NIE Number in Spain
All foreigners with any kind of fiscal (tax) obligations here in Spain are required to obtain a foreigner’s identity number. This document is called an NIE (“Número de Identificación para Extranjero”).
The NIE number identifies you to the Spanish tax authorities. This is very similar to the National Insurance number which you have in your own country.
This original certificate is essential when completing many of the transactions on a daily basis in Spain.
- Buying and selling property
- Getting a car registered in your name
- Opening a bank account
These are just some of the times when you will need to have this document.
The NIE number certificate is now only issued with a validity of 3 months. But really this only needs renewing for Traffic matters, as for most other issues the original certificate suffices.
How to get an NIE in Spain?
We will prepare the paperwork for the NIE application and then accompany you to the relevant issuing office to obtain this certificate.
Spanish Residency Permit (TIE)
Do you need to become a Resident?
From 28 March 2007, Royal Decree 240/07 required that all EU citizens planning to reside in Spain for more than 6 months must obtain the new form of Residencia (now TIE) to show their residency.
The TIE is for life – it never expires (but it does have an expiry date so that your photograph can be updated).
We should make clear this is not a fiscal Residency Certificate. That is a certificate you need when registering with the Spanish Tax authorities.
A Residencia Certificate/card or the new TIE is that you are registered officially as a foreigner living in Spain, but not for tax purposes.
Padron in Spain (empadronamiento)
The Padron is a certificate given to justify that you live in Spain on a more or less permanent basis. This allows the local government to calculate how many people are living in an area and helps them to petition for grants to improve local facilities.
The Padron is essential for many daily aspects of life in Spain and can be obtained from the local Town Hall. Each office asks for different paperwork in relation to this and it can sometimes be a frustrating task.
We can verify the paperwork required and provide a translator to accompany you to the Town Hall to obtain this certificate.
Now, t is obligatory for anyone staying in Spain for more than six months to obtain a Padron. This certificate enables the town hall to do a head count on the number of permanent dwellers in the area.
Therefore petition for grants to maintain and improve the infrastructure.
The Padron Certificate is needed to register at a health centre and for a variety of other institutions as:
- Including getting children into school
- A car registered.
The Padron has a validity between 30 – 90 days. But, only needs to be updated when you actually need to show it to the authorities.
Please contact us for help with any of these matters.
18 Comments
Colin Griffiths
Could you please advise me where to obtain a Fiscal residency certificate..thank you