When you buy a property and move to Spain, there are a few things you will have to do to reside legally in Spain. You also have to do things in the right order and this all changed in March 2008.
The first thing you need to do, is to apply for your NIE number, Numero Identificacion Extranjeros. Without this number, you will not be able to buy property, open bank accounts, buy a car or register for utility accounts. It is your personal identification number and is also your fiscal number (tax number).
To apply for your NIE number, you will need to register with your local Oficina de Extranjeros (Office of Foreigners) with an application form, your passport, a photocopy of your passport and two passport sized photos. These offices tend to be busy and you may have to queue outside the office before it even opens and then wait a few weeks to be allocated a number. You will have to go back to collect your number in person. It is worth asking other expats in the area, or your abogado or estate agent, what the procedure for applying for an NIE number is like, so you know what to expect.
Once you have your NIE number, you should take a few photocopies of it and keep the original in a safe place. Carry a copy around with you in your wallet or purse.
The next piece of paper you will need is the Certificado de Registro. As of 28th March 2008, anyone who lives in Spain for more than 3 months must register for a Certificado de Registro with the Spanish authorities. This certificate replaces the Residencia and is the Spanish Government's attempt to make sure that all foreigners living in Spain register with the authorities. Fees will be imposed on those who do not apply for the Certificado.
To apply for the Certificado, you will need to fill in an application form, pay a fee at a bank and visit your local Oficina de Extranjeros with your passport and NIE number. Check with the Oficina to see if you need any further documentation.
Many people use a gestor to help them with this application and a gestor can enable you to jump the queue and definitely makes everything easier.
Make copies of your Certificado and carry a copy around with you.
A Certificado is now necessary for registering on the Padron, the Empadronamiento, at your Town Hall. The Padron is a register of the population of a municipality. Registering on the Padron is of benefit to you and the Town Hall. You receive proof of your address, to use when buying a car, registering children at school etc., and the Town Hall increases the number of people on their Padron and may well be able to apply for more grants and funding. It is important to register your whole family on the Padron so that the Town Hall can get all the funding it is entitled to and so that your community benefits.
To register on the Padron as being part of the bureaucracy in Spain, you will need to take various paperwork – your NIE, your Certificado de Registro, the escritura of your property and your birth certificate. The Town Hall will then register you and you should ask for a “Certificado de Empadronamiento” which is stamped and signed by the Mayor, and is proof that you are on the Padron.
