Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
Hello, we are American citizens and are planning to buy a property in Spain. We were told that we need to get NIE, and I am planning to do it through the Spanish consulate in New York. I tried to figure out the form and supporting documents, but since I got so much good info from this group, I am hoping someone can provide me with clear instructions on how to get NIE? Appreciate any info.
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“I was told that if you had an exclusive contract for representation by a real estate agency that you could present that at the embassy for proof that sou will eventually need a NIE to make the transactions happen. I have not tried this so I don’t know if it works.”
“You just have to say you want to buy property or a car or any no other reason one would need a NIE.”
“I got my NIE in May when I was in Spain for a week to buy a house. I went to the extranjería with the EX-15 form and my passport. They gave me the bill to pay which I did at a bank nearby then returned to the extranjería to pick up my NIE paper. The whole thing took less than an hour.”
“We got our NIE numbers in New York too. Super easy.
Went online, booked an appointment for each person. Completed the EX15 form. Went to the consulate and we were done in 20 minutes. 👍
They E Mailed our NIE document about a week later.
This helped us complete the form in advance.
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“Make an appointment with your consulate, pay the tax, fill out EX-15, take the form and your passport and proof of payment to the appointment. Section 4.2 is the place to put your reason. Put “comprar una casa” or whatever your motivation is. If you are unsure about any section, just leave it blank and explain during your appointment.
Here are the official full instructions from one of the consulates.”
In summary, to obtain a NIE number as an American citizen buying property in Spain through the Spanish consulate in New York, it is necessary to make an appointment, pay a tax, fill out the EX-15 form, and present the form and passport along with proof of payment at the appointment. It’s recommended to put “comprar una casa” or the specific reason for obtaining NIE in section 4.2 of the form. Some members of the Spainguru’s Facebook group suggested that an exclusive contract for representation by a real estate agency could also be presented as proof. It was also mentioned that the process was done easily in 20 minutes and the NIE document was sent via email in a week. For any doubts, it is better to leave it blank and explain during the appointment. The official full instructions are available from the consulate.
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