What is a NIE number
NIE is the abbreviation of: “Número de Identificación de Extranjeros”.
Which literally means identity number of foreigner. It can be compared with the Dutch Citizen Service Number (BSN).
What NIE number needed for
The NIE number is required for all legal, many administrative actions and any purchases in Spain.
• Buy a house in Spain
• Rent a house in Spain
• Pay taxes
• Buying a car in Spain
• Road tax in Spain
• Insurance (such as home contents, car or health insurance)
• Telephone and Internet connections
• Electricity and water contracts
• Looking for a job in Spain
• Online purchases
• And for much more…
Apply for NIE Number
The following ways are possible:
• Via the Spanish Consulate in Amsterdam.
• You can apply for a NIE number in Spain yourself.
You can do this at a police station in the municipality where you live or are going to live.
The police station “oficina de extranjera” will then provide you with the NIE number.
• Or you give a power of attorney (via a notary in Spain) to have this done by an external party in Spain. There are costs associated with this power of attorney.
Apply for a NIE number in the Netherlands
You can do this at the Spanish Consulate in Amsterdam, but it can take a lot longer than in Spain itself. It can take a week to weeks before you receive your NIE number by post after your appointment at the consulate at home.
http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/AMSTERDAM/en/ServiciosConsulares/Pages/NIE.aspx
Apply for a NIE number yourself in Spain
You cannot just walk into a police station in Spain and apply for your NIE number. You must first make an appointment with a police station that also has an “Oficina de Extranjeros”
You can make an appointment via the link below:
https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/icpplus/index.html
Apply for a NIE number via power of attorney
You can authorize someone (for example your lawyer or gestor).
They speak the language and often have a network, which means that you can contact the police a little earlier for an appointment.
Issuing an authorization to, for example, your lawyer is arranged through a notary and costs around € 100.00 and you also pay your lawyer / gestor.
You have a NIE number for life, so it does not need to be renewed.
