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Official form

EX-15 form: the NIE and resident and non-resident certificates

The EX-15 is how you apply for the NIE (foreigner identification number) when no other procedure assigns it automatically, and also for the resident or non-resident certificate. It is handed in in person: in Spain, with a cita previa (appointment) at a police station or an Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office); from abroad, at the Spanish consulate that covers where you live. The NIE fee is €9.84 and the Police have five days to decide.

Updated on 14 October 2026

€9.84

tasa 790-012 (fee) for assigning the NIE (Orden PJC/617/2025, item 5.12)

€7.31

for each certificate, resident or non-resident (item 5.13)

5 days

at most for a decision; with no reply, the application is deemed refused (RD 1155/2024, art. 205.4)

3 months

of validity for each certificate, according to the Police

One box, three different documents

In section 4.1 on page 2, «Tipo de documento» (type of document), you tick only one option:

BoxWhat it is forWho appliesFee
NIEA personal, unique and exclusive number that will appear on all your documents (RD 1155/2024, art. 205.2)Anyone with economic, professional or social interests in Spain who is not in an irregular situation (art. 205.3)€9.84
Certificado de residente (resident certificate)Proves your periods of legal residence, added together, to other bodiesAnyone living here legally, whether from the EU or not€7.31
Certificado de no residente (non-resident certificate)Proves that you do not live in SpainAny foreign national€7.31

The cita previa system also lists a «de concordancia» certificate (certificate of concordance), but the EX-15 has no box for it and the Police's Sede Electrónica (online office) does not publish its information sheet: ask at the office before filling in the form.

When you do not need the EX-15. The NIE is assigned automatically to anyone applying for an authorisation to stay, such as an arraigo (residence through ties to Spain), to anyone with an open immigration file, and to the holder of a visa for more than 90 days that does not require another authorisation (art. 205.1 and 205.3). The form is for people who only have interests here: buying a property, an inheritance, an internship.

The form published by the Ministry

The Ministry offers the EX-15 as a PDF to print and as a version with 80 fillable fields, with identical text. Notes (1) to (7) are on page 3.

EX-15 as a PDF

Page 1: who applies, who submits and who receives

  1. 1) Details of the foreign national

    As in the passport: its number and, if there is one already, the NIE; then surnames and first name, sex, marital status, nationality, birth (dd/mm/yyyy), parents, address, mobile and email.

    Where it gets stuckTurning up with an expired passport: the Ministry of the Interior asks for the complete, valid passport, with a copy.

  2. Row «Representante legal, en su caso» (legal representative, if applicable)

    Only if the applicant is a minor or has a guardian: their parent or guardian, with that title (note 4).

    Where it gets stuckWriting in the gestoría (administrative agency) (who goes in each box).

  3. 2) Representante a efectos de presentación (representative for submission)

    Filled in if someone else hands the form in (note 5), with a power of attorney that expressly authorises them to submit the application, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

    Where it gets stuckA general power of attorney; the consulate in Paris only accepts a notarised one.

  4. 3) Notificaciones (notifications)

    The «Domicilio a efectos de notificaciones» (address for notifications) says who receives the decision; consulates send the NIE to the email address given there. How notifications arrive and when they expire.

    Where it gets stuckApplying at a consulate without giving an email address.

Note (6) still cites additional provision 4 of RD 557/2011, a regulation repealed by RD 1155/2024.

Page 2: section 4 and the signature

  1. 4.1 · Tipo de documento (type of document)

    NIE, or «Certificado» and, below it, «De residente» or «De no residente».

    Where it gets stuckApplying for a new NIE when you already have one: the number is unique (art. 205.1).

  2. 4.2 · Motivos (reasons)

    Economic, professional, social or other, with the «(Especificar)» (specify) line. Stating the reason is a requirement (art. 205.3.b); the consulates in Paris and Buenos Aires also ask for proof, such as a contrato de arras (property deposit contract), an internship agreement or, for an inheritance, the death certificate.

    Where it gets stuck«Por otros motivos» (for other reasons) with the line left blank.

  3. 4.3 · Lugar de presentación (place of submission)

    Oficina de Extranjería, Comisaría de Policía (police station) or Oficina Consular (consulate): wherever you hand it in.

  4. 4.4 · Situación en España (situation in Spain)

    «Estancia» (stay) or «Residencia» (residence), nothing more: being in an irregular situation rules out applying for the NIE this way (art. 205.3.a). Its reference mark (8) has no note.

  5. Firma (signature)

    Town, date and signature of the applicant or, for a minor, of their legal representative; at the bottom, the body it is addressed to, its DIR3 code and the province.

