Getting a NIE number in Spain can be a very long and tedious process. The worst thing about it is that the process is constantly "evolving" i.e, changing without notice. The funny thing about this is that when you actually talk to someone there about the changes in getting the Spanish NIE number they always insist that the process has always been as it is now and is set in stone even if you can prove that it was never like that at any point in the past.
Anyway here is the latest way to get a NIE in Spain, or more specifically in Valencia. If you cannot be bothered to watch the video then you need to know that it is a six step process, which, as it involves Spanish bureaucracy, is obviously fraught with dangers.
Step 1. Go to Avenida de Constitución and apply using the NIE number application form that you can find online. This form needs to be filled in and no there is not an online translation to help you. At the moment you do not need photos but take them just in case because sometimes you do.
Step 2 Go and get a temporary NIE form from Hacienda, the tax office. To do this you need two things nly one of which is mentioned in the video. First you need the application form and secondly you need a copy of the deposit contract on the house you are going to buy (Or the car). Of course at this point you usually haven't got one so really you have to forge it!!! You will get a brand spanking new temporary NIE number, that starts with an M, and this actually allows you to buy a property so if it is urgent this is the process unless the Notary tells you that you cannot buy the house with just that form
Step 3. A month later go to Patraix in Valencia to pick up your NIE number which will start with an X. To do this you need to have paid for it which you cannot do until you have the bill which they will give you after you have queued for a long time. Then you take it to a bank to pay. You cannot go to the bank next door because there isn't one. The Police station for the NIEs is in the middle of an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. You get your car and go to a bank to get it. Unfortunately only banks you have an account with will allow you to pay the small amount unless it is the third Thursday in the month if the month has a J in it. Therefore it must be a bank you have an account in. Set one up beforehand.
Step 4 Go back to the Police Station in Patraix and get the NIE number after queueing for a couple of hours again if you are lucky. (It is at this point if you turn up before a month has passed that you find out that it is not yet there because of some unnamed strike during the previous month and if you could come back in a week or so it might well be there.)
Step 5 Take your NIE back to the Tax Office (Opposite FNAC in Valencia so at least this one is central) Tell them you have an official NIE that starts with an X and they should cancel your temporary one that started with an M.
Step 6: (A new one for me.) You then register your new NIE and get another piece of paper to show it is registered. This means you can know hand over your hard earned cash to the Spanish Government.
Fun isn't it. Enjoy the process.
Now if you want to avoid all of the hassle in Spain you can do it from the UK or any other country. The steps are laid out in this excellent book the NIE Number Guide. It may take longer in the UK than in Spain but at least the pain is remote as opposed to being on the ground and doing it.
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2) More On The NIE Number Guide
3) Spain Uncut. The Video Series
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