Forgive me if this has already been answered. I have found a lot of information on the NIE but not this question, that I could find.
Simple question, perhaps stupid question:
Do you have to have residency to get the NIE. In other words, if I show up as a tourist, but intend to work, and have an apartment set up already, can I still go apply for an NIE? Do I have to have proof of residency?
To put it shortly, you not only CAN but MUST have a NIE number if you are working in Spain and thus have to pay taxes. NIE is what used to be a residence card - the card has become absolete and no longer issued. And I was stupid enough to turn up for the 2nd time at the Police station in order to get my residency card, 😊)) It wasn’t that funny really, a waisted summer day…
To get a NIE, normally, you would have to present your passport, a recent passport sized photo and a certificate of empadronamiento (you get it from the local tawn hall once you bring your passport and a rental contract or a bill showing your address).
I personally brought a passport and my photo and that’s it. I only waited from 7.30am until 6pm to be seen, but I guess it was an exeptionally busy day and everything afterward was quick and easy. I got my NIE the very same day (evening), my social security the day after (5 min procedure).
That’s it.
But if you are in Barcelona, come to the Police Station early (and you would have to go to Avinguda de Marques de l’Argentina). If you are there at 7-7.30am you might get seen at 10-11am, I arrived at 8.30 and was lucky enough to get a ticket and be seen at 6pm.
Hmmm, let me put it this way. A friend of mine is learning playing piano and does not care a bit if her teacher has any papers, NIE, pays taxes and so on… She is there for the knowledge. But that is on a one-2-one basis.
If you are going to work for a school etc., well, I am not an expert but my wild guess would be - you will need the NIE and SS number, there is plenty of fish in a sea that speaks English, why to have any problems with paperless employee? Dont’t thinkgetting a NIE is a big problem for a UK citizen, besides you will not be taxed twice, here and in the UK.
Might be a different matter if you are an American.
I should have mentioned that. I’m American, and as I’ve read and heard from several people, Americans are buggered, as you say, when it comes to getting work. At least, it’s harder they all say. Almost impossible, but I’m still going to try. So that’s why I’m wondering if an NIE is even necessary. I guess my question was if everyone, no matter who, has to get an NIE, even if they are there for a short time. In Japan, you were supposed to register, but I was there legally, so I don’t know if tourists did that. I guess tourists don’t need an NIE though, right? That would seem a little obnoxious and unnecessary. All that to say, all this discussion about NIE is for Brits who are legally able to work in Spain because of their membership in the EU?
My understanding of it is, is that the NIE is a vital thing to have. Without it, you can’t have a Spanish bank account, buy a Spanish property, buy a car in Spain or do any of the other things that you might find you need to do to live in Spain. I haven’t moved out yet but I do have an NIE number. I have lost the original paperwork and have been told that it is a major disaster
Hi Sarrahh, regarding your post on NIEs and Residencia I agree with everything you say except the comment:
NIE is what used to be a residents card
The NIE has never been residencia documentation or a card (in Valencia anyway) its always been issued on a sheet of paper and it is as you say a number used for many purposes but primarily for the Spanish taxation system. Many people have NIE but are not residents (because they own a house here but dont live here)
The residents card has now gone for EU citizens (others are still isssued with it) and it did have amongst its information your NIE number on it.
It has been replaced by the Certificado de Registro (which also has NIE number on it) this must be applied for for those permanently residing in Spain within 3 months of arrival.
Non EUers also need various visas etc.
Bottom line:
Not living here permanently but buying a property ? Then you need NIE
Living here permanently, working, buying house/car etc you need NIE and Residencia - 2 separate applications
To download the NIE form etc refer previous postings.
Basically Miycael, you need to think about how long you want to be in Spain for and whether or not sorting out all the paperwork is worth it! If you’re coming to teach and not planning on staying too long…well….
