Getting your NIE number in Mallorca: the complete 2026 guide

Getting your NIE number in Mallorca means filing form EX-15 with proof of why you need the number, paying fee 790-012 (€9.84) and submitting everything either at the Policía Nacional in Palma or through a Spanish consulate abroad. The paperwork is simple. The slow part, in Palma, is usually the appointment.

This guide is for people who need the number itself: to buy a house, open a bank account, sign a contract or pay tax. If you are an EU citizen moving here to live, you need a different document, covered below.

Which document do you need?

Your situation	What you need
EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in Spain more than three months	The CUE (EU citizen registration certificate, the “green NIE”). It carries your NIE number. See CUE (green NIE)
British, American, Canadian or other non-EU national buying property, inheriting or opening an account	The white NIE: a number on a paper certificate
Non-EU national moving to Spain to live	NIE first, then a residence authorisation and the TIE card. See TIE

The NIE is the number. The TIE is the physical card, a separate procedure. Our NIE, TIE and CUE comparison sets out the differences side by side.

Who can ask for a NIE

The Policía Nacional’s own procedure page says the NIE is for foreigners who deal with Spain “por razón de sus intereses económicos, profesionales o sociales”: that is, for economic, professional or social reasons. You do not need to live in Spain. A second-home buyer in Mallorca qualifies. The reason you give must be backed by paper.

Two ways to apply

According to the Policía Nacional, requests can be filed:

• In Spain, with the Policía Nacional, through an Oficina de Extranjería or at a police station. In Palma, the foreigners’ office of the Policía Nacional is at calle Felicià Fuster 7, in the same building as the Oficina de Extranjería.
• From abroad, through a Spanish consular office.

If you are still in the UK, the US or elsewhere and you are buying in Mallorca, the consular route means you can have the number before you arrive. Consulates set their own booking rules, so check your consulate’s website. Which route is faster depends on the consulate’s queue against the Palma queue, and we cannot give you a number for either.

Documents

1. Form EX-15, completed and signed.
2. Passport, valid, original plus a copy.
3. Proof of payment of fee 790-012.
4. Proof of the reason for the request: the purchase agreement or reservation contract, a job offer, a bank letter, probate papers, a company deed.

The Policía Nacional page lists the form, the payment and the justification. For anything beyond that, such as extra copies, treat it as a precaution: in our experience, bring an original and a photocopy of each document.

What it costs

Procedure	Fee (model 790-012)
NIE allocation at the applicant’s request	€9.84
EU citizen registration certificate	€12.00
TIE, first grant	€16.08
TIE, renewal	€19.30
TIE, long-term residence	€21.87

Source: Orden PJC/617/2025. Generate the form on the official portal and select the specific procedure, because each option produces a different amount. Paying the wrong fee is one of the commonest reasons for a file to come back. Our immigration fees 2026 guide lists the other fees.

The appointment in Palma

Appointments for NIE, TIE and fingerprints are booked through the government’s cita previa system (ICP Plus). Our appointment guide for Palma explains which office handles what and what to do when the system shows no slots.

Two points specific to the NIE:

• The Policía Nacional’s page states a maximum resolution time of five days from submission, and says that silence means refusal. That is a legal maximum, not a promise of what happens in practice. Do not plan a property completion around it.
• Slots in Palma are scarce at busy times. We have seen applicants spend weeks looking for one. The cause is demand on the system, not an error in your file. In our experience, new slots tend to appear in the early morning, but the Administration has not confirmed any release schedule.

What happens on the day

You hand in the documents above. The officer checks the form, the fee payment and the justification, and records your details. If the file is complete, the NIE is allocated and notified on a paper certificate. The white NIE is not a card.

Before you go, check each item twice:

• the name on the EX-15 matches the passport exactly;
• the fee receipt is for the NIE allocation, not another procedure;
• the justification names you and states the purpose (for example, a purchase agreement in your name);
• the passport has not expired and will not expire before the date.

Common mistakes

• Ticking the wrong box on form 790-012, so the receipt is for a different procedure.
• No evidence of the reason for the request. The justification is the part people forget.
• An EU citizen applying for a white NIE when the CUE is what applies.
• Treating the NIE as a residence permit. It is not. It does not let you live or work in Spain.
• Planning a completion date around the five-day maximum.

NIE and tax: a practical note

Once you hold the number, keep the certificate safe. Banks, notaries and the tax office will ask for it, and replacing it means another procedure. Whether you owe tax in Spain depends on your own circumstances and is outside the scope of this guide.

FAQ

Does the NIE expire? The number is personal and permanent. What can expire is a residence document, which is a separate thing.

Can I get a NIE without living in Spain? Yes, if you have economic, professional or social ties to Spain and can prove them. Buying a property is the usual case.

Can I apply from my home country? Yes, through a Spanish consular office abroad.

Is the NIE the same as the TIE? No. The NIE is the number; the TIE is the card issued to people who hold a residence authorisation.

How long does it take? The Policía Nacional gives five days as the maximum from submission. The wait for an appointment comes on top, and it varies.

Do I need a lawyer or gestor? Not by law. A professional helps if you cannot find a slot, if your documents are in another language, or if your situation is not a plain purchase.

Official sources

• Policía Nacional: asignación de NIE
• Orden PJC/617/2025 on immigration fees (BOE-A-2025-12056)
• Cita previa portal (ICP Plus)
• Ley Orgánica 4/2000, articles 29 to 31

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This guide informs; it does not assess your particular case. At Extranjería Palma we prepare the form, the correct fee and the justification, and handle the appointment. Tell us about your case and we will quote it. See also our NIE service and our guide to sworn translations of foreign documents.