Registering your residence abroad – Spain

British nationals planning on staying in Spain for more than 3 months must register as a resident and on the padrón at their town.

As an EU citizen you must register as a resident if you plan on living in Spain for more than 3 months.

You should register in person at the Oficina de Extranjeros (immigration office) in the province where you live or at the designated police station.

You will be required to provide documents to support your appplication - see an English language summary of the documents you will need to bring

With Brexit changes we try to update this site weekly.

What they will ask for...

you have a salaried position or you are self-employed in Spain

§  or you can support yourself and your family, and you have a public or private health insurance that provides full cover in Spain

§  or you are a registered student at an educational establishment recognised by the Spanish authorities, and you can support yourselft and have a public or private health insurance with full cover in Spain

§  or you are a family member of an EU national that mets one of the previous conditions. The family member can be:

§  If case of a student: his/her spouse or common-law partner, or his/her children

§  In other cases: his/her spouse or common-lay partnr, his/her children or spouse´s children up to 21 years old or incapable or his/her ancestors.

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Registering with the Central Register

Do this in one of 2 places:

§  the Register's local office oficina de extranjería in the province where you are living

§  in your local police station (if the Register has no local office in your province)

What you need to take

You have always to attach the following documents:

§  Passport or other identity document (not expired)

§  Oficial form (EX-18), two copies, filled and signed by the UE national.

In adition, you will have to attach other documents, depending on your situation:

§  salaried workers – your contract of employment or other proof of your employment status.

§  self-employed workers – proof of registration in the register of economic activities (censo de actividades económicas) or other proof of your employment status.

§  not in employment in Spain? Proof of:

§  (i) health cover valid in Spain and

§  (ii) sufficient means to support yourself and your family.

§  Pensioners – provide proof of public health cover.

§  students –

§  (i) proof of your registration in an educational establishment,

§  (ii) proof of public or private health cover and

§  (iii) formal declaration that you have sufficient means to support yourself during your stay.

What is an N.I.E Number?

N.I.E. is an abbreviation for Número de Identidad de Extranjero, which translates as Identification Number for Foreigners, or Foreigners’ Identification Number if you prefer.

The NIE is your all-purpose identification and tax number in Spain. You need it for everything that involves a tramite or official process in Spain. For example, you will need an NIE number to buy a property, buy a car, get connected to the utilities and, most importantly as far as the Spanish state is concerned, pay your taxes. Without an NIE number, the Spanish tax authorities are unable to assess or process annual tax payments such as income tax (IRPF), and the annual wealth tax (Patrimonio), both of which are declared by resident and non-resident property owners.

NIE number certificates were being issued with a 3-month validity from the time of issue, after which you were expected to apply for residency, or register as a non-resident. So after three months the certificate was no longer valid, at least in principle. However, in mid-2016 the regulation was changed to eliminate the three-month expiry deadline, so NIE numbers are now valid indefinitely. But this is Spain and the bureaucracy is a bit of a mess, and regulations are not uniformly implemented or even understood. You may find that some notaries refuse to accept a certificate that is older than three months, which could cause problems for property buyers trying to sign deeds more than three months after obtaining their NIE certificate. In principle you can get your NIE number anytime before you buy, but to be on the safe side you might want to sort out your NIE number on your last trip to Spain, when you find a property you want to buy and can complete within three months.

If you are an EU citizen and spend longer than 3 months in Spain after getting your NIE number, you are required to register and get a government certificate that shows your NIE number.

• Registry certificate instructions (in Spanish)

Who needs an NIE in Spain?

1. Any foreigner who becomes resident for tax purposes in Spain needs an NIE number in Spain.
2. Any non-resident foreigner who buys property in Spain. If a couple buys a property in Spain together, and they register the property in both their names, then both of them must obtain an NIE number in Spain.
3. Anyone who wants to work in Spain, or start a business in Spain.

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When do you need to have an NIE number?

If you are buying property in Spain, then you need to have an NIE number by the time you sign the deeds of purchase before notary, an event known in Spanish as the escritura.

Getting your NIE number in time for escritura means applying at least 1 month before hand if you are applying in Spain, and at least 2 months before hand if you are applying via a consulate abroad. The actual time it takes depends upon where you apply, and the time of the year. You might be able to get an NIE number in person in Spain in a couple of days, but it could also take weeks, so best allow yourself plenty of time.

How do you apply for an NIE number?

