Process & legal · 2 July 2026 · 5 min read
What an NIE is, why you need one and how to get it from Ireland.
NIE stands for Número de Identidad de Extranjero: a foreigner's identification number. It is not residency, it is not a visa, and getting one commits you to nothing. It is simply the tax number Spain uses to know who you are when money moves.
You need it to buy property, open a Spanish bank account, connect electricity, and pay the purchase taxes. No NIE, no deed. It is the first practical step of any purchase, and the one people leave latest.
NIE, DNI, TIE: which is which
Three similar acronyms confuse almost everyone. The DNI is the national identity card Spaniards carry, and you will never hold one.
The TIE is a physical residence card for non-EU nationals. As an Irish citizen you do not need that either: if you move over, you register in person on the EU citizens' register (form EX-18) within three months of arriving, and that certificate does the job.
The NIE is the only one a buyer needs. It is a number, not a card, and it works the same whether you live in Ireland or in Spain.
Route one: the Spanish Embassy in Dublin
The Spanish Embassy in Dublin takes NIE applications from people who live in Ireland and aren't moving to or working in Spain. You book an appointment and bring your passport with a colour copy, a completed EX-15 form giving the reason (buying property is a valid one), proof that you live in Ireland, and the fee form 790-012, which was €9.84 when we last checked. If you live in Northern Ireland, it's the Consulate General in Edinburgh instead.
The catch is time. Appointments are limited, and the embassy says the NIE can take up to about five weeks after that, sent by email. If you are six months from a viewing trip, this route is fine and cheap. If you have already found the apartment, it is usually too slow.
Route two: power of attorney
The faster route: sign a power of attorney allowing a lawyer in Spain to apply on your behalf. The document is signed in front of a notary in Ireland, apostilled, translated and sent over. Your lawyer queues at the police station in Spain so you do not have to.
Cost is a few hundred euro including the notary and apostille, and the same power of attorney can be drafted to cover the whole purchase, so you never need to fly out for paperwork at all. This is the route most of our buyers take, because they are usually arranging it at the same time as everything else.
Two buyers, two NIEs
Buying as a couple? Each name on the deed needs its own NIE. Apply for both at the same time. It doubles nothing except the forms.
When to do it
The week you decide you are serious. The number stays yours for life, costs little, and obliges you to nothing. Having it in hand means that when the right apartment appears, you can move at the speed of a cash buyer instead of explaining to an agent why you need three more weeks.
Want the whole process on paper?
Our free Paperwork Pack takes you from the NIE to the keys in order: every document, the checks, the notary and the taxes, checked against the official sources.