Paperwork

How to get your NIE

The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is required for almost everything in Spain — renting, banking, working and more.

The TIE (Foreigner Identity Card)

The TIE is the physical card that proves your residency status in Spain — different from, and issued after, your NIE.

Getting a Spanish DNI (if applicable)

The DNI is Spain's national ID card — reserved for Spanish citizens. Here's what actually applies to foreigners instead.

Renewing your NIE or TIE

The NIE itself never expires, but your TIE card does — here's how and when to renew it.

Replacing a lost or stolen NIE or TIE

What to do if you lose your TIE card or can't find the paperwork showing your NIE number.

How to register your address (empadronamiento)

Empadronamiento registers you as a resident at your local town hall — needed for healthcare, schooling and more.

Updating your address (change of padrón)

How to update your municipal registration when you move house within Spain.

Getting a padrón certificate

How to request a certificado or volante de empadronamiento once you're already registered.

Getting a NIF in Spain

The NIF is Spain's tax ID number — for most foreigners, it's simply your NIE. Here's when you need something different.

Registering with the Spanish Tax Agency

When and how to formally register your tax situation with the Agencia Tributaria (Modelo 030).

Getting a Social Security Number

The NUSS is a separate number from your NIE, required before you can legally start work in Spain.

Registering with Social Security

The difference between getting your Social Security number and actually being registered as active (alta) — and why both matter.

How to obtain a Digital Certificate

The FNMT digital certificate lets you sign documents and complete official procedures online — here's how to get one.

How to use Cl@ve

Cl@ve is Spain's simpler alternative to a digital certificate for identifying yourself online with public administrations.

Registering a birth in Spain

How to register a child's birth with the Spanish Registro Civil when the birth takes place in Spain.

Registering a marriage in Spain

How a marriage performed in Spain gets registered, whether it's a civil ceremony or a religious one with civil effect.

Registering a foreign marriage

Whether a marriage that took place outside Spain needs to be registered with the Spanish Registro Civil — and when it does.

Registering a death in Spain

The practical steps to register a death that occurs in Spain, and who is responsible for reporting it.

Official certificates (birth, marriage and death)

How to request certified copies of civil registry certificates once an event has already been registered in Spain.

Legalizing foreign documents (apostille and sworn translation)

Foreign certificates (birth, marriage, criminal record) usually need an apostille and a certified Spanish translation before Spanish authorities will accept them.

Sworn translations in Spain

Why Spanish authorities require sworn translations for foreign documents, and how to get one done correctly.

Legalisation and Apostille

How to get a foreign public document formally recognised as genuine in Spain, or a Spanish document recognised abroad.

How to certify copies of documents

How to get an officially certified copy of a document when an authority needs proof it matches the original.

Official document validity in Spain

How long official documents and certificates stay valid for use in Spanish administrative procedures.

Booking official appointments (Cita Previa)

How Spain's appointment-booking system works, and why you'll need it for almost every administrative procedure.

How to submit documents online

How to file paperwork with Spanish public administrations electronically, without needing an in-person appointment.

How to communicate with Spanish public authorities

The main channels for contacting Spanish administrations, and when to use a formal, provable method instead of an informal one.

Understanding official letters from the administration

How to read a formal notice from a Spanish public authority, and what to do before any deadline it states.