The instructions ask for capital letters, black ink and two copies.

In Spain: police station or immigration office, with an appointment

The Police's Sede Electrónica only allows in-person submission: the EX-15 is handed in at a police station or at an immigration office, whose police unit assigns the NIE and issues the certificates (RD 1155/2024, arts. 205.4 and 261.3). The appointment is booked in the «Trámites Policía Nacional» group, under a name that changes from province to province:

The NIE in the cita previa system (14/10/2026)
ProvinceProcedure to choose
MadridPOLICIA-ASIGNACIÓN DE N.I.E.
Barcelona and SevillaPOLICIA-ASIGNACIÓN DE NIE
Valencia and ZaragozaAsignación de N.I.E.
MálagaPOLICIA-CERTIFICADOS Y ASIGNACION NIE (there is no appointment for the NIE alone)

For certificates, in all six: «POLICIA-CERTIFICADOS (DE RESIDENCIA, DE NO RESIDENCIA Y DE CONCORDANCIA)». Which documents go with the form: NIE assignment.

From outside Spain: the consulate for your area

Outside Spain, the application reaches the Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras (the Police's immigration and borders headquarters) through the consular office that covers where you live (art. 205.4). Each consulate sets its own appointments and document list; those in Paris, Miami and Buenos Aires agree on:

  • Going in person or through a representative (in Paris, with a notarised power of attorney).
  • A valid passport or, if you are from the EU, an identity document, and proof that you live in the consulate's area.
  • Paying at the consulate: €9.84 in Paris; $12 in Miami.
  • Receiving the NIE by email, in about two weeks on average.
  • That NIE is for dealings with the Spanish authorities, not for living in Spain.

Fee and decision

Bring the tasa 790-012 already paid to the appointment: €9.84 for the NIE and €7.31 for each certificate. With no reply within five days, the application is deemed refused (what to do); against the decision you can lodge a recurso de reposición (appeal to the same authority) within one month, or a contencioso-administrativo (court) appeal within two.

For law firms: the EX-15 in Aproba

  • Section 1, without typing, on the official PDF: passport and NIE if there is one, full identity (birth, nationality, marital status and parents), address and contact details come from the client's record, which you complete by uploading their passport or TIE for the AI to read.
  • «NIE» ticked in 4.1 when the file is an NIE assignment. For a certificate, the form selector offers «Certificado de residente» and «de no residente»: it ticks «CERTIFICADO» and its type.
  • The rest of page 2, as empty fields to type into on the PDF: reasons and their «Especificar», place of submission, situation in Spain, DIR3 footer, town and date. The «Representante legal» row in section 1 and section 3 are left untouched: you decide them.
  • Your firm in section 2 only if you submit the form yourself, according to the switch on the file's Formularios screen. The tasa 790-012 comes from the same file: in the Police generator you choose the NIE or certificate box and type in its security code.

Other forms

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the NIE from my own country, without travelling to Spain?

Yes: the EX-15 is submitted at the Spanish consular office for your area, which forwards it to the Comisaría General de Extranjería y Fronteras (RD 1155/2024, art. 205.4). You need an appointment and must go in person or through a representative; the number arrives by email.

Can I apply for the NIE if I am in Spain without authorisation?

Not with the EX-15: having it assigned at your own request requires not being in an irregular situation and stating the reason (art. 205.3). If you start a procedure to stay, such as an arraigo, the NIE is assigned automatically with that file (art. 205.1).

I am an EU citizen: EX-15 or EX-18?

If you only need the number to buy, inherit or sign a contract, the EX-15. If you are going to live in Spain for more than three months, you register in the Registro Central de Extranjeros (Central Register of Foreign Nationals) with the EX-18: the registration certificate already carries your NIE (RD 240/2007, art. 7.5).

How long does the NIE take?

The Police have five days from when the application enters the competent registry; if they do not reply, it is deemed refused (art. 205.4). Through a consulate it takes longer: Paris, Miami and Buenos Aires mention about two weeks on average, and Miami now warns of a minimum of four.

What is the difference between the resident certificate and the non-resident certificate?

The resident certificate adds up your periods of legal residence in Spain and is for people who live here legally; the non-resident certificate proves that you do not live here and any foreign national can request it. Each one costs €7.31 and is valid for three months.

Official sources

Checked on 14 October 2026, unless another date is given.

Keep reading

Tasa 790-012 (police fee): 2026 amounts, form and payment

Form EX-18: EU citizen registration/residence