Applying
for your NIE and Residency in Spain
NIE - Numero de Identificacion de Extranjeros
An NIE number is essentially a tax number for foreigners
in Spain. You need one if you are going to buy a house or
a car, if you are going to work for a Spanish company or
if you want to apply for residencia (a residency
card).
To get an NIE number, you need to go to the extranjeros department
at your nearest Comisaria (the police station for the national
police force, not the local police).You will need to take
your passport. The forms are fairly straightforward and you
will have your NIE number within 2-6 weeks of applying.
Residencia
The rules on residencia cards in Spain have been changed
recently, and if you are an EU citizen and you have a job
in Spain - either as an employee or as a self employed person
- you do not have to apply for a residencia card.
If however you are from outside the EU or if you are retired/unemployed,
then you should apply if you stay in Spain for more than
6 months.
Whether you need a residency card or not, the British
consulate advise you to get one anyway because, among
other things, it saves you from carrying your passport
around as ID and makes many bureaucratic processes much
easier If you don't get a residency card, you will need
a NIE (numero de identificacion de extranjeros, or foreigner's
ID number) before you can open a bank account or get a
job, and you will need a NIE before you can apply for residency.
Forms for both are available from the extranjeros department
at the local Comisaria, or police station (for the national
police force that is, not the local police), but you can
get a gestor to apply for you.
For residency you will need:
- proof of income (a job, very healthy savings account,
pension etc)
- proof of either social security payments or private medical
insurance
- your passport
- finally if you are married and one of you will be dependent
on the other, you will need your marriage certificate.
If you are not moving to one of the coastal areas you may
need official translations of your documents. It's a good
idea to check.
|
