The NIE: where and when you get it
If you are going to live in Spain, you get your identification number when you register in Spain. The consulate in Amsterdam only issues an NIE to people staying less than three months, and such a consular NIE is not valid for residing.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
If you are going to live in Spain, you get your NIE in Spain itself, at your registration as a resident, and not through the consulate.
The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is your identification number as a foreigner, and you need it for almost everything in Spain. Without an NIE it's hard to open a bank account, you don't buy a car and setting up utilities is difficult. It's the number everything hangs on. That is exactly why it matters to know where you get it.
If you are going to live in Spain, you get it in Spain
If you stay longer than three months, you are required as an EU citizen to register. You do that at the Oficina de Extranjería (the Spanish foreigners' office) or the police of your province, with form EX-18. At that registration you get the NIE automatically. It is on your registration certificate, the "green slip", next to your name, nationality, address and registration date.
The Spanish consulate general in Amsterdam says so in as many words. Anyone who will live in Spain for more than three months registers there and is given the NIE with it. And that is why only people who stay in Spain for less than three months, and have an economic, social or professional interest there, can apply for an NIE at the consulate.
An NIE from the consulate "is not valid for residing and does not prove residence in Spain". It is a number for dealing with Spanish authorities, not a step in your move.
For your move this means: the NIE belongs to phase 4, not to closing the Netherlands. What you do gain in advance is a complete registration file: documents, healthcare cover and proof of income. Then that one appointment works first time. That appointment, the cita previa, is scarce in popular regions. That is where the real waiting is.
When the consulate is the route after all
There is one situation in which an NIE in advance makes sense: you still live in the Netherlands and have a concrete matter in Spain. The consulate gives as examples setting up a company, buying a home, a tax return, banking or an inheritance. If, for example, you buy a house before you move, you need an NIE at the notary. Then the consulate can do it.
You apply by appointment, in person or through a representative; it can't be done by post. Amsterdam asks for this:
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form EX-15, original and copy | preferably filled in online and printed, and signed; stating the economic, professional or social reason for the application |
| Proof of that reason | a document that proves the reason, for example for a home purchase, banking, a company, a tax return or an inheritance; the consulate calls this "imprescindible", essential |
| Valid passport, original and copy of the data page | EU citizens may also use their ID card, front and back |
| Proof that you live in the Netherlands | for example an extract, your Dutch driving licence or your health insurance card |
| Form 790, code 012, and proof of payment | the fee is € 9.84 per person |
| With a representative | their ID plus a power of attorney that explicitly mentions the NIE application |
| For a minor | birth certificate or family book, plus the parent's passport |
The consulate doesn't issue the number itself: the Spanish police do, and the consulate can't shorten the processing time. On average it takes two weeks, sometimes up to a month. You receive it by email.
If you then move after all, the number stays the same: at your registration you don't get a second NIE, you get proof that you live there.
An NIE is not yet a residence registration
This regularly causes confusion. The NIE is an identification number: it says nothing about where you live or that you have the right to reside in Spain. The residence registration is the registration certificate, and you only arrange that once you actually live in Spain, within three months of your arrival.
As an EU citizen you don't need a visa, and that makes the Spanish route fundamentally different from, say, the Australian one. But "no visa" doesn't mean "no paperwork". It means the paperwork mostly comes after arrival, in a fixed order: a home, the empadronamiento (your registration with the town hall), and then the registration with your NIE.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Spain or go straight to step 2.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Spanish consulate general in Amsterdam — NIE, who can apply there, form EX-15, list of documents and processing time — exteriores.gob.es
- BOE — Orden PJC/617/2025, the fee for assigning an NIE on request (€ 9.84) — boe.es
- Administración General del Estado — whoever stays longer than three months registers and is given the NIE with it — administracion.gob.es
- Policía Nacional — certificado de registro for EU citizens, form EX-18 — sede.policia.gob.es
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