I am a British Guy living in Barcelona.

I arrived around the middle of July and promptly went to the police station in order to obtain my NIE, which was issued as a piece of paper a week later (although usually the same day apparently).

I thought I heard the woman police lady say something about it only being valid for 3 months??

I have not got an actually NIE plastic card.

Can someone please explain. Is my NIE number still in-date? (I looked around the forums and it kinda suggests that the number itself is with me for life).

Do I need to re-apply? Do I need to apply for national status? (I intend to stay for the forthcoming future but I have no idea if another 3 months or another 3 years).

Please can some advise with this. To put it simply, do I need to do anything else?

Thanks
Pietro

ps. I am not working formally yet, but looking for work

Once an NIE is issued it is yours for life, it never changes and never needs renewing. Neither does it come on a plastic card (or certainly not in the Valencia region anyway)

There are other admin processes to go through:
(Assuming you plan to live full time as a resident)
Register on the padron
Apply for residencia
Get a social security number
Sort out healthcare
In time - make a tax declaracion
Work, accommodation, and maybe driving licence (although you can drive on a legal UK licence)

Good luck

The Residencia format has been reduced, replacing the current A4 document for a standard laminate card, being the same document but with a tenfold reduction in size, much more handy now…

Joana - which region is that in? And are you talking for EU or Non EU residents?

Strange goings on…

Joana’s IP address decodes to Sofia in Bulgaria…

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Hi Rob, if think its fo all the regions, its for all the residents, Eu and non Eu!

There is nothing strange, I am now in Sofia, thats why.

I found the reason for this recently. My colleague who used to work for the Extranjeria, told me that the Non-EUs get a card (like me!), whilst EU citizens / those with EU passport get a piece of paper since they should already have an EU card from their home country, if not, the EU passport will do.

The card have an expiration date - usually initially 5 years, which needs to be renewed (and the date is clearly printed on the card), but I?m sure the piece of paper is for life since it?s for EU citizens, but you should double check that…

my husband is british and we been told that your NIE expires when your passport expires but your NIE number will be yours for life.

maansoffia

your NIE expires when your passport expires

Don’t think so… the NIE has no standing outside of Spain whereas the passport is an international instrument.

However, without a valid passport you are in effect illegal outside of the UK anyway, so the whole question is somewhat irrelevant. I can’t think of any circumstance where one is required to produce an NIE cert without a valid passport. for things like setting up contracts on-line with say Telefonica or Iberdrola or Endesa just quoting the NIE number is normally sufficient. 

There is one other point to consider, these days the NIE’s are issued at the same time as the residencia certificate; the residencia certificate is only valid as an adjunct to the UK passport, it cannot be used on its own as a legal means of identification; in theory therefore if ones passport is out of date the residencia cert is pretty meaningless.

My own personal opinion is that the residencia certificate as opposed to the residencia photocard issued to non-EU people is a pretty meaningless document anyway…

And for ROB… Could be wrong here but I’m pretty sure that insofar as residencia is concerned if one is non-EU then the certificate isn’t issued anyway, these applicants still get the old Photocard version. See Gretina’s post above…

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hi oh sorry for getting confused.. you are right I mean residencia expires when your passport expired.. we are just used to called it nie coz it is issue the same time as your residencia and you only got A4 paper as proof of residencia and as your NIE .

Gretina is right non EU still get the card.

As an EU citizen you first need to be registered as living in Spain for over 3 Months, so register in your local Town Hall with proof of residence in that Town or Village, deeds or rental agreement. Once the 3 Months is up go to the local police sation, who if not able to issue a residence certificate will tell you of the nearest station. Go there ask for what you need, theu will tell you, at the moment 2 photos, a padron certificate ( historical) from the town hall and fill in the form given. You must take your passport and pay a small fee. Do not confuse a NIE number with The residence certificate.

howardwise…

Post deleted SPAM

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Mod/Admin

I wonder is someone can help me. Very confused.

I moved to Spain in 2004. Got a NIE number in 2005. Left Spain 2007. I paid 3 years to the taxman in Spain.  I do not recall having a residencia certificate but did have a extranjeros espana with a nie X…......... This expired (naturally in 2010).  I assumed that the natural expiration without renewal meant I was no longer a resident for tax purposes (if indeed I had residencia or just NIE number).

So I am not sure if 1) I ever actually became a Spanish Resident and/or if the Nie expired in 2010 would I be classed as having spanish residencia status. 

I left to travel around the World and have not been back since.  Was I or am I of Spanish residencia status?. .......

My question to my previous question if anyone can give me their thoughts.

What if I haven’t told the Spanish that I am no longer living there. I do not own property and I left in 2007?

Reference: Previous
I moved to Spain in 2004. Got a NIE number in 2005. Left Spain 2007. I paid 3 years to the taxman in Spain.  I do not recall having a residencia certificate but did have a extranjeros espana with a nie X?......... This expired (naturally in 2010).  I assumed that the natural expiration without renewal meant I was no longer a resident for tax purposes (if indeed I had residencia or just NIE number).

So I am not sure if 1) I ever actually became a Spanish Resident and/or if the Nie expired in 2010 would I be classed as having spanish residencia status.

I left to travel around the World and have not been back since.  Was I or am I of Spanish residencia status?. .......