A number first, a document second
Expats say “my NIE” about three separate objects: the number, the certificate that shows it, and the plastic card a non-EU resident carries. Only the first is permanent. X, Y or Z up front, a run of seven figures, a check letter at the tail, and it waits for you even if you leave Tenerife for a decade.
The paper around it depends on who you are. Move to the island as a European (EU, EEA or Swiss) and the number sits on your registration certificate, still nicknamed the green certificate. Settle with a British or other third-country passport and it is printed on the TIE card. Buy a flat, inherit or sign a contract while living elsewhere, and you get a plain certificate of the number through form EX-15.
Where the island will ask for it
- At the notary, to buy or sell an apartment in Los Cristianos or a finca above Candelaria
- At the bank, before a Spanish current account is opened for you
- On a work contract with a hotel, a dive centre or an agency in the south
- To register as autónomo (self-employed) or file a Spanish tax return
- To put electricity, water and fibre in your name
- To buy or register a car, and later to exchange a driving licence
- For the padrón of your town hall and for healthcare paperwork
- To pay the IBI, the yearly municipal tax, on a holiday home
EX-15 or EX-18: which request is yours
An EU, EEA or Swiss citizen staying on Tenerife beyond three months does not ask for a bare number: the EX-18 puts them on the register of EU residents, and the number arrives on that certificate. The EX-15 covers everybody who needs the number without that step, such as non-residents with a purchase, an inheritance or a business reason.
Both are paid on the same 790-012 slip, which lists the procedures side by side. Tick the box that matches the request you booked, settle it at a bank or online beforehand, and bring the stamped copy.
On Tenerife
On Tenerife the number is assigned at police offices, and the two main ones sit at either end of the island: the Santa Cruz Brigada Provincial de Extranjería y Fronteras, Calle Ramón Pérez de Ayala, and the Comisaría Sur in Las Terrazas, Adeje. Which one you see is fixed by the slot you book, so the decision is made at the screen, not on the morning of the appointment.
Questions on this topic
Does the NIE ever expire?
The number, never. The card a non-EU resident carries has a date on it and gets renewed; the X, Y or Z reference on it is the one you had on day one.
Does a NIE let me live here?
No. A bare certificate of the number only identifies you. Living on the island legally depends on your passport: EU citizens file the EX-18, everyone else needs a visa or an authorisation, then the card.
Can I work in Tenerife with only a NIE?
An EU, EEA or Swiss citizen can work with the number. A non-EU citizen needs an authorisation that includes work; the number on its own does not give that right.
I had a NIE on the mainland years ago. Do I need a new one?
No. The number is national and permanent. Bring the old certificate, or a photo of it, to any new procedure on the island.