How to get a NIE number in Spain from the UK: the two routes

The NIE, the Número de Identidad de Extranjero, is the personal identification number Spain gives to a foreign national who has dealings in the country. A British buyer needs one before the deed can be signed. This guide covers what the NIE is, the two routes to getting one, the forms and documents each route asks for, the timing the official pages publish, and how the step fits into a purchase run from the UK.

What the NIE is

The UK government’s guidance on buying property in Spain describes the NIE as “a personal identification number required in order to carry out any fiscal transaction in Spain such as opening a bank account or buying property”. The Spanish police, who issue it, describe the people it is for as foreigners who relate to Spain “por razón de sus intereses económicos, profesionales o sociales”, that is for economic, professional or social interests (Policía Nacional electronic office). Buying a home is exactly that.

It is a number, not a residence status. The Spanish consulate in Edinburgh says in plain terms that “a NIE certificate issued by a Consulate is NOT valid for work, residence or study purposes” (Consulate General in Edinburgh). Having one does not change how long you can stay, which is governed by the 90/180-day rule, and it does not make you a tax resident. It gives the notary, the bank and the tax office a number to record the purchase against. That is all it does, and it is enough.

Why a buyer needs it before the escritura

Every stage of a Spanish purchase that touches money or the state runs on the number. The Spanish bank account you pay from. The tax you pay on the purchase. The deed itself, signed before the notary, which records the buyer by NIE. A home can be reserved and your lawyer can start the checks before you have it, but the deed cannot be signed without it, so the sensible time to have it in hand is well before the completion date your arras contract sets. Every buyer needs their own, so a couple buying jointly needs two.

I set the whole order of a purchase out in the Spanish buying process. This guide is only about the NIE.

Route one: the Spanish consulate in the UK

Spain has three Consulates General in the UK, in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, and each publishes its own NIE page. The London page states the principle: “A NIE may be requested directly in Spain or at the Consular Office of the applicant’s country of residence” (Consulate General in London). You apply at the consulate whose area covers your address, which is why each asks for a document proving where you live.

The documents the consulate pages list are these:

• The EX-15 application form. The three pages differ on whether you sign it before the appointment or in front of the officer, so follow the instruction on your own consulate’s page.
• Form 790, code 012, completed, with the state charge paid by card at the appointment. The amount is small and each consulate publishes the current figure on its page.
• Your passport, the original, with a copy of the biographical data page.
• A document proving residence in the consular area. Edinburgh gives a Council Tax document as its example.
• Documentary proof of why you need the NIE. Edinburgh marks this as mandatory. For a buyer, that is the paperwork on the purchase you are making, and your lawyer or I can tell you which document to bring.

None of the three pages asks for a photograph, so do not read a photo requirement into it.

Appointments are requested by email. The address is on each consulate’s page, and Edinburgh asks for the documents to be sent with the request as PDFs. The London page is firm on attendance: “The physical presence of the applicant or of their representative is mandatory in every case.”

On timing, each consulate publishes its own usual period. London says the NIE “is normally issued within three weeks”, Edinburgh says three to four weeks, and Manchester says two weeks (Consulate General in Manchester). All three add that the period “may be extended by factors beyond the control of the administration”. The number is then sent to you by email, so the email address you put on the EX-15 is the one to watch.

Route two: in Spain, at the Policía Nacional

The second route is to apply in Spain. The Policía Nacional’s electronic office describes the procedure as an application to the Dirección General de la Policía, made directly or through the Oficinas de Extranjería or the Comisarías de Policía (Asignación de NIE a instancia de interesado). It lists two forms: the “Solicitud de Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE) y Certificados (Formulario EX15)”, the same EX-15 as the consulates use, and the “Justificante de pago Tasa modelo 790 Código 012”, which is proof that the state charge has been paid. The Policía’s list of charges puts the amount for assigning a NIE at the applicant’s request at €9.84 (tasas de extranjería). The page does not itemise the supporting documents, so take the same passport copy and proof of your reason that the consulates ask for, and check the page for the current appointment arrangements before you travel.

The timing is the reason this route suits a buyer who is already coming out. The same page says the procedure “habrá de ser resuelto en el plazo máximo de cinco días desde la entrada de la solicitud”, that is within a maximum of five days from the application entering the register. On a viewing trip of three to five days, that can mean flying home with the number sorted.

When you are not in Spain: power of attorney

You do not have to attend in person. The London consulate says “the request may be made in person or through a duly accredited representative”, and lists the representative’s identity documents and a power of attorney with an apostille, the official stamp that lets a UK document be accepted in Spain, among the papers for that route. The UK government’s guidance says the same thing in fewer words: property buyers from outside Spain can apply “at the Spanish embassy or consulate in the UK or through a representative”.

In practice the representative is your independent lawyer in Spain. You sign a power of attorney that names them for the NIE, and the same power can cover the deed if you cannot travel for the signing, which I describe in the process guide. A power signed in the UK needs an apostille before it is accepted, which is what the London consulate’s own list says. Your lawyer prepares the wording, so what you give is a signature and a passport copy, not a day of research. Buyers in the United States follow the same route through the Spanish consulate for their state, set out in buying a Costa del Sol home from the United States.

Choosing between the two

• You are flying out for viewings and have a spare morning. Apply in Spain, and give your lawyer the paperwork the police office will want before you fly.
• You are not flying for a while and would rather have it done. Apply at your UK consulate, and allow the published weeks.
• You would rather not queue anywhere. A power of attorney and your lawyer’s office, with the number emailed to you when it is issued.

The number is the same whichever route it comes by. What differs is the diary.

How I handle it

I get the NIE moving early, before the right home has been found, so it is never the thing the completion date waits on. I tell you which route fits your dates, go through the forms with you before the appointment so nothing is missing on the day, and where a power of attorney is the sensible route I liaise with your independent lawyer to put it in place. It sits alongside the bank account and the other essentials I help you put in place early, as part of the buying service. If you would like to talk through which route suits you, book a call.

General guidance, dated 13 September 2026, not legal advice. The consulate and Policía Nacional pages linked above hold the current forms, charges and timings, and all three consulates’ pages, the Policía’s charge of €9.84 and the published timings were last checked on 13 September 2026. Always instruct an independent Spanish abogado before you sign.

Common questions

The same subject, for buyers abroad

Pages written for buyers in other countries, in their own language, covering what changes for them.

• United States: How long Americans can stay in Spain
• Netherlands: Verblijf en residentie in Spanje voor EU-burgers
• Germany: Länger bleiben: Anmeldung in Spanien und der deutsche Wohnsitz
• Poland: NIE, rejestracja i pobyt w Hiszpanii dla obywateli Polski
• Sweden: NIE-nummer och residencia för svenskar
• Norway: Opphold, NIE og registrering for nordmenn i Spania