The NIE number in Madrid, from EX-15 to the desk

The NIE identifies you; it is not a residence permit. Format: X, Y or Z first, seven digits, a check letter last. An employer needs it to register your contract, a bank to open an account in your name, a notary to sign a deed, the tax office to know who you are.

EU citizens who settle here usually receive it on the EU registration certificate. A non-resident who needs it for one purpose, such as buying a flat or accepting an inheritance, asks for the number on its own, with the EX-15.

• Form EX-15, filled in and signed, with the box for your reason ticked
• Your passport or EU identity card, original plus one copy
• Evidence of the reason: offer letter, contract, deed, admission letter
• The Modelo 790 código 012, paid before the appointment, at a bank or online where your bank allows it
• The cita previa confirmation

• Confirm your reason, and that the EX-15 is the right form for it
• Fill in the EX-15 and generate the 790-012 fee slip
• Pay the fee
• Book the cita previa for the NIE assignment in Madrid
• Attend with originals and copies; the number is issued on a paper certificate

We check your reason against the form, fill in the EX-15 and the fee slip, search for the appointment and send you a one-page brief for the morning: what to bring, in which order, and what the officer usually asks.

You still go in person, with your passport. The number is assigned by the police, not by us, and the decision is theirs alone.