NIE Numbers

[Anonymous]

Hi,

If anyone is needing an NIE number and cant or doesnt want to make a trip to Spain and get in the long queue, my local Spanish lawyer is now making this service for £100 per person. He will send the papers to your address and you can take them to your local notary and get them witnessed etc. This costs around £30 extra to the notary.

As many of you will know now you cant sign for a house without the number being in your possession which for some people has meant making a flight to Spain just to apply for the number and then having to go and collect it some weeks later.

If you want more info please PM me.

Bernard

[Anonymous]

Bernard,

mmmhh! Strange!
First because now you have to be in person at the police station yourself (lawyers with power of attorneys are not able anymore to request the NIE without the presence of their client), second because you can request the NIE at your local Spanish consulate (there is a Spanish consulate in every major British city).

Last but not least any professional Spanish lawyer will include the NIE request in the standard conveyancing package free of charge…

Maybe any lawyer of the site can give us an opinion 😀

Cheers
Dids

[Anonymous]

Hi Dids,

Why so strange??…as he is a Spanish lawyer and he is successfully obtaining the numbers for clients I think i will take it that he knows what he is talking about.

I know that you can apply for and NIE at a consulate but as there is only London, Manchester and Edinburgh its hardly one in every major city. The consulates only act as a postbox to Madrid and dont give the numbers. The numbers can take months to come through using this route. i have some clients that appled On feb 5 in London and its still not done so they have missed their completion date of 18 april.

I did say the service was available to anyone who didnt want to travel or the cost would be prohibtiive. The fact that he charges £100 doesnt make him unprofesional. Considering the cost of a flight, hotel, car hire etc to make a special trip for an NIE, I would say its a bit of a bargain!!

Kind regards

Bernard

[Anonymous]

@Dids.j wrote:

Bernard,

mmmhh! Strange!
First because now you have to be in person at the police station yourself (lawyers with power of attorneys are not able anymore to request the NIE without the presence of their client), second because you can request the NIE at your local Spanish consulate (there is a Spanish consulate in every major British city).

Last but not least any professional Spanish lawyer will include the NIE request in the standard conveyancing package free of charge…

A new law has now rendered the POA almost useless to apply for a NIE number except in some municipalities.

Now foreignerns can either:

1.- have to file for them they themselves (a POA will be rejected by most National Police Stations and it is not legal after the new law)
2.- or else apply for them at a consulate in their home country taking months

No lawyer should be charging to obtain a NIE number after the enactment of this law IMHO.

Anyways, in a near future the NIE number will be abolished for EU citizens it seems.

[Anonymous]

Hi Draken,

Thanks for confirming it can be done. Im not sure of the municipality but I know this is how it is done. Maybe thats why it is £100 and as I said it is for anyone, even for things not property related.

I will be pleased when the numbers are abolished for EU citizens as this has caused so many headaches since it became compulsory to have the number and not just a receipt that you had applied.

Best wishes

Bernard

[Anonymous]

Hi Bernard

on the flip side of it being a pain i heard this today from a bank. I have someone who is buying a house here (yes there are still some buyers around) and I took him to the bank. He only had the receipt from the police for his NIE and the bank would not accept it either for opening an account nor for obtaining a mortgage.

Unusual so I asked why the change recently.

Apparently there have been groups of Eastern Europeans who have been applying for NIE numbers, going to the bank to ask for credit, getting it then scarpering before the first payment is due – and doing this many times in many banks.

So now the banks (round here anyway) are very wary and wont give accounts before they have at least their NIE numbers issued.

And perhaps it is for this reason that you now have to be there in person to obtain an NIE number.

Regards

Vince

[Anonymous]

Hi Vince,

So what’s that got to do with NIE number?
Just the banks being greedy – for a change!

[Anonymous]

Hi Stewlanz

Not so sure it is the banks being greedy. If they are getting fleeced due to their lack lending policies I can only see one loser – the very people who have got a mortgage/account with the bank being charged more for the services to cover the losses.

So the fact they are insisting on NIE numbers now – which in turn means if you are buying a property here you definitely DO need one (especially if you need a bank account and/or mortgage) then it is even more imperative that you get one sorted as soon as possible and not leave it until the last minute as many people do.

However I cannot see how a solicitor can offer a service (for £100 or otherwise) for this when it is a requirement to be present for the first meeting initially (though quite why I don’t know because everyone I have taken there the person doesn’t even check to see if the person in the passport is the one standing on front of them)

Vince

[Anonymous]

Hi Vince,

The reason it can be done was touched on by Draken and that not every municipality in Spain has the same rules. They are being obtained in the north of Spain.

I will be delighted if these stop in the future. As you said they dont even bother to check who the person is and I have had clients that have gone themselves and even been given back their photographs that they attached to the top of the form!!

Best wishes

Bernard

[Anonymous]

Hi Vince,

The reason it can be done was touched on by Draken and that not every municipality in Spain has the same rules. They are being obtained in the north of Spain.

I will be delighted if these stop in the future. As you said they dont even bother to check who the person is and I have had clients that have gone themselves and even been given back their photographs that they attached to the top of the form!!

Best wishes

Bernard

[Anonymous]

Hi Bernard,

Happened to me in Oviedo in April – I turned up without an appointment and walked out the door 2 hours later with an NIE certificate – they said the photo’s weren’t required. Maybe you only need the photo’s if you want the plastic card – who knows?

I see you are also an Essex resident – snap.

Regards,

[Anonymous]

I cant see how the holder of a NIE, gets entitled to a Loan. Surely a loan has to be based on applicant credit rating etc and the banks lending policy & risk assessment.

Why, I cant find banks like the onces used by the Eastern europeans. I am known to my bankfor over 10 years. They would not even give me €5, overdraft to cover unexpected/unplanned bills being received like IBI not set up and the penalty on it.

[Anonymous]

Hi Draken,
Why do you say that NIE, will not be required in future ??? and why this change after giving so much to greif to the extranjeros and made the economy suffer.

[Author]

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