How to Get an NIE in Barcelona: Fee, Appointment, Steps

A bank, a landlord or a notary has asked for your NIE. You open the booking page and it says there are no appointments. The form is in Spanish and nobody can tell you whether you need a gestor. This guide walks through the process in order, with the official fee, and says plainly where the sources we read disagree. It is general information, not legal advice.

What is an NIE, and do you need one?

The NIE, the Número de Identidad de Extranjero, is a personal number for foreigners who have economic, professional or social interests in Spain. That is how both the Barcelona council's International Welcome page and the national government's ONE platform describe it. The Local Spain lists the usual triggers as paying bills, buying property and opening a bank account, and says the number is a letter, seven digits and a letter.

It is not a permit to live here. The Spanish consulate in Toronto says an NIE issued through a consulate identifies you to the Spanish administration but does not entitle you to reside in Spain or prove that you do. Residence is a separate step: EU citizens staying more than three months get a registration certificate, which carries the NIE, and non-EU citizens get a TIE residence card after a visa or permit. If you are not sure which route applies to you, our glossary of NIE, TIE, padrón and cita previa explains the difference in plain English.

How much does an NIE cost in 2026?

The official fee is €9.84. It is tasa 5.12 in Orden PJC/617/2025, published in the BOE on 16 June 2025, and you pay it on Modelo 790 code 012. Both the council's page and the ONE platform give the same amount. One caveat: WaypointSur's cost guide shows €12.00 for 2026 in its fee table. We could not tell why, so we follow the BOE, and you should check the amount the form itself shows before you pay.

What you pay on top depends on the route:

• Passport photos and photocopies: WaypointSur puts photos at roughly €5 to €10 and a passport copy at €3 to €5.
• Apostille and sworn translation, if you use foreign documents: WaypointSur gives €15 to €30 for an apostille, and our price data puts a sworn translation at €25 to €80.
• A gestor or lawyer: our price data puts help with an NIE at €100 to €500. WaypointSur gives €80 to €200 for assistance with the application, €150 to €400 for a full service and €200 to €500 with a lawyer.

Most of the cost range is service, not government fee. If someone quotes you much more than the official fee, ask what the rest covers.

How do you get an NIE appointment in Barcelona?

Inside Spain you book online through the government's ICPplus appointment system, choosing the province of Barcelona and the NIE procedure. The ONE platform says all routes need an in-person visit. The council warns that demand is high and recommends booking as soon as you arrive.

Practical points from the guides we read, all of which are advice, not rules:

• Book the slot before you gather the paperwork, because availability is the bottleneck (WaypointSur).
• The system often says no appointments are available, so keep trying at different times (The Local). WaypointSur suggests midnight Spanish time, 8 to 9 in the morning and Monday mornings, when cancellations appear, and widening the search to nearby towns.
• The appointment itself is free. WaypointSur warns against unofficial appointment services that charge large fees, and says to verify any gestoría that claims priority access before you pay.

Which office in Barcelona handles it?

This is where the sources disagree, so we will not pretend otherwise. The council's NIE page does not name an office in Barcelona. A law firm's page on immigration offices, which is undated, lists two: Passeig de Sant Joan 189 to 193, which it says handles the NIE for non-residents, and Carrer de Murcia 42, which it says handles other procedures such as family-member cards and arraigo. The national ONE platform says applications are made at foreigners' offices or police stations. Treat the list of offices shown in the booking form as the authority, because that is where your slot will actually be.

What do you bring on the day?

• Form EX-15, completed and signed, in duplicate. The Toronto consulate says it is filled in online in Spanish and then printed.
• Your original passport and a copy. EU citizens can show an identity card, according to the council's page.
• A document showing why you need the NIE, such as a property purchase, a job offer or a contract (The Local).
• The Modelo 790 code 012 with proof of payment. WaypointSur advises paying at a bank counter the day before and keeping the stamped copies flat. The council says payment is in cash at a bank or by direct debit.
• Sworn Spanish translations and an apostille for any foreign documents, unless they are multilingual EU forms, which are exempt (council's page).
• A passport photo. The official pages we read do not list one, but some guides do, and it costs a few euros to bring one.

Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, according to WaypointSur, and bring a pen for small corrections to the form.

How long does it take, and what do you receive?

The ONE platform says the application must be resolved within five days of registration. In practice WaypointSur says a non-resident NIE certificate can sometimes be handed over at the appointment, and otherwise you get a receipt with your number and a collection date, then return to the same office. Applying through a consulate abroad is slower: the Toronto consulate says up to eight weeks.

Do you need a gestor or lawyer, and what if you do not speak Spanish?

Not always. The Local notes that appointments are free and suggests that paying an agency just to book one is rarely worth it unless you are in a hurry. A straightforward non-resident NIE is a form, a fee and an appointment. WaypointSur notes that some officers speak a little English but advises you not to count on it and to bring a Spanish speaker if you can. A gestor or immigration lawyer is more worth paying when you are doing several things at once, such as an NIE, a residence application and a bank account, when you are short of time, or when your documents need apostilles and translations.

Questions to ask before you hire anyone:

• Is the official fee shown separately from your service fee?
• Does your price include booking the appointment and attending with me?
• Will I get the paperwork and the resulting NIE in English or only in Spanish?
• What happens if the application is refused or the documents are rejected?

For typical fees see our NIE and TIE cost page and our guide to immigration lawyer costs in Barcelona. If you will also need a tax adviser, read how much a gestor costs. Documents in another language will need a sworn translator. With an NIE in hand, the next step for most people is a bank account and the padrón.

Want help with an NIE from someone who works in English? Browse by neighbourhood: All of Barcelona, or by area: Eixample, Poblenou, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Les Corts, Diagonal Mar & Vila Olímpica, Gràcia, El Born & Barri Gòtic and Sants.

Want the whole move in one place? Our free 17-page guide puts the paperwork, the official fees and the emergency numbers in plain English.

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