Before You Buy Property In Spain

Until recently, foreign non-residents in Spain could buy or sell property without an NIE. Recent legislation passed in Spain has made it necessary for anyone paying money to the Spanish Inland Revenue (Hacienda) to have a Spanish identity number, and to obtain it in person.

In theory it's easy to get an NIE. All you have to do is to go to the Extranjeros department of your nearest Police station, fill in and sign an application form, and hand it in together with a recent passport sized photo, a photocopy of your passport for them to keep and your original passport for them to view. You must do this in person.You can't get anyone else to do it for you.

Non-resident property buyers in Spain can apply for an NIE in any of the Spanish consulates in Britain. Anyone intending to sell or buy property in Spain must have a NIE by Spanish law for tax purposes before any money changes hands. Applying at your nearest consulate is more expensive than getting an NIE in Spain but it still may be an advantage for a lot of non-resident property-buyers.

If you do decide to apply while still in the UK, then you need to get together all necessary documentation and then go to the consulate where you will be asked to sign the NIE application form in front of an employee of the consulate. Your signature will then be given an official validation stamp which costs £22.

You will need the following documents:

• A stamped photocopy of your passport. (The consulate will stamp this for you)
• 2 recent passport size photos. The background must be plain, and people who wear glasses and/or earrings must take them off for the photo.
• An original copy and a photocopy of a document which explains why you need your NIE. This may be the private sales contract you have signed with the estate agent or private vendor or if you are going to work in Spain, your job acceptance letter will suffice.
• A self-addressed envelope.

Once the NIE application form with your signature and passport have been stamped, the consulate will send the completed pack to Madrid for you.

There are 3 Spanish consulates in the UK.
If you live in Northern Ireland, Cheshire, Cleveland, Clwyd, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Durham, Manchester, Gwynedd, Humberside, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, the Isle of Man, Merseyside, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Tyne & Wear or Yorkshire, please apply to:
The Spanish Consulate General, 1 Brooks House, 70 Spring Gardens, Manchester, M2 2BQ. Tel: 0161 2361233

Scotland or the Scottish Islands, please apply to:
The Spanish Consulate General, 63 North Castle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3LJ. Tel: 0131 2201843

If you live anywhere else within the UK apply to the London office:
20 Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ, Tel: 020 7589 8989, Fax: 020 7581 7888