SPANISH
NIE NUMBERS
In Spain
you cannot buy any property, purchase a car, boat,
motorcycle or sign up for a service such as water
supply, telephone etc unless you hold a valid NIE
number. NIE stands for ‘Numero de Identidad de
Extranjero’. This simply means it is an identity card
for foreign nationals.
What
are NIE numbers for:
The NIE numbers are used specifically by the Spanish Tax
authority so they can process your annual returns if you
are a non-resident property owner or a resident property
owner. It will also assist the service provider
companies who will require that you provide your
passport, bank and NIE number details when you sign up.
NIE
numbers for buying property:
If you are buying property in Spain under two names such
as man and wife then you will both need NIE numbers.
Without an NIE number you will not be allowed to sign
the deeds though there are temporary exceptions to this.
If you are married to someone outside the EU then they
will want to see the original marriage certificate. It
is possible to still sign the deeds without one as you
can provide your Abogado (Spanish Solicitor) with power
of attorney. The certificate can be sent over to the (oficinas
de extranjeros) later and the NIE number of your partner
will be processed after 2-weeks.
Applying for an NIE number in Spain:
If you are buying Spanish Property and applying in Spain
then ensure that you process the application at least
30-days before the deeds of the property must be signed.
It is no longer possible to apply for the NIE number
from your Country of residence unless your Abogado does
this under power of attorney.
 |
You need
to apply at the immigration offices (oficinas
de extranjeros) and these can be found in
designated police stations in the area where
you are buying the property. Your Abogado
can provide assistance to you when you do
this and it not uncommon for you to apply
for your NIE numbers and sign the deeds to
your property on the same day.
You will need
to provide 2 passport photographs of
yourself, your passport (and photocopy) and
the deeds of your property. If you are a non
EU resident then you will have to make
copies of your Spanish Visa. You should
receive your NIE number after 2-weeks though
this can be early or later. |
I
would advise that you apply for your NIE number at
least 4-weeks before you sign the deeds for you
Spanish property. Processing the very same day as
you sign your deeds can be very stressful. The
queues can be quite long and it is not uncommon to
be waiting many hours for your turn to apply. Do
everything before hand will remove any problems so
you can focus just on signing the deeds and nothing
else on the day.
|