The first thing to understand is that dealing with the Spanish bureaucracy is often a perplexing, not to mention frustrating affair. The way they interpret the regulations in Andalusia might differ from the way they interpret the same rules in Catalonia. In one area, for example Barcelona, you need to book an appointment online in advance to request your NIE number, then spend hours waiting in a queue, whilst in other areas you can just turn up and get everything done in half an hour. I have confirmed for myself that the rules are inconsistently applied, which makes it difficult to prepare a guide to NIE numbers.

So keeping in mind that the process and interpretation of requirements might be different depending on how and where you apply for an NIE number, here is a general guide that explains the official requirements and the process as it should work (but might not)

There are three ways to apply for a Spanish NIE number:

1. Apply in person in Spain.
2. Apply in person via a Spanish Consulate abroad.
3. Apply through a representative in Spain

1. Applying for NIE number in person in Spain

Applying in person for an NIE number whilst in Spain is a relatively straightforward procedure. The only inconvenience is that you may have to wait for several hours in a queue in order to submit your application at a Spanish police station. It does depend upon the police station where you apply, and the time of day (early is better). With a bit of luck you will be in and out in half an hour or less.

The process is as follows:

1) Prepare the necessary documentation:

• All applicants: Two copies of the Ex-15 application form filled out and signed . The Spanish name for the NIE form is Solicitud de Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE) y Certificados (EX-15), and you can download this NIE application form by clicking on the link below.
• All applicants: An original document (plus a photocopy) that justifies your reason for applying for an NIE number, such as a private purchase contract for a property, deposit contract, or a mortgage approval.
• EU nationals: Your passport and a photocopy of the main page of your passport (the page that includes your photo, name, passport number, address, etc.).
• Non-EU nationals: Your passport and a photocopy of your entire passport (all pages), plus proof of your legal entry into Spain (for instance a landing card, known in Spanish as a declaración de entrada or a título de viaje or cédula de inscripción). Some Oficinas de Extranjeros might accept a valid entry stamp in your passport as proof of legal entry. To be on the safe side non-EU nationals might also want to take along two recent passport size colour photographs with a plain coloured background.

Residency requirements

From 28 March 2007, Royal Decree 240/07 requires that all EU citizens planning to reside in Spain for more than 3 months should register in person at the Oficina de Extranjeros in their province of residence or at designated Police stations. You will be issued a credit card size Residence Certificate stating your name, address, nationality, NIE number (Número de Identificación Extranjero) and date of registration. After five years residence registration you are entitled to apply for a certificate of permanent residence in Spain.

More details can be found on the website for the Spanish Ministry of the Interior (information is in Spanish).

Changes to the residency regulations

On 10 July 2012 the Spanish government introduced details of the new residency requirements for all EU citizens, including British nationals.

Under the new rules, EU citizens applying for residency in Spain may be required to produce evidence of sufficient financial means to support themselves (and dependants). Applicants may also be asked for proof of private or public healthcare insurance. More details about the application process and documentation you need are available on the website of the Spanish Ministry for Work and Social Security.

How and where to find work in Spain

eu citizens

Since 1 March 2003, two groups of EU citizens no longer need to hold residence cards: people legally working in Spain and paying Spanish Social Security; also, retired workers entitled to a Spanish State pension who have lived in Spain for more than three years and have worked in the 12 months prior to retirement.

Everybody else should apply for residencia.

EU citizens no longer need to show proof of income or medical insurance. However, they will need to present:

·        completed application form

·        four photographs

·        passport plus photocopy

non-EU citizens

Non-EU citizens will need:

·        the visa or visado de residencia obtained from the Spanish consulate in your home country;

·        proof of financial means;

·        certificado de antecedentes penales showing you have no criminal record;

·        medical certificate - necessary for obtaining the visa;

·        consular inscription;

·        medical insurance with a company which has offices in Spain;

·        passport plus photocopy;

·        three passport-size photos;

·        payment of fee (not high);

·        Spanish bank statement showing income arriving from abroad;

·        deeds to Spanish property or a rental contract, plus photocopy;

·        completed application form.

Information on Spain - miscellaneous

Non-EU citizens requesting the unified work permit/residence permit will need further documents relating to their employer.

Your residence permit will include a número de identificatión de extranjero (NIE), which identifies you to the Spanish tax authorities.

Many EU citizens I know shy away from taking out their residencia. This is not a good idea for, if living in Spain, there are tax advantages in being resident and, for EU members, application is not a complicated process.

For those who do not want the bother of dealing with it themselves, it doesn´t cost an arm-and-a-leg to use the services of a gestor (licensed administrative expert).

So ... go ahead and take the plunge! You now have most of the information on Spain necessary to obtain your residencia, so ... get yourself legal!

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