The NIE Number in Spain for Americans: When You Need One and How

An NIE, the número de identidad de extranjero, is the number Spain uses to identify you at every level of its administration. For some Americans it is the first thing to get; for others the police assign it automatically; and for everyone it has one hard limit: it is a number, not a permission to live in Spain. This guide covers who has to apply and who does not, how the Washington consulate and Spanish offices handle the request, and the details that hold an application up. This article is for informational purposes only and is not immigration or legal advice; verify current requirements with the relevant Spanish authority or a licensed professional.

Does an NIE let you live in Spain?

An NIE obtained through a consulate identifies you to every level of the Spanish administration but does not entitle you to reside in Spain or prove residence there, the Washington consulate states.

The right to stay comes from a visa or an authorization. Without one, a U.S. passport covers stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, as the consulate notes on its telework visa page, and whatever you use the NIE for does not change that count.

The Interior Ministry defines the NIE as a personal, unique and exclusive number, assigned for identification to foreigners who start a procedure to obtain a document to stay in Spain, who are the subject of an immigration file, or who relate to Spain through economic, professional, social or other interests.

Three ways Americans end up with an NIE

The Interior Ministry separates the NIE the police assign automatically from the NIE you request yourself for economic, professional or social reasons, and that split decides whether you apply at all.

The telework visa is the case to watch. The Washington consulate says that visa is enough on its own to stay and work remotely in Spain for up to 1 year, and the ministry’s rule assigns an NIE automatically for visas that allow more than 90 days in any 180-day period without a separate residence authorization procedure. Yet the same consulate asks telework applicants to obtain an NIE before they apply and to include the certificate of assignment in the file, and its list is the one your file is checked against. If that is your route, the NIE is the first appointment of the whole move; the digital nomad visa guide covers the rest of that file.

Applying at the Washington consulate

The Washington consulate takes NIE applications without an appointment, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., from people who live in its district: D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina.

Bring, for each applicant:

• form EX-15, printed and signed beforehand, with the economic, professional or social reason for the request written in Spanish;
• form 790 code 012, completed on the Policía Nacional’s website and signed beforehand, with your passport number where it asks for an NIF or NIE, your U.S. address, the option for assigning an NIE at the applicant’s request, Principal kept selected and cash as the payment method;
• your valid passport, original and photocopy;
• a driver’s license or state ID from the district, original and photocopy.

The fee is paid at the consular section in cash, by card or by money order; the page still gives it as $12 for 2025, so confirm the current amount at the window. NIEs are assigned by the General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders, under the Directorate-General of the Police, so the consulate cannot speed them up. The number usually arrives within 20 to 30 days, by email, which makes the email address on your form the one detail you cannot get wrong.

Applying in Spain

In Spain, you apply in person, or through a legal representative, at a foreigners’ office or a police station, with form EX-15 in duplicate, the fee form 790 code 012, your passport and a copy, and a written statement of the reasons for the request. The Policía Nacional’s fee table sets the fee for assigning an NIE at the applicant’s request at 9.84 euros.

Two conditions apply: you must not be in Spain irregularly, and you must say why you need the number. The ministry sets a maximum of 5 days from the day the application enters the register of the competent office, and a request with no answer by then is treated as refused. The card you receive later, if you move on a residence authorization, is a separate application covered in the TIE guide.

Where NIE applications stall

Three details on the Washington consulate’s page are the ones to check twice before you go:

• the reason written in Spanish on the EX-15, not in English;
• the right option on form 790 code 012, with your passport number in the NIF or NIE field, since you do not have an NIE yet;
• an email address on the form, because the number is sent by email.

Get the order right, then the number

Decide your route first. If you are moving on a residence visa such as the non-lucrative visa, let the residence file produce your NIE; if you need a number for another reason before you move, or you are applying for the telework visa, request it at your consulate now.

Almost everyone can do this alone: the forms are short and the Washington consulate needs no appointment. The exception is an application through a representative, where the power of attorney has to authorize this request expressly.

The Spain Navigator puts every step of your move to Spain in order, from the visa to settling in.