Q: Can anybody tell me if you need a working pass - NIE to work in Tenerife or any part of the Canaries and if so would I need to get it from Tenerife itself or can you obtain one from England? Michael Davis

NIE and Working in Tenerife 

A: The NIE (Numero Identificacion Extrajeros) is very similar to the DNI which is a number given to Spanish Citizens for National Identification purposes, however the NIE is only issued to foreigners.

The NIE is used for identification purposes by authorities and any dealings with the Hacienda (Spanish Tax Authorities). You will need a NIE to: Work, Buy a property or Car, open an account for any utility bills including Electricity or Telephone and to open a bank account or apply for any kind of credit.

In order to apply for an NIE you will need your Passport and a Copy of it, the official NIE application form (NIE para residentes en el extranjero) completed BUT NOT signed, 2 Passport sized photographs. Sometimes you may be asked to provide certified documentation stating the reason you are applying for an NIE.

Whilst you can do all this work yourself when I applied for mine we appointed a GESTOR to do the work for us which was duly completed for a small fee. It is so much easier, particularly if like me you didn’t speak Spanish at the time.

Our completed paperwork (unsigned) was handed into foreigners dept (Oficina de Extranjeros) at the Police Station (comisarķa) in Los Cristianos (prepare for a long queue!) signed in front of the officer and stamped. You are then issued with a date when to return to collect the completed form, this can take anything from 2 - – 6 weeks but is typically around 4.

Once you have your NIE, it is a good idea to take a few GOOD quality photocopies of it because if it gets lost you cannot get another re issued, you have to go through the whole registration process again – so be careful!

 You can download a PDF copy of the Official NIE form from here.

I am informed that you can apply for and get an NIE without being in Tenerife however this is NOT an easy option. I would start by contacting the Spanish Consulate General (the UK contact details can be found here), they should be able to help you.

I am not sure about the length of time involved with this process but I believe that the forms have to be sent to Madrid and then returned so I would leave a reasonable length of time!!