I don’t mean to encourage not doing things properly. In fact I have always tried hard to do everything comletely legally with my residency in Spain (I’m not EU), this involved spending HEAPS and HEAPS of money (translations, apostille seals, return flights back to my country), HEAPS and HEAPS of time (waiting in lines, waiting for qualifications to be validated, waiting the entire month of August for an office to open so I could get one stupid document), and the worst thing - 4 months back home waiting for papers with my partner back in Spain!!! 😠
Then the other day I met an American girl who’s been working in Spain 3 years at an English school (no papers), and just been going in and out of the country on tourist visas, and makes more money working 5 hours a day than lots of Spanish people do working 8 (que verg?enza).....so go figure.
Getting the NIE and Social Security number isn’t a problem. The difficult thing is getting the visa in the first place.
If you are wanting to do things properly I’m pretty sure that you need to sort out any kind of visa from your own country (ie you can’t change a tourist visa to a work visa when you’re already here ).
‘So then THIS was my question. I posted this elsewhere but didn’t get a
reply. It is possible to go back and forth, like to Portugal or France and
then back to Spain over and over? When I lived in Thailand, I was there
with the Peace Corps working legally, but I knew a lot of people who were
teaching (some for years) going to Myanmar, Laos, or Cambodia every few
months, staying for a day or so, then coming back over on a new tourist
visa. So people do that in Spain also? The Thai border patrol didn’t ask
questions. It was as though they expected it. Is it the same with the
Spanish, or is there a prohibition against doing that that anyone knows of?’
I got a notification that you’d posted this…but I can’t find it on the thread!???
Anyway…I think that you can be pretty sure that the immigration officers in Spain - or the EU area in general - are going to be a lot more uptight than in Asia where it’s generally wait in line, pay the fee, and you’re in. Spain is part of the Schengen area, which is an area where there are no border controls (includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden).
I’m NZ citizen, and before the Schengen agreement we had automatic 3 month tourist visas for all of these countries - now the Schengen visa is maximum 3 months in ENTIRE schengen area (bit of a backward step no??!). Also I think that you have maximum of 3months in Schengen area within a 6 month period, which means that it’s not simply a case of a weekend in UK (not Schengen) and flying back. (although check this cause I’m not 100% sure!).
There is one loophole that I found for NZ citizens, which is that although there is the new Schengen visa, bilateral agreements NZ has with all of these countries have never officially been revoked. You could see if US situation is the same, because technically you could be spending 3 months each of these countries and because the lack of border controls nobody could prove otherwise…
You can get as tricky as you want about these kind of things. But really it’s the luck of the draw. Maybe you get the super-eager new guy at the immigration control who checks all the dates and stamps in your passport, or maybe you get the guy who’s just thinking about what kind of bocadillo he’s going to have for morning tea!
Then the other day I met an American girl who’s been working in Spain 3 years at an English school (no papers), and just been going in and out of the country on tourist visas, and makes more money working 5 hours a day than lots of Spanish people do working 8 (que verg?enza).....so go figure.
Getting the NIE and Social Security number isn’t a problem. The difficult thing is getting the visa in the first place.
If you are wanting to do things properly I’m pretty sure that you need to sort out any kind of visa from your own country (ie you can’t change a tourist visa to a work visa when you’re already here ).
kelder - 08 September 2007 07:01 PM
‘So then THIS was my question. I posted this elsewhere but didn’t get a
reply. It is possible to go back and forth, like to Portugal or France and
then back to Spain over and over?
I realize this is from 3 years ago… but if anybody knows this now, or if somebody who was part of this thread now knows from experience… I am wondering the same thing… how can you just keep using a tourist visa? Isn’t it expired?
Well, there technically isn’t a “tourist visa” at least not materially. What happens for Canadians/Americans/Developed-Non-EU-Countries is that you get a stamp in your passport with a date. By entering and leaving from different airports, you increase your chances that the customs systems aren’t hooked up or synched in a way that allows them to correlate your entries and exits. It’s worked for lots of people over the years.
