Let’s talk about getting the Foreigner Identity Number (NIE) upon your arrival in Spain.
If you have Spanish nationality, you are entitled to the National Identity Document (DNI), and if you are of any other nationality, you are entitled to the NIE. This is a personal, unique and exclusive number that must be possessed by all foreigners on Spanish soil, when their stay is going to be longer than three months, and the person in charge of granting it is the General Directorate of the Police.
My experience, having Italian nationality, happened as follows (at the end of the publication you can find a summary of the requirements):
This story is from September 2016.
A few days after arriving in Spain, I went to the headquarters of the General Immigration and Borders Police Station, located at Calle San Felipe, 7-9, in Tetuán. By subway (Metro in spanish) you can get to the Tetuán station, on line 1. In my case, a couple of days after arriving in Madrid and just beginning to get to know and walk around new places, I arrived at the famous Plaza de Castilla, where I admired the Torres Kio and Paseo de la Castellana, and I walked a long stretch of Calle de Bravo Murillo, observing everything around me. It is a very busy area, with lots of people, small businesses and high traffic, but that is what makes the city of Madrid so attractive, where every corner is alive. Additionally, I had no other option but to walk since at that time a large part of the section of line 1 of the Madrid Metro was closed for maintenance and would remain so for a few months, and that is the only metro route that I could get to the headquarters of the police station. However, rather than use the logical and comfortable option of the bus service, I decided to walk and get to know the area a bit.
When I arrived at the police station, I found a policeman sitting at a small desk by the door. I told him that I was coming to get a NIE for the first time, to which he asked me what my nationality was and, because I am from the EU, that is, from a country of the European Union or another State that forms part of the agreement, I only had to fill out some forms, pay the corresponding fee at a nearby bank and present my passport, original and one copy (in case of having an ID card, present the original and a copy of the front and back on a single page).
As I was still in the process of self-adapting to this new country, I did not have the opportunity to search the Internet for the EX-15 and 790 forms and print them, but I advise you to be more efficient than me and download it from here and here. However, my officer-friend told me that just across the street there was a place where they have all the necessary paperwork, in addition to making the corresponding photocopies. As you should know, it is cheaper and wiser to prepare in advance, because this place has the luxury of charging a little more than usual due to its location and its clients’ haste.
I sat down in a nearby cafe, just close to the police station, and filled out all of the paperwork, since there are different copies: one for the bank, one for the police and one for me. I went to one of the many bank offices that are a few blocks away, because you can make the payment at any of them just by presenting form 790, and I paid the corresponding fee of €9.45.
Once these steps had been carried out and always trying to have the time factor in my favor, since it was the middle of summer and the hours of banks, businesses, stores, public offices or customer and citizen services are barely operational in this time of year (something to keep in mind!), I entered by the controls of the police station with the documentation required for the assignment of NIE. After two minutes of waiting, it’s my turn to pass and I hand over the paperwork, who will do the management and ask you: why do you need the NIE for?
Now, I’m not going to lie… This question actually surprised me a bit, because I was not prepared to have to explain myself about the reason of interest of my request. I explained that my intention was to live and reside legally in Spain, establish myself, open a bank account, as well as have a valid number to get a job… To which the secretary interrupts me and tells me that because I am a EU member, I do not need to have a NIE to work, which can perfectly be hired with my passport.
I stare at her doubtfully and she finally says: “Well, let’s put that you’re applying for a NIE to open a bank account and that’s it, that way we don’t have to complicate things further”.
What my secretary-friend told me about getting a job without a NIE is technically true, legally valid and theoretically correct, but in a practical way it is never done. No company is going to complicate things to a point of hiring someone without a NIE or social security number, in addition to the fact that it is even more expensive for the company to employ someone who does not have documentation that confirms their legal residence in the country, because at the end of the day, they are just a foreigner that the company needs to pays an extra for to “update” that worker with their permits, not to mention that it takes several business days for management and response, and we all know that time equals money. Also, in Spain most people get a tax fee of 20% of their salary (depending on your salary), without the NIE the fee is of 24%. It is essential to have legal and up-to-date documentation of your residence in Spain, as it provides greater confidence in the eyes of those who hire you.
Of course, I cannot say that there is actually a very tiny possibility that you will be able to get a job opportunity where the company or employer literally falls in love with you and wants you to be part of their payroll, regardless of the procedure or complication that may arise. In fact, cases like this exist and it could happen with a probability of more or less than one in ten thousand. I personally try to be a bit more realistic, and it takes less time and risk to act immediately and diligently normalize your personal and legal situation living in Spain.
Continuing with my story, they checked all the requirements and paperwork and told me that I had to come back in two days to pick up the document with my NIE stamped and signed by the Chief of Police. Normally, this procedure can take up to five days. Finally, two days later I arrived at the Police Station first thing in the morning and they gave me a piece of paper stating my data, my NIE number inside a small rectangle, the signature and stamp of the Police. At that moment, I felt very happy because I could start crossing off the first items on my long list of errands, paperwork and procedures, but I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed because I imagined that the result would be a little more encouraging, such as an ID card or something like that, but it is literally a piece of paper validated by the authorities. Don’t get me wrong, I sincerely appreciate the importance of this document, but I think I had put too much fantasy into the final result. I think I was conviced I was going to get something similar to the Venezuelan identity card, which after enduring sleep, hunger and long waits, you emerged victorious with the laminated identity card in hand.
On the way home, I repeated to myself my new ID number over and over again, just like that nine-year-old Anna did when she wanted to remember her just-granted Venezuelan ID number. The following days, every time I went out, I always carried everywhere my italian passport along with a folded and half-crumpled photocopy of that basic but essential piece of paper that identifies me in this new country.
What you’ll need:
- Form 790
- Form EX-15
- Pay the fee at the bank with form 790. Check the updated fee HERE.
- Original and copy of passport (or ID card if it is from the European Community).
- State before the authorities why/for what you are requesting the NIE.
In future posts I will be telling you about my experience with the necessary procedures to obtain permanent residence in Spain.
