A home on the Costa Brava: the NIE before the notary

Ask for it early

Request the number once a reservation or deposit contract is signed: that contract becomes the reason you give on the EX-15. Left until the completion date is fixed, the number can hold up the whole purchase.

Two places to ask

In Spain, book the NIE trámite on the booking pages: policia.es lists the NIE on its own at one address for the whole province, C/ Cristobal Grober 12 in Girona, even for a house in Blanes or Cadaqués; there is no foreigners’ unit in Blanes or Palafrugell. From abroad, the Spanish consulate for your area can take form EX-15 and obtain the number without a journey. If neither suits you, Gestoraz, an independent firm, handles NIE requests at a distance.

Each buyer needs a number of their own, including a spouse whose name goes on the deed. The same number then follows you to the bank, the Registro de la Propiedad (land registry) and the tax office for years.

Signing from a distance

If you cannot be at the notary’s office on the day, you can grant a poder notarial, a power of attorney, so that someone you trust signs for you. Granted abroad, it generally needs an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish; granted in Spain, it is signed before a Spanish notary. Ask the notary handling the sale which wording they accept before you sign it.

What the number does not do

The NIE tells a notary, a bank or the Agencia Tributaria who you are, and nothing more. A purchase gives no residence rights: Spain ended the golden visa in 2025. Owners who live abroad have Spanish tax obligations of their own, which belong with a tax adviser rather than on this page.

The buyer’s papers for the NIE

• Form EX-15, signed
• Passport, and a photocopy
• The signed reservation, or a notary’s letter about the sale
• The Modelo 790 código 012, paid
• The booking confirmation, or the consulate’s appointment