Stone 1 of 14 · With an EU, EEA or Swiss passport
The NIE number: what it is and how you get it in Guadalajara
The Policía Nacional (the national police) gives you a NIE in one of two ways: alone, on form EX-15, when your home is outside Spain; or with your residence paper, when you live here. NIE is short for Número de Identidad de Extranjero, the foreigner’s identity number. It is given once and stays yours for life.
A number, not a card
The NIE starts with a letter, goes on with digits and ends with a control letter. It is yours for life. If you leave Spain and come back years later, you use the same one.
What changes is the paper that shows it. A person who does not live in Spain gets a simple certificate with the number. An EU citizen who lives here sees it on the green registration certificate. A non-EU resident finds it printed on the TIE, the foreigner’s identity card.
Who will ask you for it
- An employer, before your first day of work
- A landlord or an agency, for the rental contract
- A bank, before it opens your account
- A notary (notario), when you buy a flat or a house
- The Agencia Tributaria, Spain’s tax office, for any tax you pay
- The companies for electricity, gas, water and internet
Living here, or only a reason to need it?
If you live in Guadalajara, or soon will, the number usually comes as part of your residence papers. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens receive it when they register for the green certificate (form EX-18). Non-EU citizens receive it with their visa or authorisation, and later see it on the TIE.
Form EX-15 asks for the number alone. It suits people whose home is outside Spain but who have a reason to need a NIE here: a home to buy, an inheritance, a short contract, a company matter.
Your EX-15 folder
- Form EX-15, filled in and signed
- Your passport, and a photocopy of it
- A paper that shows your reason, such as a job offer or a deposit contract for a flat
- Proof that you paid the Modelo 790 código 012
- The confirmation of your cita previa, the appointment you booked online
The doorway in Guadalajara
On policia.es, Guadalajara’s Brigada Provincial de Extranjería y Fronteras, a Policía Nacional unit at Avenida del Ejército 12, lists “certificados y asignación NIE”: NIE certificates and the assignment of the number. The Delegación del Gobierno, the central government’s office for the region, also puts the foreigner’s number in the list of the Oficina de Extranjería on Avenida Francia. Do not choose between them yourself: your appointment confirmation names the office.
If you live abroad and cannot travel, the Spanish consulate for your area can also receive form EX-15.
Questions
Can I work with only a NIE?
Not with a passport from outside the EU. The number only identifies you; work needs an authorisation. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work freely, and register as residents if they stay.
NIE and TIE look alike. What is the difference?
The NIE identifies you, as a number that never changes. The TIE is the plastic card of a non-EU resident, and your NIE is printed on it.
I lost the paper with my NIE. Is the number lost too?
No, the number stays the same. You can ask for a new certificate that shows it; the Brigada on Avenida del Ejército lists NIE certificates.
Must I speak Spanish at the appointment?
The officers work in Spanish. Most of the meeting is a check of your papers, so a complete folder in the right order helps a lot. We tell you the usual questions before the day.
Official pages behind this guide
- policia.es — foreigners’ procedures of the Brigada on Avenida del Ejército, Guadalajara
- Delegación del Gobierno en Castilla-La Mancha — Oficina de Extranjería, Avenida Francia, Guadalajara
- Official appointment website for foreigners’ procedures (cita previa)
Checked against these pages on .