Applying for an N.I.E.

N.I.E. - Número de Identidad de Extranjero

In order to do just about anything in Spain, you need a personal identification number. For foreigners, this is the NIE. I had a really fun time getting mine.

Lesson #1 - Know where to go.
It seems obvious, but I screwed it up. When I arrived at the foreigners’ office in the morning, I asked a guard if I was in the correct place and he said, “Sí”. I then waited 2 hours to find out that, in fact, I was not. I’m pretty sure the guard who’d misinformed me was smirking as I left (see Lesson #2).

So, if you’re in Valencia the place to go to apply for an N.I.E. is here:

Avenida de la Constitución, n. 106-108
Location on Our Valencia Map

Lesson #2 - People who work in foreigners’ offices hate life, and hate you.
It’s understandable. They’re poorly paid and have to deal, day after day, with people who can’t speak their language and often smell bad. So, don’t expect friendly smiles or helpful guidance, and make sure you know before hand exactly what you need. They won’t be willing to help you figure it out.

This, of course, is not just true in Spain. In Germany, I dealt with the same exhausted sighs and angrily barked instructions as I did in Valencia. And I’ve been told American foreign offices are the absolute worst, so I shouldn’t complain.

Lesson #3 - Bring photocopies of everything.
A 6 line reenactment:

Clerk: “Give me your documentation.”
Me: “Okay, here’s my passport, my civil union papers, my rent contract and my paychecks”.
Clerk: [exhausted sigh] “I need copies of all this stuff. Not the originals”.
Me: [Looks at the photocopier sitting on clerk's desk. Looks up at clerk. Waits. Waits. Looks back at copier. Thinks.] “Oh whoa, you want me to go out and get photocopies, when there’s a photocopier sitting right here?!”
Clerk: [annoyed] “Yes. Why would we pay for that? Come back when you have copies”.
Me: “You bastard!” [stands up, shouts and flips desk over in one impressively masculine, frightening motion]

It took me 30 minutes to find a place to get all that shit copied. And then, I had to come right back and wait in line again.

Lesson #4 - Be prepared to wait.
It is going to take 30 days for me to get my N.I.E. I knew it might take awhile, and had been told to ask for a provisional number, so that I could at least open a bank account. However, this suggestion was met with derision by the clerk who was “helping” me, so there’s nothing to do but wait. When my number is ready, I have to go here to pick it up:

Calle del Gremis, n. 6, in Patraix
Location on Our Valencia Map

I’d be interested to know if a provisional number actually exists. My bank seemed to think so, but in the foreigners’ office, I was told it wasn’t possible.

Any questions? If you’ve had experiences getting an NIE, please share them in the comments. I probably made it a lot harder on myself than it actually was…

Update: If you’re a citizen of the EU, you need to go to a different office to apply for the N.I.E. Don’t waste your time at Avenida de la Constitución (as we did!) Here’s the address for Europeans:

C/ Joaquín Ballester, 39
Location on Our Valencia Map

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