Recent Spanish legislation makes it compulsory for anyone selling or buying property in Spain to have a NIE - Numero de Identidad de Extranjeros which, translated, means "Identity Number for Foreigners". People applying for a NIE used to get a plastic card which fitted neatly into any wallet or purse, but the modern NIE is actually just a piece of paper with your name and number and a official stamp so, as friend of Euroresidentes Angus Wallace suggests, "remember to make about 20 photocopies of the original and keep those for everyday use, it’s surprising how quickly that very important piece of paper becomes a mini jigsaw after it has been folded umpteen times and stuck in your wallet".

Until recently, foreign non-residents in Spain could buy or sell property without a NIE. Then, once it became necessary to have one, their legal representative could get one for them. But recent legislation passed in Spain has made it necessary for anyone paying money to the Spanish Inland Revenue (Hacienda) to have a Spanish identity number, and to obtain it in person unless you give someone else legal representation.

How do I get a NIE?

In theory it's easy. All you have to do is to go to the Extranjeros department of your nearest Policia Nacional station (find out which one is nearest you in this list of National Police Offices in Spain thanks again Angus!), fill in and sign an application form, and hand it in together with a recent passport sized photo. (N.B. When you get your photo done and if you wear glasses or earrings, take them off beforehand), a photocopy of your passport and your original passport.

In practice, and depending on where you live, this should be quite straightforward. However, the Spanish Foreign Office still makes no distinction between EU-member state cititizens and other foreigners applying for the all-important NIE, so in certain places you will have to join a very long queue of immigrants in Spain seeking the same paper as you. In Alicante, for example, people are advised to start queuing at 5.00 a.m. to get their NIE, because each morning the office opens at 8.30 a.m. and gives out numbers to the first 70 people in the queue. The rest have to return and queue again the next day. In some other cities we have heard of applicants having to spend half the night outside the office in order to be well-placed in the queue when it opens. Spanish burocracy is often very exasperating and the whole experience of obtaining a NIE has been known to put some people off buying a house in Spain completely!! Our advice: arm yourself with patience and a bottle of water or flask of tea and a good book. And print this page (Reasons for living in Spain) incase you start to get desperate and need a reminder of why you are putting yourself through this. Alternatively, get a recommended Spanish lawyer to sort it out for you. If you need help in finding one, let us know.

Anyone seeking to buy or sell property in Spain would be well advised to set aside one whole day to resolve this question.

Update: Read how to get your NIE in the Spanish consulate in the UK.