How to Get NIE in Spain – EU Citizen

Your Guide to Legal Residency in Spain (for EU Passport Holders)

Hey everyone! Today, I’m going to share my experience on how to get your NIE in Spain being an EU citizen. There are a few ways to go about it, so I’ll walk you through my journey and the other options available.

(Post updated July 2025)

A Quick Heads-Up (September 2023):

I’m currently on holiday in Argentina, and I’ve personally confirmed that, at least for now, you can’t book an appointment for this outside of Spain. Some of my followers had mentioned issues accessing the website from abroad, and being here, trying to book an appointment for a family member, I can confirm the website either won’t load or throws an error.

If you’re in this situation, give it a shot anyway – things might have changed by the time you’re reading this! If not, you could always ask a friend living in Spain to lend a hand.

One last thing: this post has all the up-to-date info—amounts, links, requirements, personal stories… the whole shebang. Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments. NOW, if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the info and need an extra hand, or if your specific case isn’t covered here, shoot me a message on Instagram or in the comments. We can arrange consultation by email or a 45-minutes videocall to fill in any gaps you have. I’m happy to dig up whatever info you need and explain it all, and I only charge €30 for the guidance through mail or 50€ for the videocall. Otherwise, you’ve got all the thoroughly researched data right here, for FREE!

Alright, let’s dive into the post: How to Get NIE in Spain – EU Citizen

You’ll hear a lot of people talking about the «white NIE» or «temporary NIE», and you’re probably scratching your head wondering what that’s all about. Let me explain: the NIE is the identification number for non-Spanish citizens. In this post, I’m specifically talking about the NIE for EU citizens (if you’re a non-EU citizen, you’ll want to read this post about it. For now it’s just in spanish, sorry!.

So, here’s the deal: Spanish citizens don’t have any kind of NIE as an ID (neither «white» nor CUE); they have their Spanish DNI. If you’re not Spanish, you’ll process your NIE, which will come in a CUE format (green card) if you’re an EU citizen, or a TIE format (card with photo) if you’re a non-EU citizen.

The «Two NIEs» Myth for EU Citizens

For EU citizens, it might seem like there are two NIEs because some people talk about the «white NIE» and others about the «green NIE.» But it’s not quite like that. Let me illustrate with an example:

Imagine you’re in at your home town (or any other city with a Spanish Consulate) and you’re about to collect an inheritance (lucky you!) from a great-aunt who, while still alive (I don’t want to kill her, even if she’s imaginary!), wants to leave you a good chunk of euros. Your aunt isn’t clued up on international transfers, so you decide to open a Spanish bank account. You email a few Spanish banks, and they all reply with something like this:

«To open an account, you need a Foreigner Identification Number (NIE).»

See? To open a bank account, you need this notorious number; having say, (for example) an Italian passport isn’t enough.

So, you print this email (not this one, send your own!), head over to the Spanish Consulate wherever you live– always with an appointment, please! – and say, «Hi, I need my NIE to open a bank account to collect my imaginary, not-dead aunt’s inheritance.» While it’s true you’ll need someone helpful on the other side, or you need to go in feeling super confident, that day you should fill out a form, pay a fee, and walk out with your NIE. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s what you’re ENTITLED to.

This NIE you’ll get will be a number printed on a white piece of paper. Hence the name, «white NIE.»

With this NIE, with this little number, you’re essentially telling the Spanish state, «Hi, I’m here, I’m Michelle, nice to meet you!» And among other things, as I said before, you can open a Spanish bank account.

Now, let’s imagine a different scenario: You’re in Spain, you have your savings with you, and you want to deposit them. You need a bank account, and GENERALLY, as I explained, banks require you to have an assigned NIE to open an account.

Same modus operandi: with the printed email from the bank, booking an appointment here (choose the NIE option), filling out this form, and paying this fee, you can get your («white») NIE in Spain. No need to do it where you’re «empadronado» Because… if you can get your NIE in your home town, why wouldn’t you be able to get it anywhere in Spain, regardless of where you’re living?

When you go to the website, you need to choose where you want to go in person for the appointment (I chose Barcelona), and then select this option:

«Policía – Certificados UE»

Just to clarify: If you already got a white NIE back in your country, don’t try to get one in Spain too. You’ve got it. That number will always be your ID. You only get it ONCE.

