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".




























 







Until
recently, foreign non-residents in Spain could buy or sell property without this
number, or 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.
How
do I get a NIE?
In theory it's easy. All you have to do is to go to
your nearest Oficina de Extranjeros, fill in an application form, and hand it
in (IN PERSON - you can't get anyone else to do it for you) 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).
In practise,
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, so in certain places you will have to join a
very long queue of immigrants in Spain seeking to legalise their residency here.
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.
Anyone seeking to buy or sell
property in Spain would be well advised to set aside one whole day to resolve
this question.
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