Your NIE and a Spanish bank account: the first two steps

Before a notary or a bank will touch your money, they will ask for a number. The NIE is not a visa or a residence permit, but it is the first thing a non-resident buyer needs. The bank account follows straight after, and the two are closely linked, so we suggest doing them together.

What the NIE is and why it comes first

The NIE, short for Número de Identidad de Extranjero, is a personal identification number that Spain issues to foreigners who have a genuine reason to deal with the Spanish state, and buying a home is one of them. It is yours alone. It follows you through the tax and property forms, and it is the reference that officials and notaries will use every time they need to find your file. You will see it at every stage, so it is worth getting right first time.

You do not need to live here to hold one. Buyers often keep an NIE for years while they travel back and forth between the Costa Tropical and home, and there is nothing odd about that.

Getting one from home or at a police station

There are two main routes. The first is a Spanish consulate in your home country, which handles overseas applications through the national immigration and borders division. The second is in Spain itself, at a National Police station or a Foreigners' Office. Before you turn up there, you need to book an appointment through the government's online system, which the official guidance calls icpplus.

Either way the paperwork is much the same. You complete form EX-15, the application for the NIE and certificates, in duplicate and sign it. You take your valid passport, the original, and a photocopy in case the office asks for one. You also state why you need the number, which for a buyer is the purchase itself.

The fee is paid on form 790, code 012. You fill in the form, pay at a bank or savings bank, and bring the proof of payment with you. The official portal lists the NIE fee at €9.84, and you select the entry for assignment of the NIE at the request of the interested party. Fees do change, so check the amount on the day you pay.

Using a lawyer to do it for you

If you cannot easily get to a consulate or a Spanish office, you can apply through a representative. Buyers often ask us whether a lawyer can do this for them, and the answer is yes. The official guidance says the representative must be properly authorised, which in practice means a signed power of attorney that the office will accept.

If that power of attorney is signed in your home country, it needs legalising or an apostille, and then a sworn translation into Spanish. That is a step to schedule early. A lawyer who handles this every week will know which version each office wants, and for a first purchase that is worth paying for.

Opening a non-resident bank account

Once the NIE is in hand, the bank account is next. A non-resident account is the usual choice for someone who is buying here but not yet living here. The bank will want your passport and your NIE, and many will also ask for a certificate of non-residence. Banks differ in what they accept, so ask the branch for its checklist before you start.

The certificate of non-residence comes from the National Police, not the bank. It is requested on the same EX-15 form, paid through the same 790 code 012 route, and it is valid for three months from the date of issue. That short life matters. Get it close to the day you need to show it, not months before.

Why you need both before completion

The NIE is what the notary will ask for when the public deed is signed, and the deed is what completes the sale. Without it, the signing does not go ahead. The bank account matters for the money. Sellers and notaries generally expect the purchase funds, and the taxes and fees that follow, to come from a Spanish account, so having one open well before completion avoids a last-minute scramble.

A simple way to think about it: the NIE identifies you, and the account is where the money goes. Neither is hard on its own. They become a problem only when both are left until the week of signing.

How long it all takes

The official clock is short. The Spanish police portal says a certificate of non-residence must be resolved within five days of the request being entered in the office's register, and the NIE application carries the same five-day limit. That is the processing time once your paperwork is in front of the office, not the wait before it. The longer part is usually getting the appointment in the first place.

Consulates set their own waiting times, so check the one that covers you before you book anything. Bank timing depends on the branch and on how complete your papers are. Our advice is to begin soon after you decide to buy, so the NIE and the account are ready well before anyone asks you to sign.

Once those two are sorted, the next question is what the purchase will cost on top of the price. Our piece on buying costs in Spain walks through the taxes and fees, and the mortgage calculator helps if you are thinking about borrowing.