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NIE for Work

Another scenario: You arrive in Spain, update your LinkedIn, start sending out resumes, and get called for an interview. You go, and they ask, «Do you have a work permit?» If you’re an EU citizen, what they’re really asking is if you have a NIE. If you say no, often they won’t hire you (obviously, some companies, depending on your skills and expertise, will go the extra mile for you and be willing to wait and guide you through getting your papers, but others prefer to move on to the next candidate who already has all their ducks in a row). But if you have this NIE processed, you can tell them you already have the number, and you’re just waiting for the physical card. So, this NIE also serves for job searching.

Example of a White/Temporary NIE

One last example, from three real-life cases where they processed their white NIE this way: They open a non-resident bank account (for example, I know Santander Bank offers these), and the bank itself provides them with a physical paper (usually in an envelope), which they can present on their NIE appointment day as justification that they need it to later change that account to «resident.»

White NIE vs. Green NIE (EU Certificate)

So, what’s the difference with the green NIE / EU Certificate?

The EU Certificate is also called the «green NIE» simply because it’s given to you on a little green card. Just like the other NIE is called «white» because it comes on a sheet of paper. Not much creativity went into the names!

Example of Green NIE or EU Certificate:

So, the first difference is the format in which you receive it. The second is that when you get the «white NIE,» you’re supposed to go open your bank account, look for a job, and start settling into your new country. And once you’re settled, you should then apply for your little green card. That’s why the white one is also called «temporary» and the green one «definitive.» Once you have that green card, you don’t need to do any other paperwork, as this establishes your residency in Spain.

The third difference is how you obtain the green NIE versus simply presenting justification and getting the white NIE. There are four ways to apply for the EU Certificate:

1. Be self-employed («autónomo») (Here’s my post explaining how I registered as self-employed online without hiring anyone but for now it’s just in spanish, sorry!)
2. Demonstrate sufficient financial resources for yourself (for the person applying for the CUE). This is so you don’t become a burden on Spain’s social services. Each year there’s talk of a fixed amount you need to demonstrate, although the regulations explicitly state that one cannot be fixed.
   2024: For one person, they’re asking for around €7,200. BUT I must clarify that I’ve heard of cases where they’ve asked for less, and even much more than these amount (though this isn’t supposed to be the norm). This is demonstrated with a bank statement obtained through bank apps or in person at a branch. If you can, ask them to sign and stamp it. Generally, you have 10 days from when you get it to use it. The closer to your appointment date you can get it, the better. I also know of cases where they’ve demonstrated their solvency not only with this statement but also by including credit card limits and/or properties abroad. I don’t have more information on that for now. For this method of obtaining the CUE (via bank funds), you also need to have health insurance without co-payments or waiting periods (most cost around €50 a month; there’s not much difference between different companies.
3. Be a student and prove it with university documents (e.g., enrollment), economic solvency, and health insurance (this can be the Spanish health card).
4. Be employed (or «por cuenta ajena» as they say here). In this case, you present your employment contract or a letter of intent to hire, which is the method I chose for mine. Further down, I’ll tell you about my experience processing my CUE/green NIE with a pre-contract.

So… do I have to get the white NIE first and then the CUE or green NIE? No, not necessarily. If you already meet the requirements for the CUE, go straight for that! However, if you don’t, you can get the white NIE, register with social security using your digital certificate, and start looking for work. With a pre-contract or a contract, then yes, you can now process the green NIE.

VALENCIA INSIGHT: You know I write based on my research, my experience, and that of friends, and I always talk about Barcelona. That’s why I offer consultations, because if you’re reading this and you need info of another province or autonomous community, the steps I’m outlining here might not be the same, and you might need me to look into everything specifically for your case. Write me an email at: viajandoasesorado@gmail.com if that’s your case.

For example: I know a case in Valencia where someone wanted to get the CUE through bank funds, and because the bank account wasn’t older than 3 months (?!), they were rejected. I’m not saying this is the norm, but I’m telling you it can happen.

My Experience Getting my NIE in Spain – EU Citizen

I had an appointment for March 18th in Girona for the white NIE (even though I’m registered («empadronada») in Barcelona). Spoiler alert: I didn’t use it.

I had booked this white NIE appointment in early February from Argentina. Since, for the white NIE you don’t need to be registered in the same place where you’re getting it (as I mentioned above), I had read that despite this, in Tarragona, they do ask you to be registered there. So, I recommend that if you’re going for the white NIE and can’t find appointments in Barcelona, look in Girona (it’s close), but NOT in Tarragona.

Booking the Appointment

On March 11th, already in Barcelona, I checked this website for the thousandth time, and thanks the Vegan Lord xD there was an appointment for the blessed green NIE a week later at RAMBLA GUIPÚSCOA 74, BCN. So, of course, I booked it and didn’t go to Girona to get the white one. Not only did I save about €20 per person on train fare, but also the payment of the fee for the white NIE, which is not the same as for the CUE.

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The Day of the NIE Appointment – EU Citizen

Documents I brought:

• «Volante de empadronamiento» (registration certificate): They told me it depends on the office, but they didn’t ask for it, so I brought it back.
• «Intención de trabajo» (letter of intent to hire): This is a letter where a Spanish employer states they want to hire you. Here’s where you could present (instead of the pre-contract I presented) an employment contract or a bank account certificate and private health insurance if you choose either of those other two options.
  
  What should the «intención de trabajo» include?
  • Company name with address and postal code.
  
  
  • A brief text expressing their desire to hire you, with the interested party’s details (mine in this case) including community passport number. Specifying a start date after the appointment date. For example, mine said «To start duties on 01/04/2021»
  
  
  • Stating it’s a contract of more than 3 months. For example, mine said 6 months. Some put «indefinite.»
  
  
  • Signature of the person hiring you with an original stamp (here, it was a stamp with the signature clarification; I assume it’s common here to have one).
  
  
  • Company’s social security contribution code and social security number.
  
  Don’t worry too much about any items you don’t understand, because company owners, restaurant owners, etc., will know what they are. And DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE this letter of intent; it’s genuinely a simple text that includes the things I’ve mentioned. There’s no set template, but I’ll leave you with one that a follower put together (thanks, Caro!) to give you an idea of what it could look like:
  
  (Day) of (month) of (year).-
  
  To whom it may concern:
  
  The undersigned, (Name of hirer), with NIE (of hirer), acting as the owner of (Company Name) with NIF (NIF number – in the case of a self-employed person, it’s the same number as the NIE), Contribution Code (xxxxxxxxxxxx – Number that allows the company/establishment to hire people, must have it); with address at (street name – street number – CP08XXX – Province or locality).
  Declares: I, (Name of hirer), have made a job offer to (Name of interested party – person to be hired) with passport number (Passport Number), date of birth on (XX of month X of year X) and with address at (Registration address), to work as (position to be held) starting on (job start date) for an indefinite period.
  
  To be duly recorded, I sign this declaration in (city where the intention is signed), on (Date it is signed).
  
  Signature of hirer
  Clarification
  DNI/NIE
  
• Original passport and copy (of the first page with your photo).
• Form Ex-18: I filled it out on the computer and brought it printed, but you can do it by hand.
  
  Here are two or three points where you might get a bit confused when filling it out:
  
  In box number 1, «Applicant Data,» logically, your information goes here. For NIE, if you don’t have one yet, leave it blank. I left the «Legal Representative» line empty also
  
  Following the same line of thought, I left box number 2, «Data of the Representative for Application Submission Purposes,» blank.
  
  You fill out box number 3 again with your data. And check the box below that says, «I consent to communications and notifications…» That way, they’ll notify you by email, and you won’t depend on postal mail.
  It’s also important that once you have your NIE, you go get your digital certificate (there’s a post with the step-by-step), this with also be helpful everytime you need to receive an official notification.
  
  On the next page, where it says «Name and Surnames of the holder,» you put your data.
  
  In box number 4, you can leave the line that says «predicted period» blank and ask at the appointment what to put. Generally, it’s 5 years, but if I were you, I’d ask on the spot.
  
  If this is the first time you’re going to process the CUE, you need to choose TEMPORARY RESIDENCY (Yes John, that’s how it is, don’t argue with me).
  
  So you’ll mark that and choose the option that matches how you’re choosing to process this document. In my case, it would be:
  
  Employee. You won’t fill in anything else in that box, and you’ll sign and complete with «Barcelona on the…» with the date of the appointment. DONE.I
  
  f you still have doubts about how to fill out the form, I recommend searching for videos on YouTube—there are several! Otherwise, go with a few things blank and ask there.
  
• Fee («Tasa») 790: I filled it out on the computer and brought it printed. (Checking the option that says «Certificate of registration of community resident or Card… blah» within the section «Identity cards for foreigners (TIE) and registration certificates for community residents.»)
  
  Clarification regarding the fee: In my case, I couldn’t pay it before arriving at the appointment because I tried to do it at an ATM, and not having a NIE to enter, it wouldn’t let me. I spoke with the gentleman who assisted me, and he gave me my NIE and told me to go pay it at an ATM across from the office I was at.
  What I recommend, since I later did this for friends and family I helped, is to enter any NIE to be able to pay the fee at an ATM. Don’t think that by doing it at the bank counter, you avoid this hassle, because so far, only one acquaintance who paid the fee for their TIE (another procedure) managed to do it that way; the rest couldn’t either.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to pay the fee at an ATM

1. Go to a bank (I recommend La Caixa for this) with a card and the fee to pay.
2. Insert the card (often, if you only swipe it through the reader, the ATM allows fewer operations than if you insert it).
3. Choose the option «Payments, Taxes and Returns.»
4. Enter your card PIN.
5. Choose the barcode operation and scan the fee at the reader (the gray rectangle in front of you, right above the ATM keyboard).
6. Enter the amount to pay (in this case, €12) and a NIE (use a friend’s if you don’t have one). Click continue.
7. Review the entered data and confirm payment.
8. Save the ticket it prints, as you need to present it along with the fee on the day of your appointment.
9. Retrieve your card.

In my case, once I returned with the paid fee, he asked for all my papers and my original passport, entered some data into his computer, and that was it! I was given my long-awaited green NIE. Be careful! This little piece of paper that cost us so much trouble CANNOT be laminated!!

Image of proud moment with my green NIE

My recommendation to get the appointment for your NIE in Spain as an EU Citizen

…is as simple as what I did for every appointment I booked: for myself, for my boyfriend, for my parents, for friends: every time you grab your phone to check Instagram, to send a WhatsApp, to take a photo, whatever… try to see if you can find an appointment. I can assure you, they do eventually pop up!

An Update from the Future (Mataró Method) and some more UPDATES

I’m traveling from the future to update this post I made in 2021 and share some info that can be VERY useful for some people. If you’re going to process the CUE in Mataró, a city in the province of Barcelona, I want to let you know that it can be done via email. I had understood that you had to be registered there, but as of JUNE 2022, I’m here to change that information because I know many people who did it without being registered in Mataró. Leave a comment if you have any experience that contradicts this.

SEPTEMBER 2022 DATA: It’s not confirmed, but Mataró may have paused this option due to the number of requests received. You can try if you like and then let me know!

Email the following to: mataro.gate@policia.es

• Printed Ex-18 application form
• Registration certificate («empadronamiento»)
• European passport
• Justification of how you’ll process the CUE (e.g., via funds)
• Printed and paid €12 fee form («tasa 790»)

ALL in a single PDF. Here’s a tool that combines your pages.

If you’re processing the CUE for your children, for example, create a PDF for each applicant and send everything in one email. Just make sure to include the passport and CUE of at least one of the parents.

After 3 or 4 days, they’ll notify you, and you can go pick it up, avoiding the need to make an appointment.

Thanks to Deborah, who left us the tip in the comments, I’m sharing an image from the Mataró police with a series of procedures that can be done by email. Hope it helps!

May 2023 Update:

I’ve been hearing about many cases where people get the «white» NIE, and before three months pass, they stumble upon an opportunity to get the CUE («green» NIE). When they go to the appointment, they end up being rejected. They’re told they must have waited three months since getting the white NIE. So keep that in mind: if you’re going for the white NIE with the idea of finding a job and then getting the green one with a pre-contract, and you’re within three months of getting it, they won’t give it to you. Either get the white one in your home country well before traveling so you arrive and don’t have to worry about those three months; or look for a job with the white one, making it clear that’s all you have.

Then after a three months period go for the CUE with your current employment contract; or, if you meet the requirements already… go directly for the CUE.

I share this secret with you: Look for teleoperator jobs (there are TONS here, and generally, they’re always looking to hire), and ask for a pre-contract—something simple, just a few lines. With that, go get your CUE.

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Update May 2024: A follower wrote to me to say that they processed their white NIE in Sant Feliu. On the form, they filled in the address of a hotel in the area where they were staying. They were asked why they wanted the NIE, and they said it was to open a bank account to deposit money and then rent an apartment, and that was it. They were given it in 5 minutes and left. They didn’t ask for anything more than the form, the fee, and the original passport and a copy.

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Alright, folks, I hope this post was helpful! If you want to support us: we’ve set up a Ko-fi page so we can keep dedicating hours of research to the blog and bring you more awesome info. You can also follow us on social media; it helps us a lot! On our Instagram and my boyfriend’s YouTube channel. And remember, if you feel these procedures are a bit overwhelming and you need some extra help, you can write to me, and we can organize a video call to clear up all your doubts. Drop me a line at viajandoasesorado@gmail.com 🙂