Chapter
NIE number for buying property in Spain
Quick answer
The NIE is the personal number Spain gives foreigners with ties to the country, and a buyer needs one for the deed, the taxes and the bank. You apply on form EX-15 and pay a small fee, in person in Spain or through a consulate. The office has a few days to answer.
Applies toForeign buyers who do not yet have a Spanish identity number. Residents of Spain with a TIE card already have one.
On this page: 11 sections
§ 1What the NIE is
The NIE, número de identidad de extranjero, is a personal, unique and exclusive number that Spain gives to foreigners who have economic, professional, social or other ties to the country. The official page describes it as sequential, which means the numbers are issued in order and carry no meaning of their own. Once you have a NIE it stays with you for life, and it must appear on every document that Spain issues or processes for you.
For a buyer the number is the key to everything else. The notary needs it to prepare the deed. The tax office needs it to register the tax return for the purchase. The land registry needs it to record you as the owner, and a bank needs it to open an account or grant a mortgage. A purchase cannot be completed without it, so it belongs at the very start of the plan.
§ 2Who gets one
The foreigners’ office gives a NIE to people who are starting a procedure for a document that lets them stay in Spain, to people with an immigration file, and to people with economic, professional or social interests in the country. A property purchase is an economic interest. If you are granted a visa for a stay of more than ninety days in any period of one hundred and eighty, the number is assigned automatically with the visa, and you do not apply for it separately.
§ 3How you apply
Where the number is not assigned automatically, you ask for it in person or through a representative. In Spain you go to a foreigners’ office or a police station. Abroad you go through the Spanish consulate for the country where you live. The application uses form EX-15, filled in twice, with a fee paid on form 790 code 012, and a copy of your passport or identity document. The detailed steps are in how to get a NIE, and the specific points for a buyer are in a NIE for buying property.
§ 4What it costs and how long it takes
The fee on form 790 code 012 was €9.84 on the foreigners’ office page when we checked. The office must resolve the request within five days of registering it, and the page adds that no reply means the request is treated as rejected. In practice the waiting time is often the appointment, not the decision, which is why the NIE appointment deserves attention.
§ 5NIE and TIE are different things
The NIE is a number. The TIE is a plastic card. People granted a visa or an authorisation to stay in Spain for more than six months receive a single document, the TIE, which shows the type of authorisation. A buyer who does not live in Spain normally has a NIE certificate on paper and no card. The difference matters when a bank or an office asks for “your card”, and the difference between NIE and TIE explains it.
§ 6Documents from abroad
Foreign public documents that you attach, such as a birth or marriage certificate, must be legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator. The ministry publishes the official list of sworn translators, and a translation by one of them is accepted by courts and administrative bodies. Plan time for this, because the apostille is issued in the country that produced the document.
§ 7Keeping your number safe
Once you have the number, keep the certificate or the card with your deed. You will quote the number to the notary, the bank, the utility companies and the tax office for years. If you lose the paper, ask the issuing office for a copy rather than applying again.
§ 8Timing against your purchase
Apply as soon as you decide to buy, and before you pay any reservation, so that the number is ready when the notary asks for it.
§ 9Mistakes to avoid
Do not pay a website that sells “NIE appointments” without checking that it is the official channel. Do not sign a purchase contract with a deposit that cannot be recovered before you know when you can obtain the number. And do not assume that a NIE from many years ago is lost: the number stays valid, and a lawyer can help you recover the certificate.
§ 10Back to the section
Legal process and checks explains the legal steps and checks of a purchase.
§ 11Other chapters in this section
The professionals in a purchase explains who does what: lawyer, notary and gestor and due diligence explains the checks to make before you sign.
Illegal builds explains the planning risks and how to avoid them and contracts before completion explains the papers you sign before the deed.
Completion and the deed explains the signing at the notary and what follows and wills and succession explains how inheritance works for foreigners who own Spanish property.
Communities of owners explains how a Spanish flat block is governed and risks and scams explains the real risks and how to reduce them.
FAQRelated questions
Do I need a NIE to buy a home?
In practice yes. The notary, the tax office, the land registry and the bank all identify foreigners by this number, so a deed cannot be completed without it. Apply early, because other steps wait for it.
Can someone apply for me?
Yes. A representative can file if you give a power of attorney that expressly says so. Many buyers use their lawyer or gestor, which saves a trip, though you still need to sign the authority and send certified copies.
Does the NIE give me the right to live in Spain?
No. It is only an identity number and a tax reference. Residence is a separate permission, and the card that shows it is the TIE. Owning a home does not by itself create a right to stay.
Sources
- Oficina de Extranjería (ONE): Application for NIE for international individuals (official source, opens in a new window), Where to apply, form EX-15, fee, documents, resolution timeLast checked 17 October 2026
- Ministerio del Interior: Documentation of foreign nationals (NIE and TIE) (official source, opens in a new window), The NIE as a personal number; the TIE card; automatic NIE with visasLast checked 17 October 2026
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores: Sworn translators and interpreters (official source, opens in a new window), The official list and the status of sworn translationsLast checked 17 October 2026
Legal note. How the process works in general. It is not legal advice, and it never replaces an independent Spanish lawyer acting for you.