copy of yours, plus their own ID and a copy |
| Reason for the NIE | Documentary proof, such as a reservation contract | Stated on the form | As for the office used |
| Proof of UK address | Required; Edinburgh asks for Council Tax | Not listed | Required at a consulate |
| Fee: Modelo 790 código 012 | £8.65 by card on the day | €9.84 at a Spanish bank beforehand | As for the office used |
| Power of attorney | Not needed | Not needed | Must expressly cover the NIE; apostilled for London |
Sources: the Spanish consulates in London (page dated 1 January 2026) and Edinburgh, the Policía Nacional and Real Decreto 1155/2024, art. 205. The consulates differ on whether EX-15 should be signed in advance, so follow the one you use.
The number does not: once assigned, it stays with you and is reused for every later dealing with Spain. A 2008 ministerial order says NIEs already assigned are kept "indefinitely by their holders", and the 2024 regulation still calls the number personal, unique and exclusive.
The certificate is less clear-cut. The official pages for NIE assignment give it no expiry date, the Policía Nacional gives a three-month validity to the separate resident certificate, and practice among notaries and banks varies. If yours is more than a few months old, ask the notary before completion whether it will do; a new one carries the same number.
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Talk to us about Spain →London says an NIE is normally issued within three weeks and Edinburgh within three to four, both warning it can take longer because the police in Spain assign the number; the certificate arrives by email. Applying in Spain, the police must decide within five days of registering your application, though the wait for an appointment varies.
The official fee, paid with Modelo 790 código 012, is £8.65 at the Spanish consulates in London and Edinburgh, paid by card at the appointment. In Spain the same fee is €9.84, paid at a Spanish bank before your appointment; no account is needed. A lawyer or gestor who applies for you will charge their own fee on top.
Not entirely. The application has to be made in person, by you or by a representative with power of attorney, at a consulate or at a police office in Spain. Parts of the process are online: the fee form is generated on the Policía Nacional's website, appointments in Spain are booked online, and the consulates send the certificate by email.
Yes. Every buyer named in the deed must give the notary their own tax number, and for a foreigner that number is the NIE, so a couple buying jointly need one each. Without every signatory's number the deed cannot be registered, so apply for both at the same time.
No. An NIE identifies you to the Spanish authorities but does not let you live in Spain, and the 90-days-in-180 rule still applies to your visits. Non-EU residents carry a TIE card showing the same NIE, and UK citizens moving to Spain now need a visa before they can get one.
Last checked 2026-09-28. Rules and rates change; this is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own position with an independent Spanish lawyer or tax adviser before you act.