Where the NIE and registering your address (empadronamiento) fit

Key rules

• Order: The NIE and the padron do not depend on each other, so neither has to come first.
• Padron ID: A passport is legally enough to register on the padron, though some town halls ask for a NIE, so bring it if you have one.
• NIE from abroad: You can apply for a non-resident NIE before you arrive if you can show why you need it.
• Visa holders: A long-stay visa does not normally include a NIE, so check your approval documents.

Neither step needs the other

You do not need a NIE to register on the padron, and you do not need the padron to apply for a NIE. Do them in whichever order suits you. Do not hold one back waiting for the other.

The NIE: can you get it before you arrive?

Yes. You can apply for a non-resident NIE from abroad. You will need to explain the economic, professional or social reason you need it, and you can give a foreign address. Offices in different provinces ask for slightly different things, so check with the one you will use.

If you come on a long-stay visa, the NIE is normally issued after you arrive, when you apply for the TIE, and it is printed on that card. Some visa approvals already show a NIE, especially work or job-seeker visas, so look at your approval documents first.

If you apply once you are in Spain, you file the NIE application form (EX-15) at the police or the foreigners' office. Put a Spanish address on it. A temporary address is fine, and you do not need a padron registration first. For a TIE fingerprint appointment the padron is normally not needed either, but you will need it for later steps.

The padron: register once you have an address

The padron is your town hall's list of residents. Your passport is legally enough to register. If you are an EU citizen, your national ID card works too. A NIE is not required.

Some town halls still ask for a NIE in practice. If you have one, bring it. If you do not, ask your town hall before you go.

A simple order

1. Check your visa documents for a NIE.
2. If you have none and need one, apply for it with whatever Spanish address you have, even a temporary one.
3. Register on the padron as soon as you have an address, with your passport and your NIE if you hold one.

The documents list and checklist below give the details.

Documents you need

• A valid passport, or a national ID card if you are an EU citizen. This is enough to register on the padron.

• Your NIE or residence card (TIE), if you already have one. Some town halls ask for it when you register on the padron, so bring it.

• Your visa approval documents, if you hold a long-stay visa. They may already show a NIE.

• The NIE application form (EX-15), filed at the police or the foreigners' office, with a Spanish address, which can be a temporary one.

• If you apply for a non-resident NIE from abroad, proof of the economic, professional or social reason you need it.

Checklist

• Check your visa approval documents to see whether a NIE is already shown.

• Fill in the NIE application form with a Spanish address, which can be a temporary one.

• Do not wait for a padron registration before you apply for the NIE.

• Bring your passport, or your EU ID card if you are an EU citizen, to register on the padron.

• Bring your NIE or residence card to the padron office if you have one.

• Ask your town hall whether it asks for a NIE before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Does my long-stay visa already show a NIE?

Usually no, a long-stay visa does not come with a NIE as standard. The NIE is normally assigned after you arrive, when you apply for the residence card (TIE), and it is printed on the card. Some work or job-seeker visas, or approvals with a prior resolution, may already show one, so look at your approval documents.

Do I need a padron registration before I can apply for a NIE?

No, the NIE application does not require a padron registration. You normally give a Spanish address on the form, and it can be a temporary one. For the fingerprint appointment for your residence card you usually do not need the padron either, but you will need it for later steps.

Can I get a NIE if I live abroad and have no Spanish address?

Yes, a non-resident NIE can use a foreign address, but you must justify the economic, professional or social reason you need it. Offices differ by province, so ask the one you plan to use what proof they want.