Ref. CS-101 · European passports: EU, EEA, Switzerland
The NIE: one number, two ways to receive it in Castelló
Spain assigns every foreign national it deals with a number for life, the NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero), and in Castelló the Policía Nacional issues it. If you will live here, it comes with your residence papers; if your home stays abroad, you ask for it on its own with form EX-15.
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01Two routes to the same number
If you are moving to Castelló to live, you do not usually ask for the number by itself. It comes inside your residence paper. With an EU, EEA or Swiss passport, it is printed on the green certificate, the registration paper for Europeans. With any other passport, it is given with your visa or authorisation, and later it appears on the TIE card you collect after the toma de huellas.
If your home stays abroad, the request is for the number by itself, made on form EX-15. That suits the buyer of a flat on the Costa del Azahar, the heir of a house in the Maestrat, a person with a short contract, or a partner in a Spanish company.
02Where the number turns up
- On the escritura, the deed a notario (notary) signs when you buy a home
- In the file a bank opens for your account
- In your work contract and on every payslip
- With the Agencia Tributaria (the tax office): for a foreigner, the NIE also works as the tax number
- In the contracts for power, water and the internet
03Form EX-15, in plain terms
The EX-15 is a short form. It asks for your details as they appear in your passport, an address for letters, and what you are requesting. The same form also serves for certificates of residence or non-residence, so tick only the box that matches your need.
It also asks why you need the number. Give a real reason and bring a paper that shows it: a deposit contract for a flat, a job offer, a letter from a notary, a document about an inheritance. The fee is paid ahead, on the Modelo 790 código 012.
04The pieces to bring
- Your EX-15, completed, with your signature
- Passport, plus a photocopy of its photo page
- The paper that backs up your reason
- The paid 790-012, stamped or with its online receipt
- The booking confirmation, printed or on screen
05Teodoro Izquierdo, Río Sella, or a consulate
policia.es lists NIE certificates and NIE assignment at two police addresses in Castelló: Plaza Teodoro Izquierdo 6 (Brigada Provincial de Extranjería y Fronteras) and Calle Río Sella 5 (Comisaría Provincial). The list is the same at both, and no official page says which one takes which booking. Go where your cita previa confirmation sends you.
If you live abroad and cannot travel, a Spanish consulate can also receive form EX-15 from people in its area.
The same steps, as a story Buying on Castellón’s coast from abroad
Questions on this sample
Does a NIE let me live in Castelló?
No. It is only a number. The right to live here comes from your EU citizenship plus registration, or from a visa or authorisation if your passport is from outside the EU.
I was given a NIE years ago. Do I ask for a new one?
No. The first number is yours for good. If you need a paper that shows it, ask for a NIE certificate instead.
Is the NIE my Spanish tax number too?
Yes. For foreigners, the tax office uses the NIE as the tax identification number, so you will see it on tax forms and on the deed of a home.
Can I apply from my own country?
Yes, at the Spanish consulate that covers your area. It is a good route for buyers and heirs who would rather not fly to Castelló only for the number.
Sources: the official pages
- policia.es — foreigners’ procedures listed at Plaza Teodoro Izquierdo 6 and Calle Río Sella 5, Castelló
- Delegación del Gobierno en la Comunitat Valenciana — extranjería in Castellón: sede 1, sede 2 (Edificio La Pau) and the police premises
- Cita previa for foreigners’ procedures — the administration’s online office, sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